How I’m Building DataHokage To Help Founders Validate Ideas Using Real User Reviews

After shutting down my first startup, I’m now building a tool to help founders discover what customers actually want

Name: Sinazo Bogicevic

Company: DataHokage

Employee Size: 1

Technology Tools: Cursor, Kit, Waitlist.me, Chatgpt, Canva, Zoho

Revenue: $0

Year Founded: 2025

Website: www.datahokage.com

Introduction:

I’m building a tool that helps founders build what customers already want — by analyzing real user reviews at scale.

Before working on DataHokage, I had formed a startup, Lifa, with a group of really amazing people. We were building an app within the health industry. As someone who was diagnosed with a rare but life-changing autoimmune illness, Lifa was a very personal journey.

Unfortunately, we made the most common mistake of building in stealth mode and not validating the idea before we started building. Even though we had spoken to users, we failed to identify our target audience, leading to a lack of product-market fit upon launch. We built too many features too quickly, without addressing the core pain point that potential users were feeling.

Being in the health industry and dealing with all that regulated data was also proving to be a real headache. So, at the start of 2025, I made the tough call to stop working on Lifa. Having to break that news to my team is still one of the most painful and humiliating things I’ve ever gone through. The whole thing left me feeling like such a failure.

The Inspiration Behind DataHokage:

After Lifa, I spent about six weeks recovering from the burnout, but I knew that I wanted to try again. I loved the feeling of solving real-world problems I was passionate about. I also appreciated the flexibility and freedom of being my own boss.

I started listing potential pain points from my own experiences and those around me. To validate these ideas, I researched existing solutions and read through reviews. This was a slow, painful process involving thousands of reviews across different websites. My goal was to find a niche within the problem space, so I needed a way to segment these reviews.

With my software engineering background, I knew I could automate this. I initially built a simple backend for myself, but realizing market validation is a common issue for new founders (thanks to my social media presence), I began writing about what I was building. This led to my first 50 waitlist signups, and by the weekend, I had over 100.

From Idea to Reality:

Once I had the idea, my first step was to set up a waitlist using Waitlist.me. I then promoted it across Reddit, X, and LinkedIn. My strategy was to focus on telling the story behind what I was building. I've found that people connect with a good underdog story—it inspires them and makes them feel like they can achieve their own goals. At that stage, I didn't even have a domain name, but I made a promise to myself that DataHokage would get my full attention once we hit 100 email sign-ups on that waitlist.

While the waitlist was growing, I continued working on the backend of the app. Once we crossed that 100-email mark, I shifted my focus to the frontend. I bought a domain name and built the website in half a day. I also signed up for Kit, which allowed me to send updates about the app to everyone on the waitlist.

I’m currently about to onboard the first batch of users. I plan to onboard people in batches and use their feedback to iterate and improve the app.

Attracting Customers:

Social media has been a huge help. I mostly focus on X, Reddit, and LinkedIn. I joined communities where my users hang out. I always make sure to contribute value, and I actively avoid selling. I only mention DataHokage when it makes sense.

I make sure to spend an hour on marketing from Monday to Wednesday, and Thursday and Friday are spent entirely on marketing. This means that even when my posts fail to bring in the numbers, I'm still assured of new signups each week.

I'm currently planning to launch a step-by-step marketing newsletter called Readyfoundr, where I discuss in detail the marketing techniques I’ve tried and their results. I’m hoping to use this as another way to subtly market DataHokage and other products I’m working on.

Overcoming Challenges:

The biggest challenge, like most technical founders, has been marketing and sales. First is trying to validate the idea and not knowing how. The second is figuring out where to find potential users and how to market to them without being banned from the community.

I get a lot of DMs from people, especially after they hear about how I managed to get those early sign-ups for the waitlist, even without a proper website. Some people are genuinely surprised—almost disbelieving—that a simple waitlist page could generate that kind of response. And honestly, I get it. Looking back, it was pretty basic.

I think this is what Y Combinator means when they talk about doing things that don't scale. A lot of the challenges I'm facing involve me failing a few times until something finally clicks. Then, once I find something that works, I really dig into it. I try different variations, tweak it, and experiment until I start to see consistent results. It's a process of constant iteration and refinement.

Costs & Revenue:

The biggest cost is Cursor. As a technical founder, Cursor has helped me work faster, so it's a no-brainer to pay for it. Second would be the actual domain. I’ve shifted from GoDaddy to Cloudflare, and it’s been worth it.

I try to keep my costs as close to zero as possible. DataHokage is a business, which means it has to pay for its resources.

My goal is to build a profitable and sustainable business.

A Day In The Life:

So, my typical week looks like this: Monday to Wednesday, my primary focus is on coding, but I also dedicate about an hour each afternoon to social media marketing.

Then, on Thursdays and Fridays, I shift gears completely and focus solely on marketing. That means I spend my time writing posts, engaging with relevant communities, and commenting on other people's posts.

Right now, I'm fully committed to building DataHokage, and to make that happen, I'm currently living off my savings—which is terrifying, considering I have a family to support.

Vision for DataHokage:

I want DataHokage to be the first tool people think of when they want to validate an idea or even find inspiration for their next SaaS.

Once I’ve successfully onboarded the 200+ people on the waitlist, my next step is to transition toward building a sustainable business model. This means focusing on converting those users into paying users. As I’ve said before, my goal isn’t just to build something cool; it’s to build profitable and sustainable businesses. Monetization is a key part of that.

I also plan to use DataHokage for two other SaaS ideas I’ve had. This is a tool I built to solve my own pain point, so I’m going to use it.

Guiding Principals for Entrepreneurial Success:

There’s so much I could say, but I think the most important thing is not to get discouraged. It’s okay if something doesn’t work. Stop self-rejecting your ideas. Don’t be scared to reach out—most people do want to help.

Don’t buy into the “I built a SaaS in X time and now I’m making X money.” These are mostly people selling dreams to you. Reality is much more nuanced and difficult.

Focus on building something that provides value instead of following trends.

You’ve got this, I promise!

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