
A COO’s Perspective on Product, People and Process
At ObviousFuture, we develop Resident AI—AI that can run fully on-premise, independent from the internet. This unique approach ensures data privacy and security for our clients while still delivering the full power of AI-driven solutions. While the technical details are essential, I want to focus on something just as critical: the role of a COO in bringing this vision to life.
When people hear “AI startup,” they often picture a visionary CEO dreaming up the future. And while that’s true (we have a brilliant CEO, by the way), it’s only one side of the story. Behind every visionary is a person who turns those dreams into reality. That’s where I come in as COO of ObviousFuture.
If you’ve ever heard the phrase, “A company should have an odd number of visionaries, and three is too many,” you’ll understand my role. While our CEO focuses on the “what” and “why,” I focus on the “how” and “when.” My job is to turn strategy into execution and make sure the big ideas become real products that people can use. I’m responsible for all the “nuts and bolts” of the company—HR, finance, legal, infrastructure, and daily operations.
Laying the Foundation for Growth
Building an AI product is one thing. Building a company that can deliver it at scale is something else entirely. At ObviousFuture, we’re a team of around 15 people today, but our vision is much bigger. We’re designing everything—from product development to HR processes—with scalability in mind.
Here’s how we’re doing it:
- Establishing Processes Early: If a process works for 15 people but breaks at 50, it’s not good enough. We design our processes to scale from day one, whether it’s onboarding new hires, managing customer support, or tracking development sprints.
- Clear Priorities and Responsibilities: Every employee knows exactly what they’re responsible for, their priorities, and the tools they have to achieve their goals. No confusion, no guessing.
- Providing the Right Tools: People need the right equipment, software, and infrastructure to do their jobs well. Part of my role as COO is ensuring that every team member has what they need to succeed—whether it’s laptops, software licenses, or project management tools. We also leverage several AI tools ourselves to streamline our workflows, from automating repetitive tasks to enhancing decision-making processes.
People Make the Product
AI might be about technology, but people make it possible. From day one, we’ve focused on building a team with the right balance of skills, personalities, and perspectives. Our team is a mix of AI enthusiasts and software engineering specialists. The enthusiasts push boundaries, challenge assumptions, and chase big ideas. The engineers bring those ideas back to reality, ensuring they’re usable, scalable, and efficient.
One of my core responsibilities as COO is to keep these two groups aligned. Our team meets on a daily meeting and despite the fact we work from different corners of the globe, we feel like a family. I hold regular 1:1 meetings with our team members, listening to their concerns, ideas, and suggestions. These aren’t just performance check-ins—they’re a chance for people to feel seen, heard, and supported.

Bridging Vision and Execution
In an AI startup, the CEO is the visionary, dreaming up groundbreaking ideas and setting the strategic direction. My role as COO is to translate that vision into actionable plans and ensure that every aspect of the company operates smoothly. It’s about being the connector between high-level strategy and day-to-day operations, ensuring that the CEO’s ideas are effectively implemented across all departments.
A crucial part of my job is to oversee HR, finance, and operations, ensuring that these areas align with our growth objectives. This involves setting priorities, managing resources, and continuously improving our processes to enhance efficiency. Understanding the distinct roles of CEO and COO is vital for a startup’s success. The CEO drives innovation and long-term vision, while I ensure operational excellence and scalability.
Scaling with Precision and Flexibility
Effective processes are the backbone of any scalable business. We measure everything what we can measure. Anyway, we are not sticked to fixed KPIs, we know that this environment changes rapidly every day. In ObviousFuture, we prioritize creating flexible and scalable operational procedures that can support our growth. We’ve adopted a “good engineering approach” that emphasizes meticulous planning, proactive problem-solving, and continuous improvement.
We focus on identifying potential bugs or problems before they arise, using advanced tools—many of them AI-driven—to prevent recurring issues and enhance our service quality. Measuring and managing our processes is crucial. By focusing on measurability, we ensure our processes remain efficient and adaptable as we scale, allowing us to respond swiftly to market demands and operational challenges.
Remote Team, Strong Culture
At the heart of our AI startup is a diverse and dedicated team. We operate primarily remotely, spanning different corners of the globe. Despite the distance, we’ve cultivated a warm and cooperative culture where everyone feels like part of a family. Daily virtual meetings keep us connected and aligned, while occasional in-person gatherings, like our annual Christmas meet-up, reinforce our sense of community.
Maintaining a strong team culture in a remote environment requires intentional effort. We invest in communication tools that facilitate seamless collaboration. Our hiring philosophy is straightforward: if someone isn’t a good fit within the first few weeks, we address it quickly. We prioritize trust, transparency, and mutual respect, creating an environment where everyone feels valued and motivated to contribute their best.
Final Thoughts
If I had to sum up our journey, it would be this: “Turn a great idea into a working, well-performing company.” That’s not just my personal mission as COO—it’s my track record. Over the course of my career, I’ve helped build startups from scratch, and I’ve successfully completed three exits. Each experience taught me that it’s not the size of the idea that matters. It’s the ability to turn that idea into something that works.
Today, I’m applying that same philosophy to ObviousFuture. Everything we build is practical, scalable, and ready for real use. If you’re on your own startup journey, here’s my advice:
- Don’t chase hype. Build something that actually works.
- Invest in people. People build companies, not code.
- Design for scale. What works for 20 customers won’t work for 1,000. Plan ahead.