How Abdou Built Nebu

Welcome to Maven Club.

Maven Club is one of the fastest growing communities for serious startup builders. We talk to founders and GTM/Product leaders and share their real playbooks and key learnings—stuff you won’t find on LinkedIn.

Today, we dive into the journey of Abdou, co-founder of Nebu—an AI-powered DevOps startup solving the painful, often invisible problem of cloud misconfiguration. Abdou, originally from Morocco, built his career in France before moving to Malaysia. There, he worked for an MNC (DKSH), before he co-founded Nebu after a chance connection at an accelerator and a shared frustration with cloud infrastructure issues. Together with his co-founder, he set out to build a product-first company that challenges how DevOps is done.

(Before you keep reading, follow us on LinkedIn, X and Youtube to hear more insights from real builders!

Also, move us to your primary box so that you will not miss future insights. You can do it by simply hitting the 3 dots at the top right corner, click “Move” to then “Primary”.)

If you're a technical founder navigating early-stage growth, facing competition, or struggling to find product-message fit, this one is for you.

1. Don’t Lead with the Demo—Lead with the Problem

"We showed our product too early. People judged us on a polished MVP, and an early Beta version instead of hearing our take on the problem we were solving."

Like many technical founders, Abdou and his co-founder rushed to showcase their MVP. But without a clear understanding of the customer's pain point, the conversation fell flat. Instead of piquing interest, they triggered judgment.

Takeaways for founders:

• Your early-stage product will always be imperfect. Don’t let it speak before you do.

• Conversations should start with discovery, not a pitch.

• You are the product in the early days. Trust is earned by how well you listen, not how polished your UI is.

2. Nail the Real Pain Before Writing Code

"You don’t want to deliver a vitamin. You want to deliver a painkiller."

Nebu started by targeting downtime prevention. But they quickly learned that not all companies feel unplanned downtime as an urgent pain. So they shifted the pitch: from avoiding outages to reducing cost, boosting performance, and increasing security.

Takeaways for founders:

• What you think is painful may not resonate. Reposition until the pain clicks.

• If the market doesn’t see their hair on fire, find the fire they do see or at least feel.

• Use frameworks like the 5 Whys or Fishbone to dig deeper into root causes.

3. Message-Market Fit > Product-Market Fit (at First)

"We kept changing our message after every conversation. We weren't wrong about the problem, just wrong about how we described it."

Nebu learned that most DevOps teams care deeply about security and control. But they don’t want to hand over credentials to third-party tools. Nebu built its product to run without credential sharing—a differentiator that clicked instantly once they framed it right.

Takeaways for founders:

• A strong differentiator means nothing if people don’t understand it.

• Messaging is not a one-time effort. It should evolve with every user conversation.

• If your pitch isn’t landing, don’t change everything in the product—change the words.

4. Selling Is a Skill, Not an Optional Add-On

"Coding can be done by AI now. But sales? That’s still on you."

Despite their technical backgrounds, Abdou and his co-founder leaned into founder-led sales. Cold outreach, proof of concept meetings, and constant iteration helped them shape their product in the real world. Every failed pitch became a learning loop.

Takeaways for founders:

• Founder-led sales are non-negotiable. AI won’t close your first deals.

• Get comfortable hearing no. Use it to sharpen your offer.

• Practice sales like you practice code—with daily reps and post-mortems.

5. Competition Is Validation, Not a Threat

"If there’s no competition, you’re probably too early. We’re glad others are in the space."

When Nebu discovered advanced competitors on Reddit and forums, they didn’t panic. They studied them, used their free tiers, and treated it as inspiration. For Abdou, the existence of rivals is proof that the market matters.

Takeaways for founders:

• Don’t fear crowded markets. Fear markets no one cares about.

• Study your competitors deeply—their positioning, messaging, and product.

• Use competition to refine, not retreat.

6. Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Code

"We built the MVP in a weekend. That was the blessing—and the curse."

Building fast was a strength, but it also distracted Nebu from deeper validation. Abdou urges technical founders to resist the urge to build first. Instead, he recommends studying the problem until the solution becomes inevitable.

Takeaways for founders:

• Don’t build just because you can. Build because it solves something painful.

• Speed is useful, but direction matters more.

• If the problem isn’t crystal clear, your product never will be.

7. Stay Human in the Sales Process

"We were asking too many questions—like interrogating the room. One engineer got embarrassed. We had to try other approaches - more empathic."

In pursuit of data, Abdou and his co-founder sometimes overwhelmed prospects with technical questioning. They learned to read the room, slow down, and build rapport first.

Takeaways for founders:

• Discovery calls are not interrogations. They’re conversations.

• Empathy trumps efficiency when building trust.

• Don’t make your users feel embarrassed —make them feel heard.

Final Thought: You Are the Product

"In the early stage, you are the product. Sell your vision, not just your screen."

Abdou's story is a reminder that early-stage startups aren’t defined by features—they’re defined by how well founders communicate belief. Vision, listening, and human connection still win in a world of AI.

If this founder journey resonates with you, remember: don’t chase perfection. Chase clarity. Solve a problem worth solving. And sell yourself before you sell anything else.

Until next time,
Maven Club