How to ship like a startup

Mihika Kapoor, who helped build FigJam and launched Figma Slides, shares seven lessons for keeping a startup mindset inside a large company. The core argument is that speed, prototypes, open progress-sharing, strong team culture, and earned trust matter more than process-heavy documentation and siloed roles.

01Key takeaways

• Prototype ideas instead of writing PRDs; conviction comes from working prototypes and lo-fi alignment.
• Share raw progress early and often, using hackathons and async updates to build hype.
• Recruit believers who opt in to the project rather than trying to persuade skeptics.
• Make every team member a part-time product owner by pairing and involving engineers early.
• Earn trust by shipping reliable wins on leadership's priorities before funding your bigger ideas.

Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.