In early 2025, ZillyPlanet began raising our angel round. We started, as many founders do, with people we knew personally. Friends. Former colleagues. Mentors. Supporters of our mission to make STEM learning more personal, inclusive, and story-driven. These early conversations felt energizing. They were built on trust, shared vision, and enthusiasm for what we’re building. But as we reached the tail end of the round, we found ourselves needing to expand our circle. We started

Scaling plans fail when execution outgrows reach. Teams build roadmaps and targets on potential, not on what they can win now. That’s how drift begins. The Real Gap When vision  sits above execution with no market boundary in between, every function fills the void with its own logic. Product  optimises for one segment. Sales  chases another. Marketing  fuels awareness with no conversion path. Finance  funds contradictions. Activity rises. Compounding falls. The Tool: The Mark

Why the future of enterprise sales belongs to the companies who don’t sell alone. The era of solo selling is over. In 2025, the fastest-growing revenue teams share one core strategy: they’re building, activating, and scaling ecosystems. Whether you’re integrating with platforms like Workday  or partnering across AI and RevOps tools, ecosystem partnerships have become the most reliable way to accelerate pipeline, shorten cycles, and close bigger deals with higher win rates. Th

The closer we get to Web Summit Conference in Lisbon, the more my calendar fills with things like “pitch practice,” “side event RSVP,” and “order backup chargers.” And the more I realize… this isn’t just about our startup showing up strong. It’s about me  showing up strong. This is my first time attending Web Summit as the founder of an Alpha Startup. ZillyPlanet, our adaptive STEM learning platform, is in the mix this year as part of the Impact Startups group. Which means ye

Many founders treat unit economics  like flossing, something they know they should do, but somehow never get around to. They tell themselves it’s too early. They’ll “get to it after launch.” Or they assume it’s only relevant once investors start asking for CAC-to-LTV ratios in spreadsheets color-coded by existential dread. But here’s the truth: understanding your unit economics early, when your startup is still running on hope, hustle, and ramen, can save you from scaling los

When vision sits above execution with nothing in between, each function fills the void with its own logic. Product chases requests. Sales pursues quick wins. Operations plugs gaps. Activity rises, compounding falls. The missing link is a small set of company objectives that translate vision into what must happen this year. The Tool: Vision and Strategic Objectives Map A one-page bridge between where you’re going and what you will achieve in the next 12–18 months. List three t

The SaaS industry has spent the past few years perfecting the art of usage-based pricing. But as buyers grow more sophisticated and ROI expectations tighten, a new model is emerging: outcome-based pricing.

This is the second post in our three-part series on the evolution from SEO to LLMO. If you haven't read Part 1: The Rise of LLMO , we...

If your brand guidelines are still a dusty PDF sitting on your shared drive, it’s time to rethink. The pace of modern marketing demands more than a static style sheet, it needs a living, breathing playbook  that evolves with your brand and keeps your entire team aligned. Static Brand Guides Don’t Cut It Anymore Here’s the problem with the old approach: They’re hard to keep updated. They don’t flex for new platforms like TikTok or LinkedIn carousels. They stifle creativity wit

Sometimes, the hardest part isn’t solving the problem, it’s realizing you’re solving the wrong  one. I’ll be honest. At ZillyPlanet, we hit a serious wall while building our MCP model. Our prompts had the right intent, but they just weren’t landing. The model couldn’t quite “get” the learner's context. And no matter how many tweaks we threw at it, the results stayed... meh. Now, as both a CPO and founder, I’ve learned the hard way that stubbornly hanging on to broken systems

Today’s customers don’t just buy products — they buy into personalities, stories, and conversations. That’s why your brand voice  is one...

Picture this : you’re a startup founder on a Tuesday afternoon. You’ve had three coffees, answered 47 Slack messages that were all...