Founder stacks
solo founders
The solo founder starter stack
For founders doing every job at once, on a budget that notices.
Tools: ChatGPT, Gamma, Canva (Magic Studio), Zapier.
Tools that work together
AI tool stacks
A stack is a small set of tools that work well together for one kind of work. Start with the tier that matches where you are, master the first tool, and add the next when you can name the limit it solves.
Ready: start today, free or near-free. Competitive: the professional standard. World-Class: governed, at scale.
Operations stacks
solo operators
The operations starter stack
For the one person running the whole back office, who needs the operation documented before it can ever be delegated.
Tools: Notion AI, Scribe, ChatGPT.
E-commerce stacks
first storefronts
The starter shop stack
For sellers making a storefront look credible before it can pay for help.
Tools: Photoroom, CapCut, ChatGPT.
Marketing stacks
lean marketers
The lean content stack
For solo marketers and small teams publishing consistently on a budget that notices.
Tools: ChatGPT, Writesonic, Canva (Magic Studio).
Sales stacks
first outbound
The starter sales stack
For founders running their first outbound by hand, on a budget that notices.
Tools: Apollo.io, ChatGPT, Attio.
Research stacks
consultants, analysts and students
The research-to-deck stack
For consultants, analysts and students who turn source material into presentable conclusions.
Tools: Perplexity, Gemini Notebook, Gamma.
Automation stacks
no-code ops
The starter automation stack
For a solo operator wiring up their first automations without code.
Tools: Zapier, ChatGPT, Scribe.
Data stacks
spreadsheet users
The starter data stack
For anyone whose data lives in spreadsheets and should stay there.
Tools: Gemini for Sheets, Julius AI.
Video stacks
solo creators
The starter video stack
For solo creators turning what they already record into a publishing rhythm.
Tools: Loom (AI), CapCut, Descript, OpusClip.
Design stacks
everyday creators
The starter design stack
For anyone who needs things to look deliberate without hiring a designer.
Tools: Canva (Magic Studio), Nano Banana (Gemini image), Photoroom.
Legal & compliance stacks
lean legal work
The legal first-pass stack
For founders and lean teams doing first-pass legal work before counsel enters.
Tools: Claude, Gemini Notebook, Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant.
Meetings stacks
meeting-heavy weeks
The starter meetings stack
For anyone whose calendar is full and whose notes are not.
Tools: Fathom, ClickUp (Brain).
Coding stacks
new developers
The starter coding stack
For developers getting their first leverage from AI, without changing editors or spending anything.
Tools: GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, Replit.
Open-weight coding stacks
developers watching model cost
The open-weight coding starter stack
For developers who want to cut model cost without leaving the client they already use.
Tools: GLM (Z.ai), Claude Code, GitHub Copilot.
Private AI stacks
private individuals
The desktop private stack
For individuals who want private AI on their own machine, through apps rather than terminals.
Tools: LM Studio, AnythingLLM.
