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Oliver Buchannon
BuildMode

buildmode.xyz

You're Not a Servant. You're a Founder.

Dec 7, 2025

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3 min read

You're Not a Servant. You're a Founder.

The "servant leadership" trap kills early-stage founders faster than bad product-market fit.

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BuildMode
What I Wish I Knew About Category Creation

Nov 30, 2025

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3 min read

What I Wish I Knew About Category Creation

Hey there,

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BuildMode
Moats vs. Margin

Nov 26, 2025

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3 min read

Moats vs. Margin

The Economics of Defensibility in the AI Era

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BuildMode
Why SaaS Growth Stalls Quietly

Nov 17, 2025

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3 min read

Why SaaS Growth Stalls Quietly

Why small points of friction compound into meaningful growth drag in SaaS.

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BuildMode
How AI Is Rewriting the Logic of Work

Oct 24, 2025

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3 min read

How AI Is Rewriting the Logic of Work

In 2010, the big conversation inside startups was about the cloud.

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BuildMode
How Regulation and Timing Broke a Promising Fintech

Oct 14, 2025

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3 min read

How Regulation and Timing Broke a Promising Fintech

A $20M fintech built India’s bridge between banks and apps

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BuildMode
The Vertical Farming

Oct 2, 2025

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3 min read

The Vertical Farming

Energy costs, unit economics, and the ZIRP era collapse.

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BuildMode
How Notion builds unshakeable loyalty through community-led economics

Sep 27, 2025

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3 min read

How Notion builds unshakeable loyalty through community-led economics

👋 intros should feel like a stretch before the workout.

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BuildMode
The 6-Month Rule: Why Your Startup Skills Have an Expiration Date

Sep 23, 2025

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3 min read

The 6-Month Rule: Why Your Startup Skills Have an Expiration Date

A rough guide to not becoming your own worst enemy

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BuildMode
SEO in the Age of AI: Not Dead, Just Different

Sep 16, 2025

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3 min read

SEO in the Age of AI: Not Dead, Just Different

Before we begin...

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BuildMode
Are financial analysts about to be replaced by AI?

Aug 21, 2025

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3 min read

Are financial analysts about to be replaced by AI?

Hey — I keep coming back to this question.

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BuildMode
Wonder: vertical integration for mealtime, not “another delivery app”

Aug 8, 2025

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3 min read

Wonder: vertical integration for mealtime, not “another delivery app”

Hey— I want to test a simple question.

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BuildMode
Food from thin air, failure at scale

Jun 18, 2025

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3 min read

Food from thin air, failure at scale

Biotech works. The business model doesn’t.

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BuildMode
Builder.ai: The Anatomy of a Collapse

May 22, 2025

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3 min read

Builder.ai: The Anatomy of a Collapse

How $450M in funding, AI-era optics, and flawed execution led to a unicorn’s public implosion

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BuildMode
The Rise and Fall of Vine: Lessons Learned

May 13, 2025

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3 min read

The Rise and Fall of Vine: Lessons Learned

Vine had product-market fit, viral traction, and first-mover advantage—so why did it lose?

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BuildMode
How Loom Turned a Utility Into a $975M Communication Standard

May 1, 2025

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3 min read

How Loom Turned a Utility Into a $975M Communication Standard

And why Atlassian’s acquisition made perfect sense

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BuildMode
Why Embedded Finance Didn’t Work

Apr 27, 2025

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3 min read

Why Embedded Finance Didn’t Work

An analysis of Solid's collapse and the lessons from the embedded finance boom and bust.

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BuildMode
Bench Accounting — Why Tech-Enabled Services Without Moats Break

Apr 7, 2025

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3 min read

Bench Accounting — Why Tech-Enabled Services Without Moats Break

Why did Bench Accounting shut down after raising over $100M? This deep dive unpacks the vertical SaaS startup’s collapse—and key lessons for founders building SMB-focused software.

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BuildMode
Scaling a Startup? Your CRM Can Make or Break Growth

Apr 3, 2025

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3 min read

Scaling a Startup? Your CRM Can Make or Break Growth

Growth Is Messy—And Most Startups Break Before They Scale

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BuildMode
Streamlining Sales Processes Using Capsule CRM’s Sales Pipeline

Apr 2, 2025

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3 min read

Streamlining Sales Processes Using Capsule CRM’s Sales Pipeline

Sales isn’t just about closing deals—it’s about managing chaos.

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BuildMode
Mastering Customer Relationships with Capsule CRM’s Contact Management

Apr 2, 2025

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3 min read

Mastering Customer Relationships with Capsule CRM’s Contact Management

Customer relationships make or break a business.

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BuildMode
Plaid: Navigating the Fintech Landscape Through Trust, Partnerships, and Data Insights

Oct 27, 2024

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3 min read

Plaid: Navigating the Fintech Landscape Through Trust, Partnerships, and Data Insights

In the ever-evolving landscape of financial services, Plaid has emerged as a vital connector between banks and fintech applications.

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BuildMode
Mercury: Banking for Startups

Oct 27, 2024

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3 min read

Mercury: Banking for Startups

In the crowded landscape of financial services, Mercury has differentiated itself by targeting startups and tech companies, offering a modern banking experience tailored to the unique needs of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

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BuildMode
Duolingo: Learning a Language, One “Streak” at a Time

Oct 27, 2024

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3 min read

Duolingo: Learning a Language, One “Streak” at a Time

Picture this: you’re on a bus, tapping away at your phone to translate “The cat sits on the mat” into French.

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BuildMode
Airbnb’s Key to the City: Winning Trust, Community, and Market Expansion

Oct 27, 2024

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3 min read

Airbnb’s Key to the City: Winning Trust, Community, and Market Expansion

Imagine arriving in a new city with no hotel reservation, a bit nervous but mostly intrigued.

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