She had no CS degree. She used AI to teach herself to build.
Anastasiia Shumilo had no computer science background when she decided to build software. She taught herself Flutter and Xcode using AI, founded Shumi Technologies, and is now developing Draw Flow — an AI-powered construction technology platform that automates drawing analysis, quantity takeoffs, and cost estimation for construction professionals.
This week
The most important act of a founder this decade will not be building. It will be deciding what not to build. Restraint is the unwritten chapter of every great company — and the next four years will reward it more than any cycle in memory.
The feed
OpenAI's $1.2 Trillion Target: What It Means for AI Valuations
OpenAI's ambitious $1.2 trillion valuation target for its eventual IPO sets a new benchmark for the AI market, influencing investor appetite and reshaping expectations for startups.
Nvidia-Backed Nscale Files for IPO with $103B Backlog
Nvidia-backed Nscale seeks Nasdaq listing, leveraging a $103 billion backlog and strategic partnerships to capitalize on the booming AI infrastructure market.
Anduril's $100 Billion Valuation Signals Defense Tech Shift A new era for defense AI
Anduril Industries is reportedly raising at a $100 billion valuation, more than triple last year. The round signals how quickly venture capital is repricing defense AI.
Holtec Pulls $900M Nuclear IPO Amid AI Bubble Fears A Cautionary Tale for Founders
Holtec International withdrew its $900 million nuclear IPO, citing an "AI bubble" that diverts capital, signaling a challenging market for non-AI, capital-intensive ventures.
RealConnex Founder Pleads Guilty: $1M Misused VC & Loan Funds
RealConnex founder Michael Chera pleaded guilty to diverting nearly $1 million from investors and a COVID-19 loan, highlighting severe consequences and vital lessons in financial accountability for all founders.
Founders desk
Plate 01Anastasiia Shumilo
Anastasiia Shumilo is a Ukrainian-born technology founder who started over in Canada and built her career in technology from the ground up. She founded Shumi Technologies, an international B2B softwar
Plate 02Cover · Issue 47Tony Loeb
The man who decided hospitality needed just ten minutes — co-founder of 10minutes.news, the quiet media engine now read by 220,000 hoteliers across Europe and North America.
Plate 03Kateryna Eisen
Founded Momploy to solve a problem she lived on both sides — as a small business owner who struggled to hire part-time, and as a mother who needed flexible work. Now building Toronto GTA's local trust layer for skilled parents and the businesses that need them.
Plate 04Dylan Field
Dropped out of UPenn on a Thiel Fellowship, spent six years building a design tool that ran in the browser, said no to Adobe's $20B all-cash offer when the regulators killed it, and IPO'd anyway.
By desk
Read with the people who build the next decade.
Wednesdays at 7am Pacific. One letter, four minutes, and the five stories that actually mattered — chosen by the desk, not by an algorithm.
- ✓ The week's five most important reads, briefly
- ✓ One short interview, often unpublished elsewhere
- ✓ A memo from the editor — three minutes, one idea
- ✓ No ads, no roundups, no growth tactics