Why it Matters

In the weeks leading up to the conference, NITM worked closely with the AcceleratorCon team to solve several operational and technical challenges that impacted marketing, e-commerce, and attendee experience. These are the same issues we see every day across early-stage teams: fragmented systems, unclear data flows, and tools that don’t quite match the pace of an MVP.

The Panel: The New MVP - How to Test AI-Enabled Products Without Full Builds

I joined Oji Udezue (Product Mind), Christopher Yang (Shopline), and Crystelle Desnoyer (Adobe) to discuss how founders can test and validate MVPs, use AI-powered tools, and build effectively at the early stage without sinking months into engineering.

It’s humbling to sit beside leaders who have solved real problems at scale. Their work is a reminder that while technology gets complex quickly, founders benefit most when they focus on clear problems/value, rapid validation, and meaningful user feedback.

What mattered most from our discussion was this: building MVPs enabled by AI tools and features is no longer impossible or optional. It’s the starting point for efficiency, alignment, and speed.

Key Takeaways for Founders

• Define sharp problems from the start. As Oji emphasized, clarity reduces waste. When you pinpoint the exact pain to solve, you ship faster and deliver value sooner.
• Build your personal AI toolkit. Chris and I aligned on this completely. Founders should be using AI daily to write, plan, design, validate, and analyze. Your AI tooling is now part of your productivity stack.
• Focus early on efficiency, alignment, and prioritization. Crystelle highlighted how teams she works with keep early efforts aligned. Even small teams benefit from structured focus, especially when interacting with AI systems.
• Prototype before you build. You do not need a full product to test an AI experience. Lo-fi prototypes, command-line demos, prompt flows, or wizard-of-oz tests can validate user appetite and behavior.

How does it help you?

Here’s a quick way to assess whether you’re building your MVP effectively:

Quick checklist (yes/no)

• Are you actively using AI tools during MVP development?
• Do you keep your work organized across the many tools you touch?
• Are your problem statements sharp, measurable, and user-validated?
• Do you have a simple test you can run this week?
• Are you struggling to get started because the build feels too big?

If you answered no to more than one, you’re likely overbuilding or under-validating.

How can we help?

Because we specialize in MVP and pre-Series A development, efficiency is built into how we operate. We are AI-native and use AI as the final step in almost every process:

• ideation, research, and roadmapping
• developing, testing, and refining
• reviewing code and deployments
• validating product logic
• analyzing customer feedback
• debugging in real time
• generating structured prototypes and flows

AI doesn’t replace human interaction. It accelerates it. And teams that embrace this early shorten their runway to product-market fit.

A recent example

We worked with Blackfullness to launch Blackfullness 2.0 with a refined product strategy, improved technical architecture, and an AI-informed development workflow. The rebuild reflects the same principles we preach: start sharp, test fast, and blend AI with thoughtful human design.

Additional Insight: Why AI-Enabled MVPs Matter in 2025

Testing with AI saves founders time, reduces cost, and cuts guesswork. Most importantly, AI lets you validate the experience before investing in the infrastructure. The winners in 2025 won’t be the teams with the biggest builds. They’ll be the ones with the smartest prototypes.

Conclusion

We’re already preparing for AcceleratorCon 2026 and look forward to returning with our clients, showcasing the companies we’ve helped launch and scale. Until then, we’ll continue sharing practical tools and insights to help founders build smarter, faster, and more sustainably.

Additional Resources

• Visit AcceleratorCon here: https://acceleratorcon.com 
• Link to Vibing with AI for Non-Technical Founders
• Link to: Advice for founders in the era of AI
• NITM’s AI Toolkit for MVP Teams

What’s next?

We look forward to seeing you at AcceleratorCon 2026. If you need help refining your MVP, integrating AI, or validating your next product idea, reach out anytime.