Daniel Ahmadizadeh’s website

I'm Daniel. I build startups, teach entrepreneurship, and ask every founder I meet one question:

In the months or years you've worked on your project, whose problem have you solved?
What's their name?

That's the question behind Start With One, a framework I teach at Columbia, Stanford, and programs around the world. My mission is to help founders find the one person whose problem they solve, before they build for millions.

Founders spend years building things no one needs, and most entrepreneurship classes still teach theory. I did it too. Helping one real person is how great companies start, and how founders become better people.

Currently growing Crustdata, a Y Combinator startup, from $600K to $12M ARR since 2025. Previously led two Y Combinator–backed startups as CEO and was the first investor in Motion after their YC batch, last valued at $550M.

At Columbia University, where I earned my MBA, and Stanford University, every student ends at Demo Day, sharing the story of a specific human being whose problem they solved.

When anyone can build anything, the person is the proof. 500+ students and founders have used the framework to launch their ventures. Read their stories here, or join my weekly Start With One session.

My work has been featured in WSJ, The Today Show, and NPR, and I was a TED Resident.

Outside of work, I focus on health, family, and traveling. Here are my values and a preview of the book I'll publish next year.