We’re former Google coworkers who raised $4.5M for an AI startup. We didn’t build a big team — we built fast instead.

This as-told-to essay is based on conversations with Praneet Dutta, a 32-year-old CEO in Palo Alto, and Joe Cheuk, a 33-year-old CTO in Seattle. The two met at Google and later reunited to cofound their AI startup Pomo, which Business Insider exclusively reported has raised $4.5 million in seed funding. Their words have been edited for length and clarity.

Praneet Dutta: I met Joe on my first day at Google years ago. I was leaving orientation when we ended up in the same Uber Share…