STARTUPS PULSE - How to Create Strategic Clarity by Writing Your Startup Manifesto

Manus AI Secures $75M for Global Expansion, Now Valued at $500 Million Supabase Secures $200 Million, Valued at $2 Billion, Grows to 1.7 Million Users Airtime Launches New Tools to Enhance Virtual Meetings with Customization Features How to Create Strategic Clarity by Writing Your Startup Manifesto #startups, #strategicclarity, #manifesto, #globalexpansion, #virtualmeetings, #fundingnews, #businessgrowth

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to Innovation Pulse, your quick, no-nonsense update covering the latest in startups and

(00:09):
entrepreneurship news. Manus AI secures $75 million to expand globally, SuperBase raises
$200 million for AI tools, and Phil Liban's airtime redefines online meetings with Sequoia
and Softbank backing. After this, we'll dive deep into crafting impactful business manifestos.

(00:30):
Manus AI, a Chinese startup, recently secured $75 million in funding led by Benchmark,
valuing the company at approximately $500 million. The funds will help Manus AI expand into new
markets including the United States, Japan and the Middle East. Prior to this round,

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Manus AI had raised over $10 million from investors like Tencent and HSG. The startup gained
attention in March by launching a demo of a general AI agent designed to perform a variety of tasks,
although its initial performance had mixed reviews. Manus AI later introduced subscription

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plans priced between $39 and $199 per month. The company's focus on AI agents sets it apart by
aiming to simplify and automate complex tasks across different sectors, providing a unique and
valuable tool for businesses seeking efficiency and innovation. Next, we'll discuss the impact of

(01:35):
SuperBase's funding. In 2020, SuperBase, led by New Zealand-based CEO Paul Coplestone,
emerged as a key player in the tech landscape with its open-source database platform.
Recently, it secured a $200 million Series D funding round, valuing the company at $2

(01:56):
billion. This builds on a previous $80 million raise and highlights the company's rapid growth
and significance in the booming trend of vibe coding. SuperBase provides an open-source alternative
to Google's Firebase, integrating the SQL database Postgres with enterprise-ready tools for authentication,

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API generation, file storage, and AI-focused vector support. This makes it an attractive
back-end solution for developers, particularly in AI app development. Its competitive pricing,
starting at $600 monthly for hosted services, appeals to both independent and enterprise

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developers. SuperBase's community-driven approach has cultivated a robust developer base,
now exceeding 1,700,000 users, and its GitHub project has garnered significant attention.
The platform's ability to scale efficiently, combined with its affordability and alignment

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with AI app needs, positions it as a formidable choice for developers globally.
Phil Libin, the founder of Evernote, has introduced a new video startup formerly known as M. Hameuk,
now rebranded as Airtime. Launched in 2020, the startup aims to transform online meetings

(03:22):
with its latest product suite, Airtime. It includes two main tools, Airtime Creator,
a presentation tool for making online meetings more dynamic, and Airtime Camera, a virtual camera for
enhancing video call appearances. Airtime Creator allows users to present slides while appearing

(03:43):
on screen, supporting up to 10 participants simultaneously. This approach makes virtual
meetings more engaging and memorable, as opposed to traditional slideshows.
Airtime Camera enables custom backgrounds, logos, and visual reactions during video calls
across platforms like Zoom, Teams, Meet, and WebEx. These customizations help users stand out

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and reinforce their brand in crowded online meetings. The startup, backed by Sequoia Capital
and Softbank Vision Fund, offers the Airtime Camera for free until August, with a subsequent
one-time fee of $20. Airtime Creator is available for a monthly subscription of $10 with a free trial

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option. And now, pivot our discussion towards the main entrepreneurship topic.
Welcome to Innovation Pulse. Today, we're going to explore the often overlooked art of writing a
business manifesto, not as a marketing document or growth hack, but as a fundamental tool for

(04:54):
crystallizing your company's purpose and strategy. We'll dive into why every founder should write one
and how to craft a manifesto that actually matters. Thanks, Donna. I'm thrilled to be here and always
excited to discuss this topic. It's something I feel passionate about because I've seen firsthand
how transformative it can be for founders to articulate their vision this way. Please, fire

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away with your first question. Let's start with the basics, Yakov. What exactly do you mean by a
manifesto in a business context? And how is it different from typical business documents, like
mission statements or brand guidelines? A manifesto is fundamentally different from those
other documents because it's not about growth targets, messaging or even your brand. It's a

(05:39):
long form expression of why your business exists and what it's truly about. Think of it as a moment
of clarity when you finally get clear about what you're building, who it's for and why it actually
matters. The key difference is that a manifesto demands something most classical strategy frameworks

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completely ignore, belief. It's not filling in blanks or trying to be clever. It forces you to
answer the questions most teams avoid until it's too late. It's about making decisions, not just
writing copy. You mentioned that it starts with the customer. Can you explain why that's the critical
first step and what founders should be looking for when they examine their customers? Starting with

(06:24):
the customer is crucial because you need to understand what these people are actually trying to
accomplish when they ask for your help. And I'm not talking about using your product. That's too
narrow. It's about something bigger, something real. An actual accomplishment that makes them look
good, makes their business better or takes work off their plate so they can focus on what matters.

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If you can't write this down in plain language, you're not ready to sell anything. The best way
to approach this is to avoid getting caught up in features or product capabilities. Instead,
study your customer deeply. Talk to them. Understand how they would describe their goals in their own
words, not your marketing speak. After understanding the customer, you advocate for calling out what's

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broken. Why is it important to be so direct about the problems and how candid should founders be?
This is where most people play it safe and start using vague words like
inefficiency to describe what's wrong. But that's a mistake. You need to draw a line,
take a stance, and call out what genuinely sucks about the way work is getting done today. Be specific,

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be honest, have fun with it even. Write down the version of their bad day that they'll read and
immediately think, yes, that's exactly how it feels. If you find yourself trying to sound good,
instead of telling the truth about what customers have told you, that's a sign you need to go back
and actually listen to them more. Ask them about how they did their job before your product existed,

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what made them look for solutions, and what they can do now that they couldn't before.
Moving beyond problems, how should founders articulate their unique approach or different
take on solving these issues? This is where you make your strategy visible and real for people.
You're not the first company in your space, and you probably won't be the last. So what makes

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your approach different on purpose? It's not just about what you built, but why you built it that way.
Think about the trade-offs you made, the obvious features you intentionally left out,
the constraints you embraced instead of worked around. Where did you build in simplicity and
good enough? And where did you go deeper than others think necessary? If you can't explain the

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difference without saying, ours is better, get your team together and tell stories about how
your product came together, those forks in the road, the paths you took, and those you left behind,
that's the material that makes your manifesto powerful. You talk about stating beliefs as a
core component. Why are beliefs so important in a manifesto, and how should founders identify their

(09:13):
true product beliefs? Every product reflects a set of beliefs, whether we acknowledge them or not.
These beliefs drive everything, the features you prioritize, the use cases you ignore,
the parts of your you obsess over. It's not about preferences, it's about convictions that shape

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your decisions. What do you believe about how your customers work, what they value, or what's
changing in your market? What corner of the map do you think everyone else is ignoring?
Don't write fortune cookies here, write down the actual convictions that drive your decisions.
When you help people understand what you believe, something magical happens. You create vulnerability,

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and whether they agree or not, people appreciate the transparency and want to know more.
How should founders approach the ending of their manifesto? You mentioned landing the plane,
what makes for a strong conclusion? A good manifesto doesn't trail off,
it sticks the landing. You need that moment where you essentially say, that's it, that's what we

(10:20):
believe, that's what we're building. It should feel inevitable, complete, like the satisfying
thunk of an arrow hitting its target. I love John McPhee's advice about endings. If your planned
ending doesn't feel right, look back through what you've already written. Often your best
ending is already there, embedded in your earlier text. By the time you reach the end,

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you've captured so much good material that your grand finale is often hiding in plain sight.
You just need to recognize it. Let's talk about examples. Without mentioning specific companies
you've worked with, can you describe what a successful manifesto looks like in practice?
One powerful example I can share is for a hypothetical company called Outboundary.

(11:07):
Their manifesto might start by acknowledging how sales teams are drowning in disconnected
tools and processes, then articulate their belief that outbound sales can be systematic
without losing the human touch. They'd explain how they chose to build fewer features,
but make them work seamlessly together, reflecting their conviction that simplicity beats complexity

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in sales workflows. What makes this work is the clarity of voice and the willingness to take a
stand. They're not trying to be everything to everyone. They're saying, this is what we believe
about sales, this is how we're different, and this is why it matters. That kind of clarity
cuts through the noise in any market. You emphasize that this isn't about growth or messaging,

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so what tangible benefits do founders actually get from writing a manifesto?
The primary benefit is clarity, both for yourself and your team. When you're building something
ambitious, confusion and noise are inevitable. Different opinions will pull you in various
directions. A manifesto becomes your competitive edge, your center of gravity to draw from.

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But here's the real magic. After writing a manifesto, try getting on a sales call,
stepping onto a stage, or walking into a room with investors. Pay attention to how different
you feel and how much better it goes. That feeling and that outcome, that's what this is really for.

(12:36):
You're not just writing words, you're making decisions about how to tell your story
and how to make that story a weapon. What are the common pitfalls founders face
when attempting to write their first manifesto? The biggest pitfall is trying to make it sound good
rather than being truthful. Founders often slip into marketing speak or try to be too clever.

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They use vague language about inefficiencies instead of calling out specific problems.
They list features instead of explaining beliefs. They try to please everyone instead of taking a
stand. Another common mistake is skipping the customer research. If you haven't done the work
to understand your customers deeply, your manifesto will feel hollow. You need to have actually listened

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to customers, understood their struggles and seen how they describe their goals in their own words.
Without that foundation, you're just writing fiction. How long should a manifesto be and is
there a specific structure founders should follow? There's no perfect length, but it needs to be long
enough to fully express your purpose and beliefs, typically several pages. The key is that it shouldn't

(13:48):
follow a fill in the blanks framework. While the structure I recommend includes starting with the
customer, calling out problems, explaining your approach, stating beliefs and landing with a
point of view, these aren't rigid sections. Think of it more as a natural flow of thought.
You're telling a story about why your business exists and what makes it matter. The structure

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should serve that story, not constrain it. If you find yourself forcing content into predetermined
boxes, you're probably creating something too formulaic to be truly powerful. When is the right
time for a founder to write their manifesto? Should it be done at the very beginning or can it wait?
The best time is when you need to get clear. And that can happen at different stages. Some founders

(14:38):
write it early to crystallize their vision before building anything. Others write it when they're
struggling with positioning or when they need to align their team around a common purpose.
There's also value in revisiting and rewriting your manifesto as your understanding deepens.
The key indicator that it's time is when you feel the noise and confusion starting to overwhelm the

(15:03):
clarity of your mission. When you're getting pulled in too many directions, when your team is losing
alignment, or when you're struggling to articulate why your product matters, that's when you need to
sit down and write your manifesto. How should founders use their manifesto once it's written?
Is it an internal document or should it be shared publicly?

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This is entirely up to you and depends on your goals. Some founders keep it internal as a north
star for decision making and team alignment. Others publish it publicly as a way to attract
like-minded customers, employees and investors. There's no right answer. What matters most is

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that you actually use it. Whether internal or external, your manifesto should influence your
decisions, guide your strategy and help you stay true to your core beliefs. If it's just sitting
in a drawer somewhere, you've missed the point entirely. The power comes from letting it shape
how you build, sell and grow your business. What advice would you give to founders who feel stuck

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or intimidated by the process of writing their manifesto? Start by talking to your customers,
not selling to them, actually listening. Ask them about their work, their challenges,
what they're trying to accomplish. The raw material for your manifesto comes from these
conversations. Then get your team together and tell stories about how your product came to be,

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the decisions you made, the beliefs that drove those decisions. Don't aim for perfection on the
first draft. Write messy, write honestly, write what you actually believe rather than what you
think you should believe. You can always refine it later. The most important thing is to start
putting your thoughts on paper. Once you do, you'll find that the clarity you're seeking begins to

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emerge naturally from the process itself. Finally, Yakov, what's the one thing you hope
founders take away from our conversation today about manifestos? I hope they understand that
writing a manifesto isn't about creating another marketing document. It's about achieving clarity.
In a world full of noise and competing priorities, having a clear articulation of why your business

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exists and what you truly believe is invaluable. It's not just about telling your story, it's
about making that story a competitive advantage. When you can articulate your beliefs, explain your
approach and connect deeply with your customers real needs, you create something powerful,
you create alignment, purpose and direction. And in the end, that clarity becomes the foundation

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for everything else you build. That's a wrap for today's podcast, where we explored the latest
funding and innovations from startups like Manus AI, SuperBase and Airtime, and delved into crafting
a business manifesto to articulate a company's unique purpose and strategy. Don't forget to like,

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subscribe and share this episode with your friends and colleagues so they can also stay updated on
the latest news and gain powerful insights. Stay tuned for more updates.