Lesson
Choose the company, not the category
Map the inference market and select a lane you can actually win.
Narrated mechanism
Use this shorter explanation to trace the mechanism, implementation order, and failure checks.
1
Separate API aggregation, managed inference, runtime infrastructure, and custom silicon
2
Explain why a generic Baseten clone has no credible initial wedge
3
Select a lane using evidence about founder advantage, capital, and time
Knowledge check
Make the model stick
1. Which is the strongest first description of an inference startup?
2. What most distinguishes a Taalas-like company from a Baseten-like company?
3. When should a first-time team start with custom silicon?