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MAX
ASCOLANI

I build products end to end, usually solo and usually fast, from first signal to production evidence.

Max Ascolani
What I do
Build across disciplines.
How I operate
AI-native · end to end · evidence-led.
Currently
Working on Nox and BERSCO.
Explore ↓
01 / SummaryHow I build
I like to create working systems for problems without obvious paths.
01Find the problem02Build the smallest solution03Put it in front of people04Measure, learn, repeat
Summary / working methodSelected record

From problem to iteration

I start with something real enough to observe, then build the smallest system that can produce a useful signal.

  1. Find the problem. Start with a problem I have or can see. Research why it happens and who else experiences it.
  2. Build the smallest solution. Create the smallest working system that could solve it.
  3. Put it in front of people. Find the people who share the problem and see whether they understand, use, and value the solution.
  4. Measure, learn, repeat. Measure traffic, conversion, retention, and feedback. Then improve, reposition, or stop.
MAX ASCOLANI / PUBLIC FILEFOREST ARCHIVE
02 / Current workNow

What I’m building now.

Nox

Founder & solo developernoxjobs.com

I built Nox, an autonomous AI career agent, from first commit to live beta in five weeks. It has since submitted 1,000+ applications for real users and achieved a verified interview or assessment rate comparable to manual applications, while requiring a fraction of the user’s time.

Currently raising for the next stage.
Current work / NoxSelected record

From five weeks to production evidence

I built Nox, an autonomous AI career agent, from first commit to live beta in five weeks. It has since submitted 1,000+ applications for real users and achieved a verified interview or assessment rate comparable to manual applications, while requiring a fraction of the user’s time.

  • Outcomes / 11 August 2026: 955 canonical real-user applications, 812 submitted autonomously (85%), and 22 verified interview or assessment outcomes across six users.
  • System: 188,289 live, non-expired, deduplicated jobs on trusted Greenhouse and Recruitee paths, with 1.42 million logged LLM calls.
  • Build: first commit to live beta in five weeks; a 26-user hands-on beta; 8,495 automated tests across 625 files, 203 database migrations, and 49 API routes.
MAX ASCOLANI / PUBLIC FILEFOREST ARCHIVE
B

BERSCO

Co-founderbersco.ai

An AI real-estate consultancy I co-founded with a domain expert. We are currently developing client-specific tools with a real-estate firm, beginning with a memo system that learns its format and produces a first draft for each deal.

Current focus: building with our first client.
Current work / BERSCOSelected record

Building with the first client

An AI real-estate consultancy I co-founded with a domain expert. We are currently developing client-specific tools with a real-estate firm, beginning with a memo system that learns its format and produces a first draft for each deal.

  • Working directly with a real-estate firm to map repetitive deal work and identify where automation can improve the workflow.
  • The first tool is a memo system: Mold learns the client’s template, then Cast produces a first draft for each deal.
  • The consultancy combines real-estate expertise from my co-founder with my AI-native product building.
MAX ASCOLANI / PUBLIC FILEFOREST ARCHIVE
03 / Experience & educationSelected record

Built through work, study, and ten ventures.

Founder experience2019–26
10

Ten ventures

Founder and co-founder

I have founded or co-founded ten ventures since 2019 across AI agents, SaaS, hardware, research, fashion, ecommerce, and consulting. Some became live products; others were concluded when the demand, economics, or timing did not justify continuing.

AI agents · SaaS · hardware · research · fashion · ecommerce · consulting

Corporate experience2020–22

Amazon

Amazon Vendor Services · Brand Specialist, promoted to Senior Brand Specialist / Vendor Manager II

I worked in Amazon Vendor Services, first as a Brand Specialist and later as a Senior Brand Specialist / Vendor Manager II. As the primary commercial and operational partner for major consumer-electronics brands, I managed growth across eight European markets, covering pricing, promotions, inventory, performance analysis, and senior client relationships.

  • €5M+Annual promotional budgets
  • +132%Harman UK year over year
  • +106%Philips Audio year over year
Higher education2015–26

University of Southern California

2024–26

M.S. Integrated Design, Business & Technology

USC Iovine & Young Academy

4.0 GPA · IYA Venture Showcase finalist
2015–19

B.A. Economics, Minor in International Relations

USC Dornsife

Dean’s List ×3
04 / MakingSelected work

The work takes different forms.

Selected products, experiments, and client work.

Software2025–present

eWAIT

Live SMS queue software for walk-in businesses, built solo. Customers join through a link or QR code and receive updates by text, without downloading an app.

Hardware2024–25

Torqly

A torque-sensing drill attachment developed through five functional prototypes and a provisional patent. After more than 30 customer interviews, we concluded the venture when willingness to pay did not support the product.

5 prototypes · provisional patent · 30+ interviews · concluded
Research and machine learning2025

RateTheTransfer

A football research platform combining 7,000+ expert votes with player data to predict Premier League transfer success. Its position-specific models reached 85% accuracy within the study.

45 experts · 150 transfers · USC thesis, Grade A
AI experiment2026–present

MoltGig

An agent job marketplace launched in one weekend. It did not produce a self-sustaining agent economy, so I retain it as a failed-autonomy testbed for new model generations.

One weekend to launch · experiment still live
Fashion and ecommerce2023–25

GioGio

A handbag-jewellery brand I co-founded with my sisters, working across product development, ecommerce, paid media, and three European pop-ups.

8.5% advertising CTR · customers in 10+ countries
Consulting2022–23

The Amazonian

An Amazon consultancy I founded for small businesses selling across Europe. It delivered more than 40 advisory engagements and helped one client grow from £0 to £2,000 in weekly sales within three months.

40+ engagements · two retainer clients
Digital fashion2019–20

éCOUT

A digital-fashion marketplace I founded in 2019, connecting 3D designers with people buying clothing for social and virtual spaces. It explored digital apparel as an alternative to physical fast-fashion waste.

3D fashion · marketplace · sustainability experiment
05 / PrinciplesHow I decide

A few rules I try to work by.

01

Begin with friction

Look for repeated workarounds, bottlenecks, and decisions people already struggle with.

02

Build the complete loop

A rough end-to-end system teaches more than one highly polished fragment.

03

Measure behaviour, not praise

Usage, conversion, retention, and willingness to pay matter more than encouraging feedback.

04

Improve, reposition, or stop

Once the evidence is clear, make the decision it supports.

06 / Let’s talkOpen invitation

If you’re curious, I’m happy to talk.

Not everything I work on belongs on a public website. If something here caught your attention, or you think we might have something useful to discuss, I’d be happy to hear from you.

Say hello ↗London / Los Angeles