Home Members Projects Events Blog Apply
Insights & Stories

The XDF Blog

Learn from members building the future of NYC tech. Real stories, honest lessons, and actionable insights.

Member Story

From Side Project to $2M ARR: The NeuralCommerce Story

Jessica Santos shares the unfiltered journey of building an AI-powered retail analytics platform—from late-night coding sessions to serving 200+ customers across NYC.

JS
Jessica Santos
Nov 10, 2024 · 12 min read
Read Story →

Recent Articles

Technical

Building Real-Time Systems That Scale

Lessons learned from processing 10M+ events per day at CloudStream. James Rodriguez breaks down architecture decisions, database choices, and monitoring strategies.

JR
James Rodriguez
Nov 5, 2024
Design

Design Systems That Actually Get Used

Marcus Kim on building design systems that teams love. Learn about component libraries, documentation, and getting buy-in from engineering.

MK
Marcus Kim
Oct 28, 2024
Growth

The 0-to-10K Users Playbook

Emily Patel shares the exact growth tactics that took three startups from launch to 10K users. No fluff, just actionable strategies that work.

EP
Emily Patel
Oct 22, 2024
Product

Finding Product-Market Fit in NYC

David Chen on the unique challenges and opportunities of building products for New York's diverse market. Customer discovery, iteration, and knowing when to pivot.

DC
David Chen
Oct 15, 2024
AI/ML

Practical ML for Startups

Alex Thompson demystifies machine learning for product teams. When to use ML, how to start small, and avoiding common pitfalls in model selection and deployment.

AT
Alex Thompson
Oct 8, 2024
Leadership

Scaling Engineering Teams from 5 to 50

Michael Okonkwo's playbook for growing engineering organizations. Hiring, culture, team structure, and maintaining velocity as you scale.

MO
Michael Okonkwo
Sep 30, 2024
Content

Building Community Through Content

Rachel Wong on creating content that builds engaged communities. From blog posts to newsletters, learn what actually works in 2024.

RW
Rachel Wong
Sep 23, 2024
Indie Hacking

5 Side Projects in 12 Months

Kevin Nguyen on rapid prototyping and shipping. How to validate ideas quickly, build MVPs fast, and know when to double down or move on.

KN
Kevin Nguyen
Sep 16, 2024
Design

Accessibility is Not Optional

Priya Sharma makes the case for accessibility-first design. Real examples, testing strategies, and why inclusive design makes products better for everyone.

PS
Priya Sharma
Sep 9, 2024