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Advice Every Early Stage Builders Needs to Know | Jai Mansukhani
Watch on YouTube ↗Why Outsiders Will Win Regulated Industries | TTW 2026
Watch on YouTube ↗First seen on the TechTO stage in 2025. Every talk is searchable — ask the archive about Jai ↗
In their words
Failing for the first time is probably the biggest jump into how your perspective changes into how you think and into how you become a better Builder over time.
I think it no longer takes deep industry expertise to attack the biggest software categories.
They're not competing for the IT budget. It's over done. They're competing to unlock the labor budget.
That 20-year veteran doesn't get displaced, they get super powered.
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Quick answers
What is Jai Mansukhani known for?
Co-founding General Magic, which builds AI agents for insurance brokerages. With one of the world's largest general insurers it cut time-to-quote from roughly 30 minutes to under three.
Is OpenSesame the same company as General Magic?
Yes. Mansukhani's company launched as OpenSesame, went through a16z Speedrun in 2025, and rebranded to General Magic — a deliberate nod to the 1989 Apple spin-out, which is a separate and defunct company.
What is his argument about regulated industries?
That outsiders win them. At Toronto Tech Week 2026 he argued founder-market fit is overrated next to founder-mindset fit, and that AI-native companies should attack real labour problems rather than layer software on top.