My AI Startup Journey: Lessons from Building CareerInsighter as a Solopreneur
The real behind-the-scenes story of launching and growing CareerInsighter, challenges faced, and key takeaways for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Alan Lai is the founder of CareerInsighter, an AI-driven platform transforming performance-based hiring and career upskilling through AI role-play and scenario simulations. With over 20 years of experience in high-tech and consulting at companies like Adobe, Amazon, and Wipro Consulting, Alan has mastered the art of negotiation, leadership, and career transitions—skills that he now helps others develop through AI-powered learning experiences.
Alan’s work focuses on helping startups and SMBs find the right talent through AI-driven hiring simulations while also empowering professionals to upskill, transition careers, and scale side hustles using AI. He has been featured in industry discussions on AI in hiring, soft skills development, and the future of work.
Networking isn’t just about business cards or LinkedIn connections—it’s about building real relationships that open doors. Sure, it can feel awkward or even a little cringe, but with the right mindset, it doesn’t have to be.
Modern networking is about quality, not quantity. It’s not about meeting as many people as possible—it’s about connecting with intention, online or in person. In this session, we’ll cover practical strategies for building authentic relationships that can boost your career or business. We’ll discuss how to network with purpose, make a lasting impression, and turn connections into real opportunities.
If networking feels intimidating, you’re not alone. It’s tricky for most people! But when approached the right way, it can be one of the most valuable tools in your career. Let’s make it work for you.
My company Path Unbound, a boutique UI/UX design school, is a challenger brand in a saturated market with many big named schools. We experienced a long slump in revenue in the first couple of years in business because we couldn’t find our product positioning. We offered products similar to our big competitors and tried to beat them with lower price only to have the opposite effect. People start doubting if we are bad because we were so much cheaper.
Last year, we discovered the magic formula to growth for us as a small challenger brand without big budget for advertising. We started to repackage our big product offerings into smaller ones that are ultra flexible serving mini segments of user personas. We started to see results within weeks of launching our new offerings, attracting more customers than we’ve ever have. In this talk, I’ll how we structured our product offerings according to customer personas and how other small businesses that are challenger brands to big competitors can thrive doing the same.
Great startups begin with great problems. But how do you train yourself to spot them? This session explores the art of problem sensitivity—the ability to recognize unmet needs, inefficiencies, and emerging opportunities before others do. Learn how to shift your mindset, ask the right questions, and uncover startup-worthy insights in everyday life. Whether you're an aspiring founder or an experienced entrepreneur looking for your next big idea, this talk will provide actionable frameworks and real-world examples to sharpen your problem-finding skills.
Many UX designers dream of turning their expertise into a profitable side hustle but struggle with where to start. In this session, I’ll break down practical, actionable strategies for monetizing UX skills beyond a traditional job, whether through mentoring, consulting, cohort-based courses, workshops, or digital products.
In this session I will share real-life insights from my journey of scaling MarziUXD into a thriving UX education business.
