Episode 5

In this episode, Elton Cheung, founder and CEO of TessanaAI, shares his journey from working in large tech companies to starting an AI-focused startup. He discusses understanding customer needs, the challenges of building from scratch, and the evolving role of AI in product development. Elton emphasizes the importance of relationships in business and offers candid thoughts on job security in an AI-driven world.

Takeaways

• Elton Cheung is the founder and CEO of TessanaAI, focused on 10x-ing QA productivity with AI.
• Leaving corporate for a startup demands a clear purpose and focus.
• Founders must own their time and obsess over customer needs.
• AI is transforming how products are built and can augment human effort.
• Strong customer relationships are critical for startup success.
• Starting a company is tough without a strong “why.”
• Flexibility and readiness to adapt are essential in entrepreneurship.
• Ideas are cheap; deep understanding of pain points wins.
• AI has accelerated product development and iteration speed.
• Certain blue-collar roles (e.g., trades, healthcare) are more resilient to AI replacement.

Chapters

• 00:00 — Introduction to Elton Cheung and TessanaAI
• 02:20 — The Entrepreneurial Spirit: Leaving Corporate Comfort
• 07:56 — The Shift from Corporate to Startup: Lessons Learned
• 10:25 — Competing with Giants: The Startup Advantage
• 14:33 — The Importance of Motivation and Focus
• 18:44 — Validating AI Products: The Essential Questions
• 22:41 — Navigating the AI Landscape: Tools and Ideas
• 26:43 — AI's Impact on Jobs: What’s Safe?
• 30:48 — Building Relationships: The Key to Success

Links

• DesignQA Website: designqa.com
• Mahdi on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mahdif
• Guest — Elton Cheung (Website): tessanaai.com
• Guest — Elton Cheung (LinkedIn): linkedin.com/in/eltoncheung

In this episode of the DesignQA Podcast, I sit down with internet entrepreneur Ettore to talk about building simple but powerful apps, scaling online businesses, and how AI is rewriting the rules of entrepreneurship.

We cover:

• Ettore’s journey from YouTube creator → cybersecurity startup → internet business acquisitions
• Why simple, one-purpose apps often win big
• How AI tools like Bolt and Lovable make it possible to build apps in under 24 hours
• Growth hacks that shouldn’t work (but do)
• Why programmatic SEO and backlinks still matter in 2025
• Ettore’s contrarian take on AI’s impact on jobs and education
• The case for bootstrapping over chasing unicorns

⏱ Chapters00:00 Teaser02:07 Episode Intro03:34 Intro to Ettore and his journey05:40 Innovative App Development and AI Tools08:24 The Simplicity of Micro Apps11:17 Ettore's Transition from YouTube to Internet Entrepreneurship13:52 Understanding Programmatic SEO and Google's Sandbox16:30 Leveraging AI for Business Growth19:00 Creating Lead Generation Tools for Businesses21:42 The Future of AI and Job Automation30:02 The Future of Jobs in the Age of AI34:02 Marketing Innovations and Unconventional Strategies35:55 The Value of Profitability in Business37:34 Starting an Internet Business with Limited Funds42:21 The Future of Education and AI's Role49:24 Taking Risks and Embracing Opportunities

🔗 Links

Mahdi Farra

• DesignQA: http://designqa.com/
• LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/mahdif

Ettore Fantin

• https://ettore.net/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ettoref/

From catching employee theft with a no-code app to salsa dancing, Airbnb hosting, and building AI-powered hiring tools — Michael Rurka’s career journey is anything but ordinary.

In this episode of the Design QA Podcast, I sit down with my friend Michael, who started as a designer and is now a Director of Product. We talk about:

→ Why he still thinks like a designer (even as a PM)

→ Letting go of control and trusting your team

→ The messy reality of building products and making unpopular decisions

→ How he reduced employee theft by 99% with a system he built himself

→ The role of gut instinct in product and design decisions

→ Lessons from salsa dancing and Airbnb hosting that apply to building products

→ The future of design in an AI-driven world

→ Why apps and websites as we know them might soon disappear

If you’re a designer, PM, or just someone who loves hearing real stories from people building interesting things, you’ll enjoy this one.

⸻

🔗 Links & Resources

👋 Connect with me (Mahdi Farra):

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahdif/

Twitter/X – https://twitter.com/mahdif

DesignQA – https://designqa.com

👋 Connect with Michael Rurka:

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelrurka/

Amori – https://amori.life

🎙 Listen to the podcast on your favorite platform:

Podcast Website: https://designqa.com/podcast

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7338K2AkncE4ms1d7zFXRn

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-designqa-podcast/id1823275839

Pocket Casts: https://pocketcasts.com/podcasts/c40bc7d0-35ab-013e-985d-0affe3af2217

Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1823275839/the-designqa-podcast

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/543c75b1-0cea-4fc0-9775-014018425e1b/the-designqa-podcast

Chapters

00:00 Intro

01:09 Michael’s background: from design to Director of Product

03:25 Transitioning from Design to Product Management

05:19 What he had to “unlearn” moving into product

07:56 Navigating product decisions and mistakes

10:04 Rebuilding products and lessons from failures

12:39 Reducing employee theft by 99% with a custom-built system

14:55 The importance of user experience

18:01 One product truth that’s constant across all industries

19:48 Trusting your gut (but only when to do it)

22:21 Salsa dancing & Airbnb hosting lessons for product building

24:55 Exploring new roles and future aspirations

29:19 The power of curiosity and being a generalist

31:44 Advice for designers moving to PM

33:18 How AI will impact design and product management

36:41 Apps without interfaces — the coming shift

40:10 Emotional connection with AI assistants

43:40 Why AI lacks “personal experience”

44:12 Rapid-fire questions

54:55 Closing thoughts & future projects

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Got strong opinions about design QA? Reach out: ⁠⁠podcast@designqa.com⁠⁠

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