From Pivot to Product-Market Fit: How Nobi Is Redefining AI in E-Commerce | Ep 234 | DevReady Podcast

In this episode of the DevReady Podcast, host Anthony Sapountzis is joined by Shanif Dhanani, founder of Nobi and a seasoned data scientist, software engineer, and AI strategist. Shanif shares his journey from building generalist AI tools to launching Nobi, a specialised e-commerce AI sales assistant designed to help online retailers drive conversions and enhance customer interactions. With a background spanning roles at Twitter and TapCommerce, and deep experience in both engineering and product strategy, Shanif offers rich insights into the evolution of AI tooling, startup pivots, and the realities of building meaningful, scalable tech solutions in today’s fast-paced environment.

The conversation begins with Shanif recounting the strategic pivot from his earlier venture, Locusive to Nobi. Although the original product was technically robust, it lacked a clear market fit. Shanif and his team made the difficult but essential decision to shift their focus entirely, eventually landing on e-commerce, a domain he was deeply familiar with from his work in predictive analytics and ad tech. This pivot, while not triggered by direct customer demand, was informed by a sharper understanding of industry pain points and the market’s readiness for AI-driven solutions. The narrower focus led to greater traction and engagement with clients who lacked the internal technical resources to implement advanced solutions themselves.

Throughout the episode, Shanif and Anthony reflect on the developer-founder journey, including the challenge of moving beyond code to embrace storytelling, marketing, and sales. They discuss the concept of "vibe coding", a tendency among non-technical founders to blindly copy and paste AI-generated code without truly understanding it. Shanif stresses that AI should be treated like a junior developer: incredibly helpful, but still in need of clear direction, review, and oversight. The duo also discuss the power and limitations of tools like GitHub Copilot, Claude, and Cursor, and how real productivity gains come only when these are paired with technical knowledge and thoughtful planning.

The discussion also explores the broader impact of AI on the SaaS landscape, including pricing models, startup costs, and investor expectations. Shanif explains how Nobi is navigating the shift from subscription-based models to usage-based pricing, particularly as API and infrastructure costs rise dramatically depending on the AI models used. He also notes the growing demand for self-hosted AI solutions from enterprise clients and shares his optimism for AI's role in amplifying—not replacing—human developers. Both founders underscore that, while AI is revolutionising product development, success still depends on the fundamentals: solving real problems, achieving product-market fit, and delivering measurable value.

Looking ahead, Shanif outlines Nobi’s ambitious roadmap. The team is working toward creating an integrated AI assistant capable of performing both sales and customer service functions within e-commerce platforms. As they gain traction with high-revenue clients, Shanif envisions a future where agents communicate and transact autonomously, drastically reducing human error and creating seamless shopping experiences. He also expresses excitement about emerging infrastructure like the Multi-Agent Collaboration Protocol (MCP) and hints at Nobi potentially becoming a key backend provider for agent-driven commerce. For now, Shanif is focused on scaling sustainably, bootstrapping where possible, generating revenue, and hiring strategically to meet growing demand.

#AIStartups #EcommerceInnovation #ProductMarketFit #StartupJourney #TechFounders #AITools #SaaSRevolution #DevReadyPodcast