Introduction
In this episode of the DevReady Podcast, Andrew Romeo, CEO and Co-Founder of Aerion Technologies and DevReady.Ai speaks with Sarah-Jane Kurtini, Co-Founder of Tinybeans, Founder of PitchSlap.Me and positioning specialist at S-J Kurtini Consulting. Sarah shares her journey from scaling a global parenting tech platform to helping founders sharpen their product positioning, pitch narrative and growth strategy. Best known for taking Tinybeans from startup to ASX listing, she now focuses on helping early stage and scaling companies achieve product market fit through clear storytelling and structured thinking. This episode is essential listening for startup founders, non-technical entrepreneurs and tech leaders looking to improve positioning, pitch clarity and sustainable growth.
The Origin of Tinybeans: Solving a Real Problem
Tinybeans began with a deeply personal challenge. Sarah’s co-founder, Steven Young, created a milestone tracking tool after experiencing speech delays with his son. The goal was simple: help parents identify developmental issues earlier.
Alongside this, he built a private photo sharing app for family members. What became clear was that families returned daily for photos, but only occasionally for milestone tracking. The breakthrough came when both functions were combined into a single, engaging platform that supported parents while strengthening family connection.
This early insight highlights a key startup lesson: sustainable growth begins with solving a real, emotionally resonant problem.
Building Product Market Fit Through Customer Feedback
One of the most powerful growth strategies Sarah shares is surprisingly simple. She and her co-founder personally managed customer service for the first two years.
Every email was answered directly. Every complaint was reviewed closely. Privacy concerns, feature suggestions and usability frustrations were treated as valuable signals.
This direct engagement helped Tinybeans achieve strong product market fit. Rather than building in isolation, they built alongside their users. For non-technical founders, this reinforces a crucial principle: remove ego, listen deeply and let customer feedback shape the roadmap.
Product market fit is rarely accidental. It is earned through iteration, clarity and responsiveness.
Scaling to an ASX Listing and Global Expansion
Tinybeans experienced rapid growth and listed on the ASX in 2017. The listing provided investment capital that enabled expansion into the United States, with operations across Sydney and New York.
The journey from startup to ASX listing was not overnight success. It involved years of financial risk, disciplined execution and alignment around a clear mission. Sarah reflects on the emotional impact of building a product that genuinely connected families, including grandparents who had never met their grandchildren in person.
Purpose driven technology created strong user loyalty, which supported commercial success. The combination of product market fit, emotional resonance and disciplined scaling strategy enabled Tinybeans to transition from startup to publicly listed company.
Founder Risk, Timing and Conviction
Sarah shares that joining Tinybeans required conviction and timing. She was already navigating a financially lean period in her personal life, which made taking entrepreneurial risk more manageable.
She also believed deeply in the product. The platform solved a real problem she experienced as a parent living far from family. That personal connection strengthened her commitment during the difficult early years, including periods where the founders did not pay themselves.
Founder conviction is not about optimism alone. It is about understanding the problem so clearly that you are willing to endure the inevitable challenges of startup growth.
Why Positioning Is the True Growth Lever
After exiting Tinybeans, Sarah became increasingly fascinated by positioning. She observed that many scaling startups struggle not because their product is weak, but because their messaging lacks clarity.
When companies lead with who they are instead of the problem they solve, buyers struggle to connect. Confused buyers rarely choose a supplier. They default to no decision.
Strong positioning underpins:
- SEO performance
- Paid advertising effectiveness
- Sales conversations
- Investor pitching
- Product development clarity
When founders articulate the market gap, context and differentiated solution clearly, growth accelerates across every channel.
The Birth of PitchSlap: AI for Narrative Clarity
Sarah channelled her positioning expertise into building PitchSlap, an AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... powered pitch refinement tool. It began as a simple MVPMVP stands for Minimum Viable Product. An MVP is the first version of your product that you can release to... using a Google Form connected to the OpenAI APIAn API is an Application Programming Interface. APIs are used to allow systems to retrieve data from other systems. It....
The idea was straightforward: provide structured feedback on startup pitches and help founders strengthen their narrative. PitchSlap guides users through six core building blocks:
- The market gap
- Industry context
- The solution
- Traction
- Long term vision
- Team strength
By answering structured questions, founders clarify their thinking. The tool then refines and rewrites the narrative, producing a usable document that can support investor decks and sales materials.
Customer feedback shaped its evolution, including the addition of multiple tone modes to ensure feedback remains constructive while still honest.
Storytelling as a Competitive Advantage
A central theme throughout the episode is storytelling. Humans process information through narrative arcs. When founders attempt to shortcut this process, they create confusion.
A compelling startup narrative should:
- Start with the problem
- Provide market context
- Introduce the solution naturally
- Demonstrate traction
- Present a credible long term vision
When executed well, storytelling becomes a competitive moat. It strengthens brand recognition, improves investor confidence and drives conversion across marketing channels.
Key Takeaways
- Product market fit requires direct engagement with real customers
- Startup growth is accelerated by clear positioning and narrative clarity
- Founders must lead with the problem, not their company biography
- Emotional resonance strengthens user loyalty and brand trust
- Structured frameworks improve pitch quality and investor readiness
- Iteration and responsiveness outperform perfectionism
- Clear messaging reduces friction in sales and marketing
Useful Links
S-J Kurtini Consulting | LinkedIn
S-J Kurtini Consulting | Website
FAQs
What is product market fit?
Product market fit occurs when a product satisfies a strong market demand and users consistently return because it solves a meaningful problem. It is often validated through customer retention, engagement and feedback.
How long does it take to scale from startup to ASX listing?
There is no fixed timeline. For Tinybeans, it involved several years of iteration, traction building and disciplined growth before listing in 2017.
Why is positioning important for startup growth?
Positioning defines how your product is perceived in the market. Without clear positioning, marketing campaigns, SEO efforts and sales strategies often underperform because buyers cannot easily understand your value.
What is PitchSlap.Me?
PitchSlap is an AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... powered tool created by Sarah-Jane Kurtini that helps founders refine their pitch narrative through structured questions and detailed feedback.
How can founders improve their investor pitch?
Start by clarifying the problem, market opportunity, solution differentiation, traction and long term vision. Use structured frameworks to refine your narrative and remove unnecessary complexity.
