Build vs. Buy

Matthias Wagner, Co-Founder & CEO, Flux

Mang-Git sits down with Matthias Wagner, founder of Flux.ai, to explore how AI is finally making hardware design as accessible as software development. Matthias shares how Flux uses a combination of LLMs and proprietary spatial models to let anyone design PCB boards through a simple chat interface – and why LLMs alone fall flat when it comes to physical, geometric reasoning. The conversation digs deep into the build vs. buy dilemma in an era of rapidly shifting AI tooling, from when to roll your own stack to when to trust a third-party abstraction. Matthias also makes a case for using high-level AI agents like Devin to stop chasing the latest models and start compounding on integrations instead. 1:07 — Intro & Guest Background 4:30 — The Origin of Flux.ai 6:51 — Build vs. Buy: The AI Stack Reality 9:54 — Abstraction Layers & Developer Tooling 13:34 — How Flux.ai Uses AI to Design Hardware 15:53 — Where LLMs Fail: Spatial & Physical Reasoning 17:30 — Feedback Loops as the Real Moat 26:37 — Deterministic Tools vs. ML Models: How to Decide 31:27 — Lightning Round & Wrap-Up This episode was brought to you by Anvil [https://useanvil.com].

Danil Kolesnikov, Co-Founder, Marin

Mang-Git interviews Danil Kolesnikov, previously a founding engineer at Shepherd, a commercial insurance MGA for construction that underwrites on behalf of carriers and distributes through brokers. He explains Shepherd’s thesis that tech-enabled contractors are better risks and should receive better pricing and coverage. The core build-vs-buy decision was whether to buy a policy administration system or build one; Shepherd chose to build due to vendor pricing that takes a percentage of premium (a lasting “tax”) and the need for flexibility and speed. Danil says owning the platform improved onboarding and day-one productivity across underwriting, claims, and compliance, and helped Shepherd deliver quotes in under 24 hours versus weeks for legacy carriers. They also discuss the complexity of commercial lines, a painful Salesforce integration, and how AI shifts the bottleneck from coding to domain understanding and workflow automation.  00:00 Introductions  02:38 What an MGA Does  04:30 Shepherd’s Tech Advantage  06:10 The Build vs Buy Call  11:45 Evaluating PAS Vendors  13:17 Why Owning the Stack Wins  16:14 Org Design and Automation  18:59 Vertical Integration and Salesforce Pain  22:56 Secret Sauce Not for Sale  24:12 Lessons and AI Prompting  26:22 Lightning Round and Wrap Up This episode was brought to you by Anvil [https://useanvil.com].

Rowland Hobbs, Founder & CEO, Stake

Rowland Hobbs, founder and CEO of Stake, joins the show to talk about his startup background and Stake’s mission to help renters build wealth amid rising rents. Stake offers cash-back and financial services across a network of about 550,000 homes, including free checking that rewards rent payments and credit building by reporting on-time rent to the three bureaus, benefiting renters while reducing landlord delinquencies. Rowland explains Stake’s model, funded by landlords for leasing plus banking, brand, property, and government partners, including Colorado Renter Rewards. For a build-vs-buy decision, Stake tested distributing renter incentives through rental brokers, saw higher lease conversions, and acquired the largest Texas rental brokerage, Yu Move Free, to accelerate go-to-market and onboard renters into Stake’s broader platform. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 01:02 Roland’s Startup Journey 02:13 Photo Startup Lessons 03:56 What Stake Does 05:06 Business Model and Network 08:24 Build Versus Buy Setup 08:49 Testing Brokers Then Buying 10:49 Rental Brokers Explained 14:01 Why Acquire Not Build 19:08 Costco Model for Renters 22:07 Deposits and Trust 24:05 Favorite Recent Purchases 26:46 Personal Growth and Yoga 28:18 Closing and Farewell This episode was brought to you by Anvil [https://useanvil.com].

Michael Grinich, Founder, WorkOS

Michael Grinich, founder of WorkOS, joins Mang-Git to discuss challenges and insights from his career, including his journey from founding Nylas to creating WorkOS. They delve into the critical considerations for build versus buy decisions, the impact of AI on software development, and the importance of leveraging stable infrastructure. The episode highlights how modern AI tools are accelerating enterprise readiness and shaping the future of software development.  00:00 Introduction  01:51 Michael's Early Career 02:59 Challenges with Enterprise Adoption  04:23 Founding WorkOS  04:59 The Shift in Enterprise Software  08:03 The Rise of AI and Enterprise Adoption  08:38 The Importance of Enterprise Capabilities  09:40 Build vs. Buy: The Time Machine Argument  14:06 AI's Role in Modern Development  16:15 The Future of Development and Infrastructure  24:58 The Hidden Infrastructure of New York City  25:38 Frameworks for Build vs. Buy Decisions  26:28 The Value of Time in Business Decisions  28:31 Challenges with Vendor Lock-In  29:10 The Future of Internal Tools and AI  34:18 Personalized Software and Its Implications  40:18 Exciting Projects and Personal Favorites  44:23 Conclusion and Final Thoughts This episode was brought to you by Anvil [https://useanvil.com].

Alex Klarfeld, Founder, Supergood

In this episode of Build vs. Buy, Mang-Git hosts Alex Klarfeld, founder and CEO of Supergood, previously co-founder of Divvy Homes. They discuss Alex's career journey, the business model of Supergood, which creates unofficial APIs for enterprise portals using automated reverse engineering, and the company's growth strategy. The conversation highlights a build versus buy decision Alex faced with integrating Temporal for job execution monitoring, ultimately leading them to inadvertently develop their own solution.  00:00 Introduction 01:38 Alex's Background and Supergood Overview 02:36 Supergood's Unique Approach to APIs 04:07 Challenges and Solutions in API Integration 06:42 Technical Insights into Supergood's Operations 10:53 The Evolution of Supergood 13:43 Build Versus Buy: A Deep Dive 21:25 Challenges with Temporal  23:39 Exploring Alternative Vendors 24:51 Choosing Masra for Better Support 28:30 Building In-House Solutions 30:58 Reflections on Vendor Relationships 33:51 Exciting Projects and Future Plans 37:07 Product Recommendations and Closing Remarks This episode was brought to you by Anvil [https://useanvil.com].