AI-Powered Solo Product Ecosystem Development

Validating AI-augmented workflows by building a complete product ecosystem solo in 18 months

How might a senior product leader leverage AI tools to operate at the velocity of a full team? I wanted to test whether an experienced generalist could compress traditional product development stages—strategy, research, design, engineering—into a solo workflow with AI as a scalable collaborator.

This wasn't a software side project—it was a physical product with real constraints:

Solo execution: No team, no funding—every role from strategy to CAD to code to marketing

Physical + digital: Not just software—actual shelter systems requiring manufacturing knowledge

Time compression: 18 months to prove the model from zero to revenue

Tool evolution: AI capabilities rapidly shifting—had to continuously adapt workflows

Quality bar: Had to be indistinguishable from team-built work to validate the model

I treated AI as a technical co-founder, not a tool. This meant:

Role-Based Collaboration: Different AI tools for different phases—research, design, development, CAD

Conversational Development: Iterating through dialogue, not just prompts—building context over time

Quality-First: Never ship something I wouldn't ship with a team—AI accelerates, doesn't excuse

Continuous Adaptation: Workflow evolved as tools improved—Copilot → Cursor → Claude Code

Obsidian MD + AI for project management and research synthesis. Built a knowledge base that AI could reference across sessions.

Figma for visual design with AI-assisted design-to-code workflows. Brand identity inspired by early 2000s open-source culture.

Progressed through GitHub Copilot → Cursor → Claude Code as tools matured. Each evolution compressed cycles further. Built 3 production websites.

OnShape for CAD modeling with AI helping translate concepts into precise specifications. 5 shelter variants designed and one physical prototype built.

Delivered a complete product ecosystem in 18 months: brand, 3 websites, 5 shelter variants, CAD models, physical prototype, revenue-generating handbook

Compressed prototyping cycles 70% faster through conversational development

Built a 3D configurator (Three.js + React) that lets customers design custom shelters

Validated transferable patterns for AI-augmented solo work applicable to product organizations

This work demonstrates:

That AI-augmented workflows are ready for production use—not just prototypes

That experienced generalists can operate across boundaries that traditionally required specialists

That the patterns are transferable—any startup or product team can run leaner with the right approach