Marie
Doce
Founder at Grounded AI
"Building for the Margins, Winning the Market"
"Building for the Margins, Winning the Market"
Fri May 15 - 5:40 PM EDT/New York (See in local time)
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05/15/2026 5:40 PM
05/15/2026 06:00 PM
America/New_York
#WTGC2026
"Building for the Margins, Winning the Market"
#WTGC2026
"Building for the Margins, Winning the Market"
https://www.womentech.net/ringcentral
https://www.womentech.net/ringcentral
"Building for the Margins, Winning the Market"
"Building for the Margins, Winning the Market"
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Session: Building for the Margins, Winning the Market
Most founders are told to build for the mainstream. But history shows that some of the most transformative products started at the edges with closed captioning, ride-hailing apps, and even Bumble. What began as solutions for overlooked communities ended up changing the way millions live, work, and connect.In this talk, I'll explore why underrepresented founders (women, parents, immigrants, and people in rural communities) are uniquely positioned to create breakthrough innovation. Drawing on real stories and my own journey building Grounded AI, a practical and ethical AI company for rural businesses, I'll share how building from lived experience leads to the uncovering of critical needs hiding in plain sight.
Attendees will leave with:
A framework for building from the margins: lived experience → deep validation → universal hooks → smart scaling.
Stories of underrepresented founders who turned overlooked insights into industry-shaping companies.
Practical strategies to translate lived experience into investor-ready narratives and resilient product roadmaps.
Your perspective is your superpower.
Key Takeaways
- A reframed perspective: your lived experience is a competitive advantage that builds products investors and users will care about.
- A repeatable framework: how to move from margin insight → deep validation → universal hook → scalable product.
- Real founder stories: underrepresented builders who turned overlooked pain into category-defining companies.
Bio
Marie Doce is a product leader with 16 years of experience building and scaling software across AI, health tech, and SaaS. She has led product at companies including Jasper AI, Mindbody, and TripAdvisor. She is now the founder of Grounded AI, a company on a mission to close the rural tech gap by bringing practical, ethical AI to local businesses. Marie specializes in translating lived experience into product strategy, ensuring voices from the margins aren't just heard, but shape the future of innovation.