EP. 88 | You're Not Selling Software. You're Selling Trust. (Chordify CEO, Silicon Valley)

https://chordify.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenmorris/Ken Morris left India, landed in Silicon Valley in 2000, and has spent the last 12 years building Chordify — a software engineering firm that helps startups and funded companies build products without burning through their runway.But what I found most interesting wasn't the technical side. It was how Ken thinks about trust, relationships, and what it actually takes to build a services business in one of the most competitive markets in the world.We talk about how AI has changed startup development timelines, what happens after Series A when a company needs to scale engineering fast, how offshore teams actually work when done right, and why Ken is now training engineers at a 125-year-old university in Uganda.Timestamps:0:00 – Intro: What Chordify does0:41 – Welcome + Ken introduces himself1:05 – From India to the Middle East to Silicon Valley2:24 – How software development has changed over the last two decades3:05 – Java, mobile, cloud, big data, AI — the evolution in one answer5:36 – Don't let AI control you — keep the human in the loop6:04 – Who Chordify works with and at what stage6:24 – How Chordify was founded: from solo consultant to offshore operation8:07 – Their offshore development center in Trivandrum Technopark, India8:30 – Two customer profiles: early-stage startups vs. post-Series A companies9:44 – MVP timelines pre-AI vs. today13:05 – Do they work with European companies?14:58 – Startup success rates: the real numbers16:12 – A customer who's been with them for 10 years and pivoted twice19:34 – How they find clients — and why references are the whole game20:16 – "You're not selling software. You're selling trust."21:50 – The trust gap in offshore development and how to avoid getting burned24:00 – The 6-step deal process — and why references skip you to step 528:13 – Trust, consistency, and what it looks like in practice30:01 – Why Ken co-sponsors events for years before expecting anything in return31:42 – The joy of working with startups vs. enterprise33:30 – "If you want a nine to five job, this is not the place"34:06 – Ken reads Matt's mind (seriously)36:45 – Expanding into Central Asia and East Africa37:49 – Training 10 engineering students at Uganda's oldest university39:39 – Building a development center in Mexico in 202640:40 – Closing thoughts