James Davie
Co-Founder at Miyagi AI
James Davie is co-founder of Miyagi, a Sydney-based startup building an AI Community Concierge that helps technology companies run active, well-supported user communities without a large team. He also writes Community dōjo, a publication sharing practical lessons on community building for founders and community leads. Davie holds a Master's degree in Data Science from the University of Sydney and worked in SaaS product roles before starting Miyagi. On Pick My Brain, he spoke with Alan Jones about building a community-led startup and what makes online communities thrive rather than stall.
Key moments
Jump straight to the part of How to Build a Community-Led Startup | with James Davie from Miyagi you want.
- 1:44 James’ surprising path to becoming a founder
- 6:39 What is Miyagi, and who is it for?
- 10:30 The hidden cost of running a community without ownership
- 12:45 Founder-led sales when you’ve never sold before
- 13:17 Learning to ask for the sale: how James is building muscle
- 15:54 Imposter syndrome and credibility as an unknown founder
- 17:39 Why LinkedIn alone won’t build your funnel
- 18:51 Using small events and meetups as growth channels
- 21:29 From attendee to speaker: how to build “expert magic”
- 24:35 Becoming a panelist, host, or community organiser
Connections
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