194. Building YC-Backed Startup Using AI On Data To Enhance Strategy w/ Mariam Ahmed | Menza

Amardeep Parmar (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amardeepsparmar) from The BAE HQ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-bae-hq) welcomes Mariam Ahmed, Co-Founder of Menza.ai 

In this episode, Mariam Ahmed, co-founder of Menza AI and a YC-backed entrepreneur, shares her journey from aspiring doctor to tech founder leveraging AI to make data-driven insights accessible for businesses. She discusses her path through corporate life at Goldman Sachs, the founding of Mensz AI, and the critical role of Y Combinator in shaping her startup experience.

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Show Notes: 

00:00 - Intro

00:43 - Introduction of guest Mariam Ahmed and her journey from coding enthusiast to entrepreneur.

01:36 - Mariam’s childhood ambitions and early interests in medicine and problem-solving.

02:55 - Transition from medicine to coding and biotech internships during university.

04:25 - Landing internships through proactive efforts and working on free coding projects for startups.

06:16 - Mariam’s dissertation on breast cancer diagnosis using machine learning.

07:07 - Gaining corporate experience at Goldman Sachs and transitioning into finance.

10:52 - Value of corporate experience in building work ethics and skills.

12:07 - The unexpected call to co-found Mensa AI and the support of her family.

15:26 - Early experimentation with AI and LLMs before their mainstream popularity.

20:13 - Identifying the core problem Mensa AI would address: making data insights accessible.

24:14 - Early product iterations and lessons learned from user feedback.

27:08 - The transformative experience of Y Combinator and building resilience as a founder.

30:34 - Balancing stress and focusing on building a user-centric product.

32:11 - Biggest wins: meaningful user engagement and validating product value.

35:25 - Mariam’s hopes for the future of Mensa AI and her entrepreneurial journey.

37:50 - Shoutouts to impactful British Asians and closing thoughts.

Mariam Ahmed: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariamaahmed/

Menza.ai

https://www.linkedin.com/company/menzaai/