From dorm room to life-saving AI | Prepared’s story | Michael Chime (Co-founder & CEO of Prepared)

Emergency Response Technology

Prepared is an AI assistant that sits alongside 911 operators to enhance emergency response capabilities in real-time.

Core Functionality:

1. Automated Note-Taking - AI helps operators type accurate notes and ensures critical information reaches first responders quickly
2. Real-Time Translation - Instantly translates emergency calls in languages like Vietnamese, eliminating dangerous wait times for human interpreters
3. Enhanced Response Speed - Streamlines the entire 911 call process to get help to people faster

The Problem It Solves:

• Outdated Technology: 911 systems rely on surprisingly old technology that creates inefficiencies
• Language Barriers: Non-English emergency calls currently require waiting minutes for human interpreters
• Information Processing: Operators need to quickly capture and relay accurate information under pressure

Mission-Driven Impact:

The technology focuses on helping people during their worst moments, transforming how emergency services operate when every second counts.

Timestamp: [1:52-2:20]

Personal Experiences Drive Mission

The founding story of Prepared stems from tragic events that shaped the co-founders' perspectives on safety and emergency response.

Michael's Background:

• Local Impact: Grew up near a town that experienced an active shooter incident in 2012
• Personal Connection: Knew some of the affected students, making the threat feel real and immediate
• Generational Awareness: His generation thought about safety differently than their parents, always being acutely aware that "something bad could happen" at school

Co-founders' Shared Experience:

• Dylan and Neil: Two Yale classmates who became co-founders
• Sandy Hook Connection: Both grew up in Connecticut and were in elementary school when Sandy Hook happened
• Similar Perspective: All three founders were shaped by active shooter incidents near their hometowns

The Cultural Context:

• March for Our Lives Movement: Was at its peak during Michael's high school years
• Safety Consciousness: This generation grew up more aware of potential dangers in schools
• Impressionable Impact: As kids, they were deeply affected by these safety concerns

From Tragedy to Purpose:

The company didn't start as an ambitious business plan but rather as college students thinking: "Let's build something that might help."

Timestamp: [7:07-7:59]

The Craziest Deal Story Ever

Michael Chime closed Prepared's acquisition by Axon while fighting a life-threatening infection that nearly cost him his leg.

The Timeline Crisis:

• Perfect Storm: Deal negotiations happened 2-3 days before July 4th when everyone was on vacation
• Customer Commitment: Michael was supposed to fly to Tulsa for an important customer meeting
• Initial Symptoms: Noticed a small red dot on his leg two days before the trip

The Medical Emergency:

• Rapid Progression: The spot grew significantly larger within 48 hours
• Urgent Care Shock: Doctor "freaked out" and immediately admitted him to the hospital
• Expected Stay: Initially told it would be 2-3 days, but stretched to six days
• The Talk: After three days of growth, doctors warned he might lose his leg if they couldn't stop the infection

Deal Negotiations Continue:

• Hospital Zooms: Between medical tests and IV treatments, Michael conducted deal negotiations via video calls
• Multitasking Crisis: Balancing life-threatening health issues with closing a major acquisition
• Mental Preparation: Even researched Paralympic sports, specifically wheelchair tennis, as he came to terms with potentially losing his leg

The Resolution:

• Medical Breakthrough: Doctors identified the specific infection and found the right antibiotic
• Recovery: The infection responded to treatment, saving his leg
• Deal Success: Successfully closed the Axon acquisition despite the medical crisis

Coping Mechanism:

The deal negotiations actually served as a helpful distraction during the scary medical situation, keeping Michael focused on the future.

Timestamp: [4:01-6:29]

Mission-Driven Partnership

The acquisition represents a strategic alignment between two companies focused on protecting life and scaling public safety technology.

Why Axon Was the Right Fit:

• Shared Mission: Axon's mission statement includes "protect life," perfectly aligning with Prepared's purpose
• Proven Scale: Axon has grown large while maintaining their mission-driven focus
• Fast Shipping: Known for rapid product development and deployment
• Industry Leadership: Michael had "always looked up to their company since the early days"

Strategic Impact:

• Accelerated Mission: The acquisition helps accelerate Prepared's mission to help people in emergency situations
• Faster Scaling: Ability to scale the technology much faster than as an independent company
• Enhanced Resources: Access to Axon's infrastructure and market reach

Mission Alignment:

• Life Protection: Both companies focus on protecting life in critical moments
• Technology Innovation: Leveraging current technology and rate of change for maximum safety impact
• Long-term Persistence: Mission-driven approach necessary for sustained impact in public safety

Future Vision:

The partnership positions both companies to make greater impact in public safety technology, combining Prepared's AI capabilities with Axon's established market presence and resources.

Timestamp: [2:28-3:49]

Essential Insights:

1. Mission-Driven Origin - Prepared was founded by three Yale students personally impacted by active shooter incidents, transforming tragedy into purpose-driven technology
2. AI-Powered Emergency Response - The platform serves as an AI assistant for 911 operators, providing real-time translation, automated note-taking, and faster information processing
3. Strategic Acquisition Success - Axon acquired Prepared to accelerate their shared mission of protecting life, despite negotiations happening during Michael's life-threatening medical emergency

Actionable Insights:

• Personal experiences with tragedy can drive powerful entrepreneurial missions that create meaningful impact
• Emergency response technology has significant room for modernization, particularly in language translation and information processing
• Mission alignment between companies can create successful acquisition opportunities that benefit both organizations and society

Timestamp: [0:06-7:59]

Early Product Development

Prepared started as a simple communication app for schools to use during emergencies. The core concept was straightforward: replace walkie-talkies with smartphones for better, faster communication since everyone already had one.

The Problem It Solved:

• Communication Delays: Major emergencies like Parkland had 6-minute duration with over 3 minutes lost to communication challenges
• Infrastructure Limitations: Central PA systems required physical access, limited walkie-talkie availability, fire alarms created noise interference
• Coordination Issues: People scattered in hallways during emergencies made communication nearly impossible

Product Evolution:

1. Initial Use: Schools adopted it for fire drills and medical emergencies
2. Expanded Application: Became a comprehensive communication tool across entire campuses
3. Timeline: Michael developed this from freshman year through junior year at Yale
4. Scale: Reached a couple hundred schools by the time he considered taking time off

The COVID Pivot:

• Timing: When COVID hit and Yale students were taking gap years for remote learning
• Decision: Michael applied for the Thiel Fellowship instead of doing Zoom classes
• Family Reaction: His mother opposed the idea, but he saw it as getting funded for a year he'd take off anyway
• Original Plan: Complete the fellowship year and return to finish senior year at Yale

Timestamp: [8:04-9:26]

The Data Sharing Challenge

During the Thiel Fellowship year, when Michael returned to schools asking what more they could do, schools revealed a critical gap: they had valuable emergency data but no way to share it with 911 dispatchers.

What Schools Wanted to Share:

• Visual Evidence: Pictures and videos of incidents
• Written Information: Text messages and detailed reports
• Real-time Data: Information that couldn't be easily verbalized over a phone call

The 911 Technology Shock:

• Outdated Infrastructure: 911 systems use basically the same tools from decades ago
• Landline Assumption: Technology built assuming all calls come from landlines
• No Data Sharing: Complete inability to receive pictures, videos, or text messages
• AI Absence: No utilization of modern AI tools for emergency response

The Absurd Reality:

Michael realized he could share more information with a friend than with 911 dispatchers. The contrast was stark: anyone could access ChatGPT in a web browser and have more technological power than emergency responders taking life-saving calls.

Market Assessment:

This discovery led to a fundamental question about why America's 911 systems remained so antiquated despite the country's emphasis on valuing life and having advanced technology in other sectors.

Timestamp: [9:26-10:46]

The Reality Check

Michael's first visit to a 911 center shattered his expectations. Instead of seeing military-grade, mission-critical technology, he found decades-old tools and dispatchers frantically typing notes that first responders would rely on in life-threatening situations.

Root Causes of Technology Stagnation:

1. Vendor Talent Gap

• Limited Innovation: Absence of technology-focused vendors in the space
• Brain Drain: Best and brightest talent historically avoided public safety sector
• Defense Parallel: Similar to how defense sector relied on big primes until recent startup disruption

2. Structural Procurement Barriers

• Long Processes: Procurement timelines designed to ensure proper vetting
• Anti-Corruption Measures: Systems prevent officials from awarding contracts to friends
• Good Intentions: These barriers exist for legitimate governance reasons

3. Risk-Averse Culture

• Operational Priority: Focus on "How do I not become a headline?" rather than innovation
• Reliability Over Features: Ensuring every call gets answered takes precedence over upgrades
• Status Quo Bias: Switching systems that have "worked for years" feels unnecessarily risky

4. Self-Reinforcing Cycle

• Vendor Exploitation: Existing vendors capitalize on risk aversion
• Startup Distrust: "You can't trust startups" messaging from established players
• Decades of Stagnation: 20+ years pass with identical technology stacks

The Innovation Shift:

Michael believes public safety is experiencing a talent influx similar to defense, with smart college graduates now considering careers in emergency services technology.

Timestamp: [10:46-13:14]

From App Downloads to Browser Links

Prepared's journey to their first 911 product involved a significant pivot from their original approach, learning crucial lessons about user behavior change along the way.

The Failed App Strategy:

• Initial Concept: Get everyone in New Haven to download Prepared's app
• Expected Behavior: People would use the app instead of calling 911
• Reality Check: Only got about 100 downloads with minimal actual usage
• Key Insight: People don't call 911 frequently enough to develop new muscle memory

Behavior Change Analysis:

When People Change vs. Stick with Habits:

• Frequency Factor: Infrequent activities (like calling 911) don't create new behavioral patterns
• Muscle Memory: Calling 911 is so deeply ingrained that stress situations default to familiar actions
• Emergency Context: High-stress moments aren't ideal for learning new interfaces

The Pivot Solution:

Browser-Based Link System:

1. Normal Call Process: Citizens call 911 using traditional methods
2. Operator Decision: Dispatcher determines if additional information would be helpful
3. Link Deployment: Operator sends a text link to the caller
4. Browser Experience: Link opens in caller's web browser (no app download required)
5. Data Sharing: Caller can share pictures, videos, text, and location through browser
6. Integration: All shared information appears directly in dispatcher's Prepared interface

Deployment Strategy:

• Gradual Rollout: Started with non-emergency lines for testing
• Protocol Integration: Worked with centers to develop specific use-case protocols
• Low-Stakes Testing: Began with less critical incidents before expanding to full emergencies
• Center Collaboration: Leveraged existing dispatcher protocols for systematic implementation

Timestamp: [13:34-15:53]

Essential Insights:

1. Product Evolution Journey - Prepared transformed from a school communication app to a 911 technology solution through customer feedback and market discovery
2. Behavior Change Complexity - Emergency services require different user adoption strategies since people don't frequently practice calling 911
3. Market Opportunity Recognition - The 911 technology gap represents a massive innovation opportunity in a risk-averse but critical sector

Actionable Insights:

• Listen to Customer Expansion Requests: Schools asking "what more could we do?" led to the 911 pivot and revealed the core market opportunity
• Adapt to User Behavior: Instead of forcing new habits, work within existing patterns (calling 911) and enhance the experience
• Start with Low-Stakes Testing: Begin product deployment with non-emergency scenarios before expanding to critical use cases
• Understand Structural Barriers: Government procurement and risk-averse cultures require patient, protocol-driven approaches
• Leverage Existing Workflows: Integrate new technology into established dispatcher protocols rather than replacing entire systems

Timestamp: [8:04-15:53]

Mission-Driven Persistence Through Market Skepticism

The Reality of Early Rejections:

1. Universal "No" Response - Investors, customers, parents, and anyone who could say no was rejecting the idea
2. Market Skepticism - People questioned GovTech viability in 2019, especially for a young Yale dropout without enterprise sales experience
3. Vague Pushback - Most rejections weren't substantive feedback, just general concerns about government being "hard" and market size questions

Key Persistence Factors:

• Problem-First Approach: Started from experiencing a real problem, not trying to build a company initially
• Insider Conviction: Had close knowledge of the 911 market that gave confidence despite external skepticism
• Mission Clarity: Even at 1% success probability, believed continuing would force bigger companies to improve emergency response
• Competitive Advantage: Recognized that few people were tackling this market, creating opportunity for those who persisted

The Stubborn Advantage:

Michael's childhood belief that "if I just spend enough time and put in enough hours, it's going to happen" became crucial. More rejections actually motivated him to prove the concept could work.

Mission as Competitive Moat:

The difficulty of the problem became a strength for recruiting top talent with a binary choice: earn $100 million at Meta or save lives through emergency technology.

Timestamp: [16:31-20:15]

Thiel Fellowship Impact and Modern Startup Advice

The Thiel Fellowship Advantage:

• Credibility Boost: Opened doors and provided access to rooms that might otherwise be closed
• Network Effect: Connected with experienced entrepreneurs and mentors who had successfully built companies
• Timing Benefit: Particularly valuable when credentialing mattered more in the early startup ecosystem

Modern College vs. Startup Decision Framework:

The real question isn't about timing (college vs. dropout) but whether you should start a company at all. If you check the "should start something" boxes, do it immediately regardless of your current situation.

The 80/20 Rule for Founders:

Primary Success Factor (80%):

10-Year Passion Test - Are you ready to work on this problem for a decade? Can you handle the hard stuff even when things look amazing externally?

Secondary Factors (20%):

• Learner's Mindset: Ability to balance conviction with humility
• Daily Learning: Recognizing you know nothing about scaling, managing, or operating in your specific market/stage
• Advantage of Inexperience: College dropouts naturally adopt learner's mindset because they haven't done any of this before

The Founder Paradox:

Successful founders must simultaneously hold two contradictory beliefs:

1. Absolute Conviction - Complete belief that their vision will succeed
2. Daily Humility - Recognition that they know basically nothing and must learn constantly

Timestamp: [20:15-22:48]

Truth-Seeking Over Being Right

The 5-6 AM Call Strategy:

Michael regularly initiated early morning conversations with investors, with unpredictable durations ranging from 15 minutes to 90 minutes, demonstrating commitment to thorough exploration of ideas.

Devil's Advocate Methodology:

Rather than seeking validation, Michael actively challenged his own assumptions and gathered diverse data points to stress-test decisions and strategies.

Core Philosophy - "Us to Get It Right":

• Team Success Over Personal Ego: Focus on collective success rather than individual validation
• Truth Over Posturing: Prioritize finding the right answer over appearing to be right
• Continuous Learning: Maintain genuine curiosity about what's actually correct

The Search Process:

Michael's approach involved systematically exploring different perspectives and data points, often playing devil's advocate to his own positions to ensure thorough analysis before making critical business decisions.

Internal Application:

This truth-seeking methodology proved valuable not just with external stakeholders but also within the company culture, fostering an environment where getting the right answer mattered more than personal positioning.

Timestamp: [22:54-23:59]

Essential Insights:

1. Mission-Driven Persistence - Prepared's success came from genuine passion for solving 911 emergency response problems, not initial company-building ambitions
2. Rejection as Validation - 100+ rejections weren't substantive critiques but market skepticism, indicating untapped opportunity in GovTech
3. Learner's Mindset Advantage - College dropouts naturally adopt humility and continuous learning, crucial for startup success

Actionable Insights:

• Apply the 10-year passion test before starting any company - can you work on this problem for a decade?
• Use mission as competitive advantage for recruiting top talent with clear value proposition
• Adopt truth-seeking over ego protection in decision-making processes
• Balance absolute conviction in your vision with daily humility about what you don't know
• Leverage insider knowledge and market proximity when others lack conviction

Timestamp: [16:00-23:59]

Leadership Philosophy & Decision-Making

Michael Chime approaches disagreements with a sports-influenced mindset focused on winning as a team rather than individual victories. His leadership philosophy centers on creating an environment where the best ideas prevail, regardless of their source.

Core Leadership Principles:

1. Meritocracy Over Ego - Creating an environment where the best idea wins, even when it comes from others
2. Team-First Mentality - Drawing from sports experience where individual stats matter less than collective success
3. Clear Performance Metrics - Establishing transparent "scoreboards" so everyone knows if they're on track

Conflict Resolution Strategy:

• Emotional Detachment: Zoom out from the emotional aspects and focus on facts and first principles
• Reframe the Dynamic: Visualize everyone on the same side of the table looking at a whiteboard, not shouting across from each other
• Question the Question: Start by understanding what problem they're actually trying to solve together
• Seek Understanding: When someone calls an idea "trash," get curious about their reasoning rather than defensive

Real-World Application:

Michael recalls a specific board meeting where he called an acquisition offer "trash" and said they'd be "selling for like 5 cents on the dollar." His approach to handling such strong disagreements involves:

• Acknowledging the other person probably has valid points
• Abstracting from personal emotions
• Focusing on aligned goals and shared objectives

Timestamp: [24:04-27:21]

Strategic Go-to-Market Decision

Prepared's decision to offer their product for free was a calculated strategy to overcome two critical barriers that were preventing innovation in the government/emergency services market.

The Core Problem Identified:

Technology wasn't the constraint - Better alternatives existed but weren't widely adopted. Prepared discovered that superior technology from startups had been available for sufficient time but wasn't everywhere, indicating distribution challenges rather than product limitations.

Two Key Barriers to Innovation:

1. Procurement Processes - Traditional government procurement favored established relationships over superior technology
2. Credibility Gap - Customers would acknowledge Prepared's superior product but choose competitors based on customer count and authority arguments

The "Rule Shift" Strategy:

• Change the Game: Instead of playing by existing rules (where startups couldn't compete), create new rules focused on technology merit
• Reduce Barriers: Make it free to eliminate procurement friction and let technology quality speak for itself
• Build Authority: Accumulate users quickly to counter "they have thousands of customers, you have two" objections

Inspiration from Enterprise Disruption:

Michael drew parallels to companies like Yammer and Slack that bypassed traditional enterprise IT gatekeepers by going directly to end users, creating the "bottoms up" enterprise sales model.

Long-term Value Bet:

The strategy required betting that Prepared could build significant additional value on top of the initial free product, allowing them to monetize the relationship over time once trust and credibility were established.

Timestamp: [27:28-30:25]

Building Authority in a Skeptical Market

Prepared faced a classic startup credibility problem where customers acknowledged their superior technology but chose competitors based on customer count and established relationships rather than product quality.

The Authority Problem:

• Customers would say: "Big company X has thousands of customers and you have two - why should we trust you?"
• Decisions were based on arguments from authority rather than product merit
• Relationships and sales rep quality mattered more than actual technology capabilities

The Solution Strategy:

1. Rapid User Acquisition - Get many people using the product quickly through the free model
2. Niche Authority - Focus on becoming the clear leader in their specific area (video for emergency services)
3. Flip the Script - Turn the authority argument around: "We have 500 people using this specific thing, and we only do this. That big company doesn't have 500 customers for this specific use case - we're actually the authority."

Key Insight on Specialization:

By focusing exclusively on their core competency (video technology for emergency services), Prepared could legitimately claim superior authority in their niche, even when competing against much larger companies with broader portfolios.

Building Trust Through Proof:

• Enable prospects to talk directly to existing customers
• Demonstrate real usage and success stories
• Show that other professionals in their field trust and use the product
• Create a network effect where credibility builds upon itself

Long-term Payoff:

This strategy proved especially valuable when AI capabilities (sparked by ChatGPT) created opportunities to build additional features on top of their established product base, with customers who already trusted them.

Timestamp: [30:25-31:48]

Essential Insights:

1. Leadership Through Meritocracy - Michael Chime's sports background shaped his approach to create environments where the best ideas win, regardless of source, using clear performance metrics like scoreboards
2. Strategic Rule-Shifting - Prepared succeeded by changing market rules from relationship-based to technology-based competition, offering free products to eliminate procurement barriers
3. Authority Building Strategy - Overcame credibility challenges by rapidly accumulating users and positioning as niche specialists, flipping authority arguments in their favor

Actionable Insights:

• Frame disagreements as collaborative problem-solving by visualizing everyone on the same side of the table looking at a whiteboard
• When facing entrenched markets, identify and eliminate the real constraints (often distribution/credibility, not technology)
• Build niche authority quickly through focused specialization rather than trying to compete broadly against established players
• Use free offerings strategically to bypass traditional gatekeepers and let product quality drive adoption

Timestamp: [24:04-31:55]

Anti-Sales Philosophy

Michael developed a counterintuitive sales strategy that focused on being "terrible at sales" in the traditional sense:

Core Philosophy:

1. Problem-First Approach - 99% questions to deeply understand customer problems
2. No Square Peg, Round Hole - Refuse to force-fit products that don't solve real issues
3. Demonstration Over Persuasion - "Turn it on" and let the product speak for itself

The "Turn It On" Method:

• Direct Challenge: When competitors claimed similar capabilities, Michael would say "Turn them both on"
• Transparent Testing: Customers could compare solutions side-by-side in real-time
• Genuine Confidence: If customers chose competitors, it meant Prepared had work to do

Early Advantages:

• Free Product: Removed financial barriers during initial adoption
• Personal Outreach: Direct phone calls to non-emergency numbers and in-person visits
• Problem Validation: Only proceeded when genuine problems were identified

This approach built trust and credibility, leading to customers calling friends to recommend the platform organically.

Timestamp: [32:46-33:51]

The Pricing Discovery Challenge

Transitioning from free to paid required understanding true customer value and willingness to pay:

Initial Validation Metrics:

• Technology Integration: Successfully getting the platform deployed
• Usage Tracking: Ruthless monitoring of engagement levels
• Trust Building: Customers calling friends to recommend the platform
• Credibility Establishment: Building reputation through consistent performance

First Pricing Strategy (Failed):

1. Target Market: 72,000 agencies (police, fire, EMS) vs. 6,000 911 centers
2. Value Proposition: Great UX for responders with data access
3. Revenue Model: Charge agencies for accessing data collected from centers
4. Result: Strategy didn't work as expected

Customer-Driven Pivot:

• Daily Requests: 911 centers repeatedly asking for custom features
• Initial Resistance: Team focused on responders, saying "our favorite f-word is focus"
• Learning Moment: After 10+ requests, realized they should listen to customer needs
• Breakthrough: Centers showed specific problems that needed solving

The key lesson: customers were willing to pay for solutions to their actual problems, not the problems Prepared thought they had.

Timestamp: [34:23-35:56]

The Spanish Translation Crisis

A critical customer problem emerged that transformed Prepared's business model:

The Problem Discovery:

• Rapid Growth: Platform went from 350 incidents in first month to 60,000 monthly messages
• Customer Feedback: "Mike, that information is worse than no information"
• Specific Issue: Text messages arriving in Spanish with no translation capability

The Emergency Scenario:

1. Information Overload: Dispatcher receives emergency text in Spanish
2. Translation Barrier: Has information but can't understand what the emergency is
3. Workaround Process: Copy text → Google Translate → Toggle between platforms
4. Time Critical: Emergency response delayed by manual translation process

The Simple Solution:

• Direct Integration: Built Google Translate directly into the platform
• Immediate Impact: Eliminated the manual translation workflow
• Revenue Generation: Started signing $10K, $50K, and $100K contracts

Key Learning:

"Maybe you should build the things that they're asking you to build" - This moment taught Michael to listen to customer requests rather than staying rigidly focused on the original vision.

The translation feature became a major revenue driver because it solved a real, urgent problem that dispatchers faced daily.

Timestamp: [35:56-36:39]

Mission-Driven Product Evolution

Prepared's expansion strategy centered on a consistent framework rather than technology-first thinking:

Core Framework:

• Mission Statement: "We want every emergency to get a perfect response"
• Problem-First Approach: Focus on customer problems, not underlying technology
• Technology Agnostic: "We don't care about AI. We don't care about the underlying technology at all"
• Resource Allocation: Throw whatever technology and resources needed at customer problems

Product Usage Insights:

1. Data Synthesis Pain: Customers struggling with bad data being worse than no data
2. Translation Demand: Text language translation usage increasing significantly
3. Audio Translation Need: Natural progression from text to audio translation capabilities

Market Trends Driving Expansion:

• Increasing Call Volume: Year-over-year growth in 911 calls (not necessarily more emergencies)
• Staffing Shortages: Fewer people available to handle growing call volumes
• Operational Challenges: Hold times on emergency calls and overworked dispatchers missing critical information

Current Product Portfolio:

• Co-pilot Transcription: AI assistant for call takers during 911 calls
• Non-Emergency Voice Agent: Autonomous handling of 10-digit city lines for noise complaints, parking tickets
• End-to-End Processing: From answering calls to system integration
• Scale Achievement: Processing approximately 30 million calls annually

The expansion followed customer usage patterns and market needs rather than predetermined product roadmaps.

Timestamp: [37:18-39:53]

Essential Insights:

1. Anti-Sales Philosophy - Michael's "terrible at sales" approach focused on understanding problems rather than forcing solutions, leading to organic customer advocacy
2. Customer-Driven Pivots - The Spanish translation feature emerged from customer pain points and became a major revenue driver, teaching the importance of listening to user requests
3. Mission-Driven Expansion - Prepared's growth from wedge product to comprehensive platform followed customer usage patterns and market needs rather than technology trends

Actionable Insights:

• Demonstrate Don't Persuade: Use "turn it on" approach to let products speak for themselves in competitive situations
• Track Engagement Ruthlessly: Monitor usage metrics to validate product-market fit before scaling
• Follow Customer Pull: Expand product surface area based on actual user requests and usage patterns rather than predetermined roadmaps
• Focus on Problems Not Technology: Build solutions around customer pain points, using whatever technology is most effective
• Scale Through Listening: Major revenue opportunities often come from customer feedback that initially seems outside core focus

Timestamp: [32:03-39:53]

Data-Driven Problem Discovery

Key Data Insights:

1. 40-60% of 911 calls are non-emergent - Including noise complaints and parking tickets
2. High call volumes with staffing shortages - Cities can't answer all calls, creating hold times
3. Manual QA processes only cover 3% of calls annually - Directors using paper and pen to check protocols

Customer Problem Validation Process:

• Analyze call transcripts to understand call patterns and types
• Present data findings to show the scale of non-emergency call volume
• Ask direct questions: "Do you want to answer these calls?" and "How important would it be to handle 30% of your call volume?"
• Document existing workflows to identify inefficiencies and manual processes

Strategic Approach:

Focus on gathering as much information and data as possible from customers early on. Look for patterns in what they're already doing rather than assuming what they need.

Timestamp: [40:00-40:43]

Manual QA Process Inefficiencies

The Problem:

• Manual protocol checking - People literally listening to calls with paper and pen
• Only 3% coverage - QA teams could only review 3% of calls per year in big cities
• Keyword flagging attempts - Directors trying to track specific calls like CPR manually

The Discovery Process:

1. Noticed keyword tracking patterns - Saw directors flagging specific terms like "CPR"
2. Asked direct questions - "Wayne, why are you tracking CPR calls?"
3. Uncovered the workflow - Director explained he was trying to do quality assurance
4. Identified the gap - Manual process severely limited coverage

The Solution Development:

• Requested existing forms - Asked for the QA protocols they were already using
• Automated the checking - Built system to check protocols against call transcripts
• Achieved 100% coverage - Now reviewing all calls instead of just 3%

This wasn't in the original pitch deck because they had to observe customers actually using their systems to discover this need.

Timestamp: [40:43-41:25]

The Dual Approach Philosophy

The Fundamental Tension:

Both approaches are simultaneously true - similar to having conviction while being a learner. You must constantly wrestle with these competing principles.

Why Customer Input is Essential:

• Domain expertise gap - "I've not done 911 dispatch for 20 years, I've not been in the seat"
• Deep operational knowledge - Dispatchers understand their daily challenges better than outsiders
• Real-world constraints - Customers know what actually works in their environment

Why Innovation is Necessary:

• Technology awareness gap - Most dispatch center staff aren't thinking about AI and new technologies daily
• Solution blindness - Customers identify problems but rarely provide the solutions
• Forward-thinking required - Someone needs to project what's possible with emerging technology

Team Structure Strategy:

Hybrid team composition - People from public safety backgrounds with no tech experience working alongside "the best and brightest of Silicon Valley" to bridge both worlds.

Practical Example:

When Prepared proposed AI handling non-emergency calls, customers initially resisted despite acknowledging the problem. Michael had to reframe it: "This is not person versus agent, this is agent versus nothing. No one's answering. I'm pretty sure we could do a better job than nothing."

Timestamp: [42:05-44:54]

Building Through Different Market Cycles

During Headwinds (Early Days):

• High conviction required - Must maintain belief despite frequent rejections
• Logical feedback analysis - Distinguish between valid concerns and general market skepticism
• Competitive advantage mindset - "If we can crack it, we're going to be the ones to do it"
• Lack of strong counter-arguments - Most feedback was "generally the market was not good" without specific reasoning

During Tailwinds (Current Environment):

• Exciting momentum - People are now riding the wave in public safety
• Untapped market opportunities - Many markets haven't been touched due to procurement difficulties or lack of technical focus
• Investment perspective shift - Market feedback alone shouldn't be a reason to say no anymore

Strategic Advice for Founders:

1. Seek sleepy markets - Look for sectors that haven't had technical innovation
2. Be curious about untapped opportunities - Investigate markets others have avoided
3. Don't let market feedback be the primary "no" - Focus on other validation factors
4. Consider procurement challenges as moats - Difficult markets can become competitive advantages

Current Market Reality:

With AI being "like an iceberg" where only 10% is visible, there's significant opportunity to discover where real value lies and build sustainable products.

Timestamp: [45:39-47:02]

Strategic Framework for Partner-Competitor Dynamics

Core Business Philosophy:

A company is fundamentally strategy and execution - what you're trying to do and how you're trying to do it.

Weekly Strategic Review Process:

Every Sunday, Michael reviews two key questions:

1. "What are we trying to do?" - Is our strategic direction correct?
2. "How are we trying to do it?" - Is our execution approach optimal?

Market Reality in Public Safety:

• Small market with big players - Limited number of major competitors
• Dynamic relationships - Same company can be competitor, partner, or sales channel depending on context
• Situational strategy - Relationships shift based on specific opportunities and market conditions

General Applicable Rules:

While specific tactics vary, there are consistent principles that help determine when to:

• Partner with potential competitors
• Treat relationships as competitive
• Build complementary products
• Pursue channel partnerships

The key is maintaining clarity on your core strategy while remaining flexible on execution tactics based on market opportunities and relationship dynamics.

Timestamp: [47:07-47:56]

Essential Insights:

1. Data-driven problem discovery - Use customer data and transcripts to identify real problems like 40-60% non-emergency calls and manual QA covering only 3% of calls annually
2. Balance customer input with innovation - Listen to customers for problems but don't expect them to provide solutions, especially with emerging technologies like AI
3. Building through market cycles - Maintain conviction during headwinds by focusing on logical feedback analysis, while leveraging tailwinds to explore untapped markets

Actionable Insights:

• Focus early on gathering as much customer data and information as possible rather than assumptions
• Build hybrid teams combining domain expertise with technical innovation capabilities
• Use weekly strategic reviews to assess both "what we're trying to do" and "how we're trying to do it"
• Look for "sleepy markets" with procurement challenges that can become competitive moats
• Reframe customer objections by clarifying the real alternatives (AI versus nothing, not AI versus humans)

Timestamp: [40:00-47:56]

Strategic Leadership Framework

Michael Chime follows a disciplined weekly routine every Sunday to maintain strategic clarity and operational excellence at Prepared.

Weekly Strategy Review Process:

1. Strategy Assessment - Evaluating if the current direction is correct
2. Execution Analysis - Reviewing all OKRs across the business for on-track vs off-track status
3. Risk Identification - Categorizing and prioritizing potential threats to company success

The Island Metaphor Framework:

• Direction Check: "Are we paddling toward the right island?"
• Speed Assessment: "Are we paddling fast enough with the right tools?"
• Course Correction: Regular evaluation prevents going farther from the goal despite high effort

Risk Management Categories:

• Existential Risks: Threats that could completely destroy the company (e.g., AI regulation in government)
• Controllable Risks: Issues the company can actively mitigate
• External Risks: Factors outside direct control but worth monitoring

Core Philosophy:

"The company at its core is two things: strategy and execution. A ton of complexity within those two things, but consistently asking - are we going to the right place?"

Timestamp: [48:01-49:43]

Strategic Partnership Decision Matrix

Michael Chime uses a clear framework to evaluate partnerships based on their ability to accelerate or hinder Prepared's progress toward strategic goals.

Partnership Evaluation Criteria:

1. Acceleration Test: Can this partner help reach the goal faster?
2. Risk Assessment: Could this partner prevent reaching the goal?
3. Long-term Impact: Will this partnership benefit today but harm tomorrow?

Evolution of Partnership Strategy:

• Early Stage: Focus on mitigating existential risks from larger competitors who could "crush us and launch competing products"
• Growth Stage: Shift toward partnerships that can accelerate progress rather than just prevent destruction
• Current Stage: Less existential risk, more focus on strategic acceleration

Partnership Validation Framework:

Key Question: "What is this actually making better?"

• If you can't answer clearly → Likely theater or performance
• If you can answer with specifics → Potentially valuable partnership

Strategic Guidelines:

• Peripheral Role: Keep partnerships as a small part of overall strategy
• Support Function: Partners should be "wind at your sails, not rowing" - if they're rowing, it creates dependency risk
• Context-Dependent: Partnership decisions change as company size and market position evolve

Timestamp: [49:49-51:26]

Customer-Centric Competition Strategy

Michael Chime advocates for an internally focused approach that prioritizes customer needs over competitor actions when building products.

Core Philosophy:

Primary Question: "What does the customer think?"

Real-World Example:

When a competitor announced a major partnership with a Fortune 500 company:

• Team Reaction: Stress and 100+ Slack notifications
• CEO Response: Single question - "What does the customer think?"
• Customer Feedback: The competitor's offering was "kind of useful" but Prepared's focus area was "the biggest thing"
• Strategic Insight: Competitor building what customers don't care about, while Prepared builds what matters most

Strategic Framework:

1. Product Development: Build roadmap based on customer needs, not competitor moves
2. Competitive Advantage: "If we build our roadmap off the customer and the competitor builds their roadmap off of us, we should win"
3. Validation Process: Always filter competitor actions through customer perspective

When to Pay Attention to Competitors:

• Customer Validation: If customers say competitor's solution is "20x better," then build something 10x better
• Lens Matters: Evaluate through customer impact, not competitor features
• Motivation Tool: Competition can motivate teams, but customer impact should be the primary driver

Default Approach:

"Default is the customer. I find it really fun to build important things for customers and have them feel like it's making real impact."

Timestamp: [52:28-54:42]

Anti-Process Fundraising Approach

Michael Chime deliberately avoided traditional fundraising processes, instead building relationships continuously and securing preempted rounds.

Traditional Advice (That He Ignored):

• Process-Driven: Run formal 3-month fundraising processes
• Time Blocking: Dedicate full quarters exclusively to fundraising
• Meeting Strategy: Line up all investor meetings simultaneously for efficiency
• Communication: Send one-liner updates like "heads down building" between formal processes

Chime's Alternative Strategy:

1. Continuous Engagement: Meet with investors sparingly but consistently
2. Progress Updates: Regular catch-ups on company progress rather than formal pitches
3. Relationship Building: Maintain ongoing investor relationships outside fundraising cycles
4. Preempted Rounds: All funding rounds came through existing relationships, not formal processes

Results and Benefits:

• Time Efficiency: "I actually think I spent way less time fundraising than any of the founders that I know"
• Relationship Quality: Deeper investor relationships through consistent communication
• Reduced Pressure: No formal process pressure or timeline constraints
• Natural Timing: Fundraising happened when opportunities arose, not on artificial schedules

Key Success Factor:

Foundation Requirement: "What's important in a fundraiser is certainly having a great business" - the strategy works because the underlying business performance supports it.

Timestamp: [54:42-55:58]

Essential Insights:

1. Weekly Strategic Discipline - CEO conducts comprehensive Sunday reviews of strategy, execution, and risks using the "island metaphor" to ensure directional clarity
2. Partnership Framework Evolution - Strategy shifts from risk mitigation (early stage) to acceleration focus (growth stage), always keeping partnerships peripheral to core strategy
3. Customer-Centric Competition - Product decisions driven by customer needs rather than competitor actions, using "What does the customer think?" as the primary filter

Actionable Insights:

• Implement weekly strategy reviews asking: "Are we going to the right place?" and "What are the biggest risks?"
• Evaluate partnerships through acceleration/hindrance lens rather than just opportunity assessment
• Build product roadmaps based on customer feedback, not competitor feature comparisons
• Consider continuous investor relationship building over formal fundraising processes
• Use simple frameworks to cut through complexity in strategic decision-making

Timestamp: [48:01-55:58]

Building Long-Term Investor Relationships

Michael advocates for a relationship-first approach to fundraising that prioritizes authentic connections over transactional interactions.

Core Philosophy:

1. Focus on business building first - Spend 99.9% of time building the company, not fundraising
2. Regular casual touchpoints - Coffee chats every couple months to build genuine relationships
3. Demonstrate consistency - Show investors your thinking, problem-solving approach, and follow-through over time

Strategic Approach:

• Avoid traditional 90-day processes - Instead, build relationships over 2+ years through regular check-ins
• Share market insights naturally - Discuss where you think the market is heading and long-term opportunities
• Let interest develop organically - Don't explicitly ask for term sheets during casual meetings
• Compress formal processes - When ready to raise, work with pre-warmed investors for 2-week processes

Key Benefits:

• Better relationship quality - Investors understand your thinking and approach deeply
• Timing and momentum control - Enter formal processes only when investors are already interested
• Reduced time investment - Less overall time spent on fundraising activities
• Higher success rates - Work with investors who are already committed to participating

Timestamp: [56:06-58:09]

Identifying Problematic Investor Profiles

Michael emphasizes the importance of being selective about investor partnerships, identifying specific red flags that founders should avoid.

Investors to Avoid:

The Micromanager:

• Behavior: Constantly pinging for status updates every week
• Impact: Creates unnecessary distractions from core business building
• Red flag: "Status check" requests without adding value

The Know-It-All:

• Behavior: Overly confident in their opinions about your market
• Problem: Assumes expertise without deep understanding of current market dynamics
• Reality check: Even successful serial entrepreneurs don't know everything about every market or timing

Better Approach:

• Leverage abundance of capital - Don't settle for just money when you can get strategic value
• Be thoughtful about board composition - Choose investors who add genuine strategic value
• Seek balanced perspectives - Find investors who offer insights while respecting founder expertise
• Value market understanding - Work with investors who acknowledge the founder's deep market knowledge

Key Insight:

"You also don't want the investor that's just so confident that they know everything because they've built another company. I don't care if you've built five, you know, like you don't know everything about the market or the time."

Timestamp: [58:40-59:48]

The Constant Challenge of Founder Evolution

Michael describes the fundamental challenge every founder faces: being perpetually bad at their current job as the company grows and requires different leadership skills.

Core Reality:

"You're likely always bad at your current job" - If you're doing well, it means you're not growing into the next challenge

Evolution Stages:

Stage 1: Individual Contributor

• Role: Direct product development, sales, and pitching
• Challenge: Doing everything personally
• Success metric: Getting initial customers and product-market fit

Stage 2: First-Time Manager

• New responsibility: Managing a small sales team
• Major mistake: Jumping into emails and calls instead of coaching
• Learning: Had to develop management skills and give proper feedback
• Realization: Coaching is a distinct skill from individual performance

Stage 3: Executive Leadership

• Challenge: Managing senior executives who don't respond to traditional management
• Key skills needed:
• Leading through clarity of vision and strategy
• Establishing and maintaining shared values
• Building culture across multiple time zones
• Engineering systems rather than managing individuals

Critical Success Factor:

Self-awareness - Recognizing when you have a fundamentally new job and need to develop new skills

The Scaling Test:

• Won't scale if: You keep doing the previous job instead of evolving
• Example: Continuing to sell personally instead of building management systems
• Next challenge: Building great culture and decision-making frameworks

Timestamp: [59:55-1:02:50]

The Mindset of Never Feeling "Made It"

Despite Prepared's success and acquisition by Axon, Michael maintains a focus on unsolved problems rather than celebrating achievements.

Founder Mentality:

• Constant focus on gaps: "I'm so focused on the things that are not working"
• Visceral reaction to success questions: Immediate thought of "What do you mean it's working?"
• Growth mindset: Always seeing what needs to be figured out next

The Breakthrough Moment:

Real-time translation saving lives - The clearest product-market fit signal came when audio transcription and translation features went live.

Defining Example:

The Mandarin Emergency Call:

• Situation: Large city customer in first weeks of using Prepared
• Emergency: Caller screaming in Mandarin about his daughter being shot
• Old process: Call taker hits interpreter button, waits on hold
• Prepared solution: Real-time translation immediately shows "My daughter was shot" in English
• Impact: Call taker can instantly dispatch police and EMS without waiting

Product-Market Fit Indicators:

1. Immediate life-saving impact - Technology directly prevents delays in emergency response
2. Side-by-side customer validation - Access to every call shows consistent value delivery
3. Workflow integration - Seamlessly fits into existing dispatcher processes
4. Critical moment performance - Works when seconds matter most

Key Insight:

True product-market fit isn't just about customer satisfaction—it's about creating technology that fundamentally improves outcomes in life-or-death situations.

Timestamp: [1:03:05-1:03:57]

Essential Insights:

1. Relationship-first fundraising - Build investor relationships over 2+ years through regular coffee chats, focusing 99.9% of time on business building rather than formal fundraising processes
2. Founder role evolution challenge - Founders are "likely always bad at their current job" because scaling requires constantly developing new skills from individual contributor to manager to executive leader
3. Product-market fit through life-saving impact - Prepared's breakthrough moment came with real-time translation technology that enabled dispatchers to immediately understand emergency calls in foreign languages

Actionable Insights:

• Avoid investors who micromanage with constant status checks or assume they know your market better than you do
• Recognize when your role fundamentally changes and develop new skills rather than continuing previous job functions
• Focus on problems that aren't working rather than celebrating past achievements to maintain growth momentum
• Build authentic investor relationships through regular touchpoints that demonstrate thinking and problem-solving over time
• Compress formal fundraising processes by working with pre-warmed investors who already understand your business

Timestamp: [56:06-1:03:57]

Life-Saving Impact Through AI Translation

The Critical Moment:

• Emergency Response: First responders arrived on scene just as the interpreter connected to the call
• Time Factor: Without Prepared's real-time translation, responders were certain they wouldn't have saved the girl
• System Integration: Prepared was positioned as the system sitting next to the call taker processing calls in real-time

Pattern of Impact:

1. Initial Success: This life-saving incident occurred within weeks of deployment
2. Recurring Results: Similar impactful cases began happening every few weeks
3. Clear Validation: Demonstrated the technology would be truly transformative for emergency response

Technology Advantage:

• Real-time Processing: Instant translation capabilities during active emergency calls
• Seamless Integration: Direct connection with dispatch systems for immediate response
• Critical Timing: Eliminates delays that can mean the difference between life and death

Timestamp: [1:04:05-1:04:30]

The Competitive Advantage of Purpose

Mission as Motivation:

• Personal Drive: Building something new requires deep passion to overcome inevitable hardships
• Daily Motivation: Mission-driven work makes it easier to "get out of bed" during difficult times
• Sustained Energy: Purpose provides fuel through the challenging early stages

Talent and Investment Advantages:

1. Top Talent Attraction: The best people want to work on meaningful problems
2. Investor Appeal: Leading investors are drawn to important, impactful companies
3. Easier Recruitment: Mission creates natural excitement about joining the team

The Paradox of Important Problems:

• Higher Difficulty: Mission-critical problems are inherently harder to solve
• Steeper Initial Climb: Getting momentum is more challenging upfront
• Greater Rewards: Once traction begins, the mission becomes a powerful motivator
• Sustained Advantage: Purpose-driven teams maintain energy through setbacks

Personal Reflection:

Michael admits he couldn't have built something like Uber Eats with the same passion, despite respecting the business model.

Timestamp: [1:04:30-1:05:34]

Authentic Leadership Through Self-Awareness

The Core Challenge:

• Age Factor: Difficulty attracting executive talent as a recent college graduate
• Credibility Gap: Experienced professionals questioning leadership from someone straight out of a dorm room
• Talent Competition: Competing against established companies for top-tier candidates

The Breakthrough Strategy:

1. Radical Honesty: Being clear about personal strengths and weaknesses
2. Authentic Positioning: Not pretending to be a seasoned manager ready to build a billion-dollar company
3. Collaborative Approach: Framing inexperience as an opportunity for mutual growth

Key Messaging Framework:

• Customer Expertise: "I'll strive to know the customer better than anyone"
• Product Vision: "We're going to think deeply about what products we're building"
• Management Growth: "I might lean on you for management advice, but we'll build this together"
• Mutual Learning: Positioning collaboration as a strength, not a weakness

Universal Application:

• Customer Relations: Same principle applies - don't try to convince customers of untrue things
• Talent Quality: Great people see through false positioning; mediocre people might not
• Authentic Attraction: Honesty attracts the right people for the right reasons

Timestamp: [1:05:39-1:07:05]

The Problem-Solution Discovery Framework

Initial Misconceptions:

• Founder Assumption: Believed he would instinctively know what to build
• Customer Assumption: Expected customers to clearly articulate their needs
• Reality Check: Both founder and customers were uncertain about solutions

The Key Insight:

Customers always know the problem; they never know the solution

Practical Application:

1. Deep Problem Understanding: Focus intensively on understanding customer pain points
2. Solution Ownership: Take responsibility for crafting and describing potential solutions
3. Guided Discovery: Pull customers toward solutions rather than expecting them to define them

Early Mistakes:

• Over-indexing on Customer Requests: Building exactly what customers said they wanted
• Lack of Vision: Not providing enough solution guidance and direction
• Missing Translation: Failing to convert problem understanding into actionable solutions

Evolved Approach:

• Problem-First Methodology: Start with deep problem comprehension through customer interaction
• Solution Leadership: Take ownership of translating problems into innovative solutions
• Balanced Collaboration: Combine customer problem expertise with founder solution vision

Timestamp: [1:07:11-1:07:41]

Foundational Lessons from Elite Competition

The Influential Figure:

• Background: Elementary school football coach who was a former NFL quarterback
• Timing Impact: Lessons learned during highly impressionable childhood years
• Recent Recognition: Only recently understood the profound impact of this relationship

Core Leadership Principles Learned:

1. Team Over Individual: Emphasis on team success rather than personal statistics
2. Right Motivations: Doing things for the correct reasons, not just results
3. Collective Purpose: Acting for each other rather than personal gain
4. High-Level Perspective: Tactical lessons pulled down from elite competition level

Long-Term Integration:

• DNA-Level Impact: These principles became ingrained personality traits
• Not Natural Talent: Acknowledges these weren't innate abilities but learned behaviors
• Ongoing Influence: Still references and applies these childhood lessons in business
• Reinforcement Pattern: Sports provided continuous reinforcement of these values

Universal Recommendation:

Michael believes everyone should play sports and have a great coach due to the transformative impact of this experience.

Business Application:

The leadership principles learned in elementary school football directly translate to how he approaches team building, motivation, and company culture at Prepared.

Timestamp: [1:07:48-1:08:44]

Essential Insights:

1. Mission-Driven Advantage - Purpose-driven companies attract better talent and investors, though they face steeper initial challenges
2. Authentic Leadership - Young CEOs succeed by being honest about strengths/weaknesses rather than pretending to have experience they lack
3. Customer-Problem Focus - Customers know their problems but not solutions; founders must translate pain points into innovative products

Actionable Insights:

• Use mission as a competitive moat for talent acquisition and investor attraction
• Frame inexperience as collaborative opportunity rather than trying to fake expertise
• Focus customer discovery on deep problem understanding, then take ownership of solution design
• Leverage formative experiences and mentors to build foundational leadership principles

Timestamp: [1:04:05-1:08:56]