From Lean Startup to the 1-person Unicorn

Most founders think “lean” means hiring slowly and using ChatGPT on the side. That’s outdated.

At Ariso, Erkang Zheng works with two “teammates” every day: Ari, an AI operating partner who handles the busywork and helps them grow, and Ivan, an AI engineering partner that ships code while we sleep. Together, they let them do what used to require multiple managers, analysts, and engineers—without the overhead, politics, or burnout.

In this talk, he’ll share how we’re redefining the lean startup: running like a future unicorn with a tiny team by treating AI not as a tool, but as real operating leverage.