This article is adapted from a workshop transcript from the Tsinghua University AI+ Innovative Design (AIID) Program. The session featured Yaokai Jiang, CEO of Momen, who shared his deep insights on the shifting economics of software and the democratization of "cognition." Under the theme "Thinking, Building, and Surviving in the AI Era," Yaokai discussed how we have transitioned from technical gatekeeping to an era of creative problem-solving, providing a roadmap for how founders can thrive in this rapidly evolving landscape.
Every entrepreneur starts with a "brilliant" idea. But here is the sobering reality: 42% of startups fail for one simple reason—no market need. They spend months building a polished product that, ultimately, nobody actually wanted to use.
In the past, validating an idea was a massive gamble. You had to hire developers, spend thousands of dollars, and wait months just to get a basic version of your app (an "MVP") into the hands of users. If they said "no," you’d already lost your time and your savings.
Today, the rules have changed. You can now use AI to simulate a market, "vibe code" a prototype, and use Momen to build the professional logic—all before you’ve committed to a single line of code. Here is how you de-risk your dream.
Chapter 1: The "Desirability" Test (AI as Your Focus Group)
Before you worry about how to build it, you must ask: Does anyone want this?
In the startup world, we look at three risks:
Desirability: Do customers want it?
Viability: Can it actually make money?
Feasibility: Is it possible to build?
For a new founder, Desirability is the only one that matters on Day 1.
Meet Your "Synthetic" Customers
Instead of spending weeks trying to find people to interview, use AI to act as a "Synthetic Persona."
If you’re building a tool for busy real estate agents, don’t just ask ChatGPT "Is this a good idea?" Instead, give it a role:
"Act as a real estate agent who is 55 years old, hates technology, and is tired of manual paperwork. I am going to pitch you a product. Be skeptical. Tell me exactly why you would refuse to pay for this."
By running your idea through these AI focus groups, you find the flaws in your logic before you spend a dime.
Want to verify your idea and analyze your requirement of the App you want to build?
Try this: https://requirement-analyzer.momen.cloud/
Chapter 2: "Vibe Coding"—Digital Sketching for Your App
Once your idea passes the AI focus group, you need to see it. This is where "Vibe Coding" comes in.
Using tools like Lovable or Cursor, you don’t write code; you describe a "vibe." You type: "Make me a beautiful dashboard for a fitness app that feels like a calm yoga studio," and the AI builds the screens.
The "Dining Room" Problem
However, there is a catch. These tools are great at building the Frontend—what the user sees. Think of this as the Dining Room of a restaurant. It has the nice tables, the menu, and the decor.
But if you don't have a Kitchen (the Backend), you can’t actually serve any food. A prototype that only has a "vibe" can't save a user’s password, process a credit card, or remember a user’s progress. To test if people will actually pay for your app, you need a kitchen that works.
Chapter 3: The Commercial Reality (Building the Kitchen with Momen)
To move from a "vibe" to a real business, your app needs to handle data reliably. This is where you connect your AI-generated design to Momen.
Momen acts as the Professional Logic Layer. While the AI helps you design the "Dining Room," Momen builds the "Kitchen."
The Hybrid Workflow
By connecting your AI prototype to Momen, you gain three essential business features:
The Vault (Database): Securely storing user profiles, history, and photos.
The Brain (Logic): Managing complex rules, like "If the user is on a free trial, limit them to 3 AI generations per day."
The Cashier (Stripe): Connecting to the real world so you can actually accept payments and validate the Viability of your business.
This hybrid approach allows you to launch a product that doesn’t just look like an app—it is an app.
Conclusion: The New Cost of Failure
The "Valley of Death" is the period where you are spending money but haven't found customers yet. Historically, this was a deep, dangerous hole for entrepreneurs.
By using AI for validation and Momen for your logic, you have reduced the price of a mistake to almost zero. If your idea fails, you haven't lost your life savings; you've only lost an afternoon. And if it succeeds? You already have the professional infrastructure in place to scale to thousands of users.
Don't build in the dark.
Sign up for Momen today, connect your AI prototype, and turn your "vibe" into a viable business.
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