Building Addi: The Part You Don’t See
As we get closer to launching Addi, we’ve found ourselves shifting between heads-down work and moments of reflection on what this past year has actually looked like.
It hasn’t been a straightforward path. It’s been a lot of figuring things out, rethinking things we thought we had right, and slowly putting the pieces together until the right things finally click – across product, experience, and how we talk about what we’re building.
Building something from scratch is… a lot.
So we asked a few people on the team to share what the experience has been like for them.
From the people building it
Aidan Broomfield-Harris, Senior Software Engineer
What’s it been like working on something this early / undefined?
As engineers at Addi, we’re given a high level of autonomy and trust to make architectural decisions as we build. That freedom allows our voices to be heard and ensures the work we’re doing stays aligned with customer needs through a bottom-up approach.
What’s a moment where things “clicked” for you?
Before joining, I was curious why a small business wouldn’t just create AdBytes and advertisements themselves using existing AI tools. Then I realized how complex it is to stitch together all of those tools into a single, intuitive workflow. In many ways, the code we’ve written took longer to think through than it did to implement as we wanted to build something truly great and do it right.
What’s surprised you?
The energy of the team. People consistently uplift one another and give thoughtful kudos, calling out specific contributions and wins. We’re not only building something meaningful, we genuinely enjoy working together while doing it.
What’s it been like working with Dan?
Dan is deeply thoughtful about the impact he wants to have on the world, and that shows in the products he chooses to build, the leadership team he’s assembled, and his grounded, approachable style. It makes you feel like you’re truly part of the vision.
Zach Cook, Senior Software Engineer
What’s a moment where things “clicked” for you?
It clicked when I saw the true size of the addressable market and understood how many small businesses we have the opportunity to make advertising accessible for.
What’s it been like working on something this early / undefined?
Early startups are always fun but its been great working with a solid set of people determined to bring the Addi vision to life.
What’s something you’ve learned along the way?
Coming from a different industry, concepts like DSPs were new to me. Learning what a DSP is and how it works has been interesting and has given me a better understanding of how digital advertising works.
Paul Tiedt, Head of Data
What has the last year building Addi felt like?
It’s been incredibly energizing. Every week feels different—in a good way. We’ve been learning new tools constantly, adapting quickly, and figuring things out in real time. There’s never a dull moment, especially with how fast AI is evolving—it feels like the ceiling keeps getting higher on what we can build and how well we can do it.
What’s a moment where things “clicked” for you?
It really clicked when we started to see the potential impact for small and medium-sized businesses. That’s when it stopped feeling like just building cool technology and started feeling like we were unlocking something genuinely meaningful and scalable.
What’s it been like working on something this early / undefined?
It’s been a mix of exciting and challenging. There’s a lot of ambiguity, but that’s also what makes it fun—you get to shape things as you go. Being surrounded by a talented team makes a huge difference, because even when things are undefined, there’s a shared feeling that we’ll figure it out.
Zach Sarkis, Principle Engineer
What has the last year building Addi felt like?
A lot of moving pieces, and not everything is fully defined at the start. But over time you start to see how things connect, and that’s been really rewarding.
What’s something you’ve learned along the way?
One thing I’ve learned is how important context is. When you understand why decisions are being made and what else is happening across the business, it makes it a lot easier to build the right things.
What’s it been like working with Dan?
Dan does a good job of keeping the bigger picture in mind. Even when things are unclear day to day, there’s a sense of where we’re trying to go.
Renee Taylor, Director, Client Success
What’s it been like working on something this early / undefined?
It’s been really cool to be a part of starting something new and watch the product evolve along the way. There have been many iterations and pivots that have gotten us to where we are today!
What’s surprised you?
How much of a need there is for this technology. Although technology has developed very quickly, many processes are still incredibly manual and time-consuming. People (especially small business owners) are looking for more efficient solutions to help grow their business.
Looking back, and ahead
There’s still a lot to do. But we’re getting close to putting something out into the world that we’ve spent a long time figuring out together.
And if this past year has proven anything, it’s that the problem we’re solving is real – and worth building for.