Build vs. Buy

Mang-Git Ng

A short conversation with product and engineering leads about their framework and experience building or buying solutions.

  1. Danil Kolesnikov, Co-Founder, Marin

    15 APR

    Danil Kolesnikov, Co-Founder, Marin

    Mang-Git interviews Danil Kolesnikov, previously a founding engineer at Shepherd, a commercial insurance MGA for construction that underwrites on behalf of carriers and distributes through brokers. He explains Shepherd’s thesis that tech-enabled contractors are better risks and should receive better pricing and coverage. The core build-vs-buy decision was whether to buy a policy administration system or build one; Shepherd chose to build due to vendor pricing that takes a percentage of premium (a lasting “tax”) and the need for flexibility and speed. Danil says owning the platform improved onboarding and day-one productivity across underwriting, claims, and compliance, and helped Shepherd deliver quotes in under 24 hours versus weeks for legacy carriers. They also discuss the complexity of commercial lines, a painful Salesforce integration, and how AI shifts the bottleneck from coding to domain understanding and workflow automation.  00:00 Introductions  02:38 What an MGA Does  04:30 Shepherd’s Tech Advantage  06:10 The Build vs Buy Call  11:45 Evaluating PAS Vendors  13:17 Why Owning the Stack Wins  16:14 Org Design and Automation  18:59 Vertical Integration and Salesforce Pain  22:56 Secret Sauce Not for Sale  24:12 Lessons and AI Prompting  26:22 Lightning Round and Wrap Up This episode was brought to you by Anvil [https://useanvil.com].

    31 min
  2. Rowland Hobbs, Founder & CEO, Stake

    30 MAR

    Rowland Hobbs, Founder & CEO, Stake

    Rowland Hobbs, founder and CEO of Stake, joins the show to talk about his startup background and Stake’s mission to help renters build wealth amid rising rents. Stake offers cash-back and financial services across a network of about 550,000 homes, including free checking that rewards rent payments and credit building by reporting on-time rent to the three bureaus, benefiting renters while reducing landlord delinquencies. Rowland explains Stake’s model, funded by landlords for leasing plus banking, brand, property, and government partners, including Colorado Renter Rewards. For a build-vs-buy decision, Stake tested distributing renter incentives through rental brokers, saw higher lease conversions, and acquired the largest Texas rental brokerage, Yu Move Free, to accelerate go-to-market and onboard renters into Stake’s broader platform. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 01:02 Roland’s Startup Journey 02:13 Photo Startup Lessons 03:56 What Stake Does 05:06 Business Model and Network 08:24 Build Versus Buy Setup 08:49 Testing Brokers Then Buying 10:49 Rental Brokers Explained 14:01 Why Acquire Not Build 19:08 Costco Model for Renters 22:07 Deposits and Trust 24:05 Favorite Recent Purchases 26:46 Personal Growth and Yoga 28:18 Closing and Farewell This episode was brought to you by Anvil [https://useanvil.com].

    29 min
  3. Michael Grinich, Founder, WorkOS

    5 FEB

    Michael Grinich, Founder, WorkOS

    Michael Grinich, founder of WorkOS, joins Mang-Git to discuss challenges and insights from his career, including his journey from founding Nylas to creating WorkOS. They delve into the critical considerations for build versus buy decisions, the impact of AI on software development, and the importance of leveraging stable infrastructure. The episode highlights how modern AI tools are accelerating enterprise readiness and shaping the future of software development.  00:00 Introduction  01:51 Michael's Early Career 02:59 Challenges with Enterprise Adoption  04:23 Founding WorkOS  04:59 The Shift in Enterprise Software  08:03 The Rise of AI and Enterprise Adoption  08:38 The Importance of Enterprise Capabilities  09:40 Build vs. Buy: The Time Machine Argument  14:06 AI's Role in Modern Development  16:15 The Future of Development and Infrastructure  24:58 The Hidden Infrastructure of New York City  25:38 Frameworks for Build vs. Buy Decisions  26:28 The Value of Time in Business Decisions  28:31 Challenges with Vendor Lock-In  29:10 The Future of Internal Tools and AI  34:18 Personalized Software and Its Implications  40:18 Exciting Projects and Personal Favorites  44:23 Conclusion and Final Thoughts This episode was brought to you by Anvil [https://useanvil.com].

    45 min
  4. Alex Klarfeld, Founder, Supergood

    11/12/2025

    Alex Klarfeld, Founder, Supergood

    In this episode of Build vs. Buy, Mang-Git hosts Alex Klarfeld, founder and CEO of Supergood, previously co-founder of Divvy Homes. They discuss Alex's career journey, the business model of Supergood, which creates unofficial APIs for enterprise portals using automated reverse engineering, and the company's growth strategy. The conversation highlights a build versus buy decision Alex faced with integrating Temporal for job execution monitoring, ultimately leading them to inadvertently develop their own solution.  00:00 Introduction 01:38 Alex's Background and Supergood Overview 02:36 Supergood's Unique Approach to APIs 04:07 Challenges and Solutions in API Integration 06:42 Technical Insights into Supergood's Operations 10:53 The Evolution of Supergood 13:43 Build Versus Buy: A Deep Dive 21:25 Challenges with Temporal  23:39 Exploring Alternative Vendors 24:51 Choosing Masra for Better Support 28:30 Building In-House Solutions 30:58 Reflections on Vendor Relationships 33:51 Exciting Projects and Future Plans 37:07 Product Recommendations and Closing Remarks This episode was brought to you by Anvil [https://useanvil.com].

    39 min
  5. Chris Dean, Co-founder & CEO, Treasury Prime

    18/09/2025

    Chris Dean, Co-founder & CEO, Treasury Prime

    In episode 23, Mang-Git chats with Chris Dean, Co-Founder and CEO of Treasury Prime. Chris shares his journey from machine learning researcher to serial entrepreneur, culminating in the founding of Treasury Prime. The discussion covers Treasury Prime's unique business model, which focuses on providing APIs to banks for managing FinTech relationships safely. They delve into the complexities of the American banking system, the challenges of ensuring safe money management, and the merits of building versus buying solutions. The conversation also touches on the use of AI in enhancing productivity and the future of FinTech integrations.  00:00 Introduction   02:03 Chris Dean's Background and Journey  05:17 Founding Treasury Prime  07:37 Treasury Prime's Unique Business Model 15:18 Challenges and Decisions in FinTech 20:39 Building a Robust Workflow System  23:45 Handling System Failures and Retries  25:32 Reconciling Financial Discrepancies  26:03 AI in Banking Operations  28:22 Regulatory Challenges and Opportunities  32:09 The Importance of Optionality  32:42 Personal Insights and AI Tools  38:50 Conclusion and Future Outlook This episode was brought to you by Anvil [https://useanvil.com].

    40 min
  6. Jean-Denis Greze, CEO, Town (former CTO at Plaid, Dropbox)

    17/07/2025

    Jean-Denis Greze, CEO, Town (former CTO at Plaid, Dropbox)

    John-Denis Greze joins Mang-Git Ng to dive into JDG's extensive career in tech, including his tenure as CTO at Plaid. JDG shares his decision-making process on build vs. buy, highlighting examples from his time at Plaid. He also discusses his current venture, Town AI, which aims to automate small business tax prep through AI. The conversation touches on the challenges and joys of being a founder, including management philosophies and leveraging modern AI tools.  00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome  01:33 JD's Background and Career Journey  02:25 Joining Dropbox and Career Growth  04:59 Transition to Plaid and Leadership Roles  06:51 Challenges and Reflections on Management  08:52 Networking and Fairness in Tech  14:20 Management Lessons and CTO vs VP of Engineering  23:18 Starting Town and the SMB Tax Space  26:32 Building Products in Existing Markets  28:26 The Build vs. Buy Dilemma  30:58 Strategic Decisions in Product Development  38:17 AI and Rapid Prototyping  43:53 Personal Projects and Tools  47:14 Final Thoughts and Recommendations This episode was brought to you by Anvil [https://useanvil.com].

    50 min
  7. Tom Elliot, Founder, Ocuroot (former VMware, Yext)

    30/06/2025

    Tom Elliot, Founder, Ocuroot (former VMware, Yext)

    Tom Elliot, founder of Ocuroot, joins Mang-Git to discuss Tom's background in the tech industry, his experiences at companies like VMware and Yext, and the inception of Ocuroot. The conversation digs into build vs buy decisions, emphasizing the case study of monitoring tool Checkly. Tom shares insights on the complexities of self-built solutions versus external services and how to present these decisions to senior leadership. They also explore the benefits and challenges of various AI development tools. 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 01:33 Tom Elliot's Career Journey 02:50 Challenges and Innovations at Yext 03:55 The Concept and Benefits of OccuRoot 11:27 Build vs. Buy: A Real-World Example 15:04 The Decision-Making Process 21:12 Reflections on Build vs. Buy 28:42 Fun Questions and Closing Remarks This episode was brought to you by Anvil [https://useanvil.com].

    38 min
  8. Pulkit Agrawal, Co-founder and CEO, Chameleon.io

    28/05/2025

    Pulkit Agrawal, Co-founder and CEO, Chameleon.io

    Pulkit Agrawal, co-founder and CEO of Chameleon, joins Mang-Git Ng to discuss Pulkit's journey founding Chameleon, a tool that simplifies user onboarding and adoption for software applications. Pulkit shares insights into the importance of personalized user experiences and the intricacies of build versus buy decisions. He elaborates on his company's switch from custom-built UI components to using Radix UI, the role of trust in choosing software, and the tension between self-service growth and sales-assisted models.  00:00 Introduction  02:06 Pulkit's Background and Chameleon Origin  03:35 Challenges in User Onboarding  05:57 The Impact of AI on UI Development  09:45 Build vs Buy: A Personal Experience  13:00 Choosing Radix UI for Speed and Trust  16:15 Factors Influencing Build vs Buy Decisions  22:04 Chameleon's Go-to-Market Strategy  26:07 Personalization in Onboarding and Campaigns  31:31 Reflecting on the Entrepreneurial Journey  32:56 Exciting New Projects and Personal Updates  34:11 Product Recommendations and Closing Remarks This episode was brought to you by Anvil [https://useanvil.com].

    36 min
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About

A short conversation with product and engineering leads about their framework and experience building or buying solutions.

Information

  • Creator
    Mang-Git Ng
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2024 - 2025 Build vs. Buy (Podcast)
  • Show Website
    Build vs. Buy