Hey Reader,
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I'll be honest, I never thought I'd be writing this email — but here we are.
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These last few months have brought a series of tough decisions and hard realities, and I’d be lying if I said they haven’t weighed heavily on me. I didn't think I’d ever be one of the 9 out of 10 tech founders sending an update like this.
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Is this the end of SwitchFrame? In some ways, yes — but not entirely. Buckle up. I’m sharing everything transparently in hopes it helps some of your in navigating your own big transitions.

✌️ PARTING WAYS WITH MY CO-FOUNDER

Last month, I made the incredibly tough decision to part ways with my technical co-founder. While we both came into the partnership with the best intentions, it ultimately became clear that our expectations weren’t aligned.
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Even with careful vetting and test projects, I’ve learned firsthand how difficult it’s become to evaluate technical capabilities during hiring — especially in a world where AI tools can make early work look more polished than it really is. That’s on me too — I had high standards and a strong vision for the product beyond the scope of what AI-assisted tools could help with.
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It was a respectful and mutual separation, and I’m grateful for the effort he put in getting our v2.0 to launch. More than anything, it’s been a reminder of just how nuanced technical partnerships can be, especially in this new AI-first world.

👨🏻‍💻 TEACHING MYSELF HOW TO BUILD

As a “non-technical” founder, one of the biggest challenges at SwitchFrame was not being able to build things myself. At my last company — a video agency that was later acquired — I could jump into any role.
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With SwitchFrame, I had to fully rely on contractors, employees, and eventually a technical co-founder to turn my big ideas and detailed wireframes into real products and features.
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Over time, that dependency started to wear on me. I was tired of waiting, tired of handoffs, tired of writing detailed requirements to express my vision, and tired of not being able to move as fast as I knew we needed to.
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So this past month, I decided to change that narrative.
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​I’ve been teaching myself how to structure, develop, and deploy full-stack apps — powered by modern "vibe coding" tools that make the process exponentially faster. I’ve always loved UX and product design, and now I can finally bring those ideas to life without relying on anyone else.

🔄 LEVERAGING THE TECH / FINDING A BUYER

After 3+ years of grinding to build and grow SwitchFrame, I’ve realized that while video testimonials are incredibly valuable, most small business owners still view them as a “vitamin” rather than a “painkiller.” Many would use our platform a few times, collect a batch of testimonials, but not return to keep collecting more.
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As a result of this, plus burning myself out (physically, mentally, and emotionally) trying to wear all of the hats, I've made the difficult decision to stop further developing SwitchFrame. Instead, I'm now exploring ways to repurpose the tech into other products, such as a B2C tool to collect family stories, alongside one of our early developers.

I wrestled with this decision for a long time. Letting go of a vision I poured years of energy, personal savings, and identity into is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do — but I know it’s the right move for my health and clarity.
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​I’ve listed the current platform + back-end tech for sale with a broker, and we’re hoping to find a strategic buyer who wants to leverage our collection platform and/or AI-powered video editing back-end for their own use cases, such as automatically editing together AI-generated or customer-generated clips into one video.
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Best case, we're able to sell the assets to the right buyer. Worst case, I've had a humbling crash course on how to build a SaaS startup (and what to look out for), and walk away with so many invaluable lessons to help others.

➡️ SO, WHAT'S NEXT FOR JUSTIN?

In parallel to winding down SwitchFrame, I’m actively exploring remote opportunities where I can contribute meaningfully — while also leaving space to explore new product/business ideas and thoughtfully close out this chapter.

What I'm looking for:

• Consulting or advisory roles (strategy, product, growth)
• Entrepreneur-in-residence opportunities
• Associate roles at venture firms
• Leadership, marketing, or product strategy at an early-stage company

As a reminder, my background contains a wild journey of experience across consulting, digital strategy, marketing, product development, live events, e-commerce, and finance.
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I started my career in digital strategy consulting at Accenture, then innovation & strategy at Bank of America (launching our startup accelerator), then built a video advertising agency that I ran for three years before selling it.
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​If you know of any teams or projects where I can jump in and make an impact, I’d love to connect.​
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Thank you so much for following along with the journey so far.
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Whether you’re a customer, partner, investor, or just someone cheering from the sidelines, I’m genuinely grateful.