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In the high-pressure world of startups, especially in the tech sector, entrepreneurs often cling to validation. But when that validation comes at the cost of truth, it can lead an early-stage venture straight into failure. During a mentoring session hosted by Calcalist and Poalim Techâs Growth+ initiative, Tami Mazel Shachar, former CEO of Incredibuild, offered blunt and practical advice to Zakher Shalah, founder of DevOps startup qaTT, about the dangers of self-deception and the transformative power of real feedback.
Why Customers Donât Always Tell You the Truth
In a conversation that cut through entrepreneurial idealism, Mazel Shachar warned against one of the most common traps founders fall into: falling in love with their own product. When founders are too emotionally invested, they may only hear what they want to hearâespecially from customers.
She explained how in the early days, feedback often comes in the form of superficial praise like âit works greatâ or âwe’re using it,â which offers no insight into whether users actually value or are willing to pay for the product. This illusion of progress can be devastating when startups later discover that interest doesnât convert into revenue.
Instead, Shachar recommends asking uncomfortable, even painful questions early:
What value does this product provide you?
Would you pay for it?
What alternatives do you consider better?
What problem does it actually solve?
These questions cut through politeness and vanity, delivering clarity that can shape product-market fit and investor interest alike.
The Search for True Partners
Zakher Shalah, facing the uphill climb of building a DevOps startup, described one of his toughest challenges as finding committed partners. In the high-stakes startup environment, it’s not just about finding coders or designersâit’s about finding co-builders who share the dream and are willing to weather the storms together.
Shachar, recognizing the uphill battle in a technically savvy DevOps market, emphasized the need to define and quantify value with precision. DevOps users often build their own tools, so if youâre not offering something they can’t replicate, you’re irrelevant. Is the product saving them 30% of their time? Is it cutting costs by half? That specificity is what differentiates a nice idea from a fundable company.
Mutual Learning: Confidence Meets Curiosity
Despite being at different points in their entrepreneurial journeys, both Shachar and Shalah walked away with new insights. Shalah learned to approach potential customers without egoâoffering help, not pushing sales. Shachar, on the other hand, rediscovered the contagious excitement of building something new, fueled by tech like AI and a genuine belief in progress.
They also found surprising personal connections. Shachar, who speaks some Arabic, recognized the poetic meaning of Shalahâs name: âmale rain,â a symbol of fruitfulness and hope. Shalah, meanwhile, appreciated how natural and supportive the mentorship felt, noting he even shared personal details he wouldnât normally offer.
What Undercode Say:
Analyzing this mentorship session reveals some crucial startup truths often ignored in the hustle culture:
- Feedback Theater Is a Threat â Many startups misinterpret polite nods and vague affirmations as validation. This âfeedback theaterâ can delay or even destroy the development of a market-ready product. Hard questions bring real answers.
Emotional Detachment from the Product Is Healthy â Founders must learn to separate personal identity from their product. This detachment allows for objective iteration and improvement rather than defensive stagnation.
DevOps Market Has Zero Tolerance for Fluff â Selling in the DevOps space means addressing a user base that is technically competent, skeptical, and highly demanding. Value must be measurableâfaster deployment, reduced error rates, lower maintenance costsânot just visionary.
Partner Selection Is Strategic, Not Romantic â Building a startup isn’t just about shared energy. Itâs about complementing skill sets, mutual accountability, and aligned risk appetite. A passionate coder isnât automatically a strategic cofounder.
Mentorship Mattersâbut Not All Advice Is Equal â Mentorship that challenges assumptions and encourages self-reflection is vastly more powerful than vague cheerleading. This session was impactful because it focused on clarity, honesty, and tough love.
Cultural Nuances in Business â The conversation lightly touched on cultural richness, highlighting how personal identity and emotional intelligence can create a stronger bond and deeper mentorship experiences.
Investment Requires Precision â VCs donât invest in dreams; they invest in potential backed by data. Startups must not only define their value proposition but also quantify itâpreferably in terms of time, money, or reduced complexity.
Customer-Centricity Beats Product-Centricity â Successful startups start not with âwhat can we buildâ but âwhat do they need.â Shacharâs push for direct customer questions is a blueprint for building scalable solutions, not just fancy tools.
The Ego Barrier â Many startup founders fail to get honest feedback because their ego creates an intimidating environment. Removing that barrier allows for honest, actionable dialogue with users.
Learning Is a Two-Way Street â Even seasoned executives like Shachar find inspiration in younger founders. This humility is a hallmark of sustainable leadership.
Fact Checker Results
The Growth+ program by Calcalist and Poalim Tech is indeed a real initiative supporting startup mentorship in Israel.
Tami Mazel Shachar is the former CEO of Incredibuild, known for its software acceleration technologies.
qaTT is a real DevOps-focused startup founded by Zakher Shalah, involved in performance optimization and automation.
Prediction
Startups that continue to depend on sugarcoated feedback and vague user interest will increasingly be weeded out in today’s metrics-driven investment landscape. As markets become saturated and users more discerning, only those ventures that prioritize brutal honesty and data-backed value will survive. Initiatives like Growth+ may soon become the norm, as the startup world shifts from hype-driven to feedback-driven growth. Expect a rise in “customer-critical” mentorship frameworks, designed to arm founders with not just vision, but vigilance.
References:
Reported By: calcalistechcom_0ba2eef11f2ee2f470e82402
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