First Signal is a personal blog by a curious explorer covering AI adoption, emerging businesses, product teardowns, and market trends, with small AI tools for sale.

Personal blog - Est. 2025

I write about AI
before it's obvious.

I'm a curious builder exploring where AI is creating real business opportunities - not the hype, just the signal. I research, experiment, ship small tools, and write about what I find.

AI adoptionMarket researchProduct teardownsJapan x AIIndie building

Latest writing

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Research Jun 2025

AI Adoption in Japan: Reality vs Hype

Everyone says Japan is slow to adopt AI. I spent three weeks digging into the data - and the real story is more interesting than the headline.

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Featured
Japan x AI
Teardown

How Cursor Built a $9.9B Business on Developer Trust

Not just a code editor. A masterclass in finding a wedge and expanding from there.

May 2025
Research

Why Most AI Startups Look the Same

I analyzed 100 AI startups and found a pattern that most founders do not notice until it is too late.

May 2025
Signals

What Makes an AI Product Defensible?

Most AI wrappers die within 6 months. The ones that survive share a specific set of traits.

Apr 2025

AI Tools

All tools

Small, focused tools I build alongside my research. Each one starts as an experiment - if it is useful, I polish it and make it available.

Live

AI Startup Analyzer

Paste a startup URL. Get their business model, ICP, and pricing logic in seconds.

Free Pro from $9/mo
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Live

Pricing Page Analyzer

Audit any SaaS pricing page - strengths, weaknesses, positioning gaps.

$19 one-time
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Coming soon

Opportunity Finder

Input an industry. Surface underserved AI markets and clear entry points.

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