Monay AI - Cohort 19
Monay is building a next-generation mapping product to improve how people discover, save, share, and purchase location-based experiences—ranging from local businesses to travel accommodations, events, and services. Unlike traditional mapping apps that focus primarily on navigation or generic reviews, Monay leverages creator-driven recommendations to help consumers find and act on points of interest.
In a world saturated with attention-grabbing ads and exaggerated promises, Monay addresses the need for trustworthy, authentic & personality driven recommendations. Our vision was to create a product that connects consumers to their trusted creators’ location recommendations through curated maps.
We had an opportunity and freedom to create desktop and app based product 0 → 1.
In collaboration with the founder we helped define the core product strategy directly influencing its goals, target audience, and long-term value proposition.
Discovered a new world of map based API & SDK and other technical specs and limitations.
Why we're excited
Working on Monay from the ground up was an incredibly empowering and deeply educational experience. The founder gave us significant freedom to define the product's direction & feel, fostering a unique "founder's mindset". We learned A TON about building viable MVPs, rapid iteration, shipping fast, and how different the product development in startups vs big tech can be. We got a great understanding of how to prioritize for early impact and identifying initial the most passionate users. We also focused on strategically integrating AI to solve real user problems effectively, alongside significant technical learning involving map APIs and SDKs.Adding to this, the project was also super challenging due to its inherent ambiguity. From the outset, the exact form and features of the product weren't entirely clear, which meant we had to get comfortable with pivots and iteration. This ambiguity, while demanding, proved to be a FANTASTIC learning ground, teaching us crucial skills in how to change direction effectively, prioritize/say no RUTHLESSLY, manage our time in strict timelines, and, ultimately, thrive in ambiguous environments. This was an instrumental experience in developing our adaptability, team work and problem-solving.
The how
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THE BEGINNING | Our first 3 weeks
Our initial 3 weeks at Monay were all about setting a strong foundation to make sure our product is deeply informed by founder’s vision, user needs and market realities. First, we reviewed the initial Product Requirements Document (PRD) and then conducted an extensive competitive analysis, examining over 20 direct and indirect competitors. This helped us understand the current market landscape and pinpoint the unique value proposition that Monay could offer. Next, we wanted to hear directly from potential users. We conducted user interviews with both consumers and creators. Our goal was to understand their individual needs and explore how Monay could effectively become a bridge between these two key audiences. Finally, to validate the insights gathered from the interviews with a wider group, we launched user surveys. After synthesizing all of our research findings, we were able to update the initial PRD and, importantly, contribute to a pivot in the overall product strategy.
ideate, constrain, & test
Weeks 4-7 were an intense sprint of ideation and preparation for user testing. It was all about ruthless prioritization. Working closely with the founder, we focused on cutting away anything that wasn't absolutely essential for the initial MVP. This involved a whirlwind of wireframing, user flow explorations, and extensive iterations. Our goal was to rapidly refine the core experience, trimming it down to the most critical elements needed to get a lean product ready for its real-world feedback from users. A significant challenge during this phase was Monay's novel nature. With no direct market equivalent to reference, clearly defining what Monay WAS and, equally important, what it WAS NOT became a crucial focus. At this stage we realized the need not only for an app but also for a web-based experience.
innovate, spec, & ship
The last three weeks at Monay are all about rapid iteration, refining our designs, and pushing toward a scalable product. We’ve tested our designs with real users, gathered feedback, and designed high fidelity. A key focus for us at this stage was also creating and documenting a new design system —one that streamlines handoff and makes it easier to scale as we build. This allowed us to move faster while maintaining consistency across all platforms. One of the key things we’ve learned in this stage is that innovation happens in cycles. This phase has been about tightening the feedback loop, iterating, and refining to bring Monay closer to launch.
Impact & shipped
Strategically designed web experience that allows creators and businesses to create, customize, and embed interactive maps on their websites
What is the future of AI native interface and how do we bridge the gap?
• Designing workspaces that morph based on context vs static documents
• Canvas adapts in real-time to your workflow - not just another doc editor
• Content self-organizes based on relationships vs manual folder structures
• Information flows between blocks naturally, like liquid vs rigid containers
• Elements reshape and connect based on AI understanding of your work
• Built for flow state - content appears where needed, then vanishes
• Designing workspaces that morph based on context vs static documents
• Canvas adapts in real-time to your workflow - not just another doc editor
• Content self-organizes based on relationships vs manual folder structures
• Information flows between blocks naturally, like liquid vs rigid containers
• Elements reshape and connect based on AI understanding of your work
• Built for flow state - content appears where needed, then vanishes
Built mobile experience that acts as a central hub for users to seamlessly store, organize, and access locations from all their favorite social media platforms in one convenient place.
Leveraged AI migration to enable creators to seamlessly upload their recommendations from existing blogs while allowing consumers to migrate locations directly from a creator’s social media posts
Developed a foundational design system that simplifies handoff, ensures consistency, and enables scalable growth for Monay’s evolving product.
Some of our team memories
First meeting with the client where we are aligning on the vision and discussing PRD - we loved the product expertise a seasoned founder brought.
Our team worked closely and daily with Grant Long, seasoned multi-time entrepreneur and co-founder of Dongtu—powering over 500 million daily searches.
Collaborated and built alongside founders through the AI incubator, fellowship, and fund at Admit Labs.