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Mina Mankarious is the Founder & CEO of Olunix, helping AI startups with positioning, growth systems, and founder-led marketing from Toronto.

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Articles

Essays on AI startup growth, marketing strategy, and entrepreneurship by Mina Mankarious.

  • AIStartupsStrategyMarketing

    How to Position Your AI Startup When Everything Sounds the Same

    There are 70,000 AI startups globally, and most of them describe what they do in nearly identical language. Positioning isn’t a marketing exercise — it’s the strategic decision that determines whether your company lives or dies.

    Feb 25, 202611 min read
  • AIStartupsMarketingStrategy

    Most AI Startups Will Die With Great Products. Here’s the Real Reason.

    90% of AI startups will fail — and it won’t be because of the technology. In a world where anyone can build anything, the only moat left is making people care. And almost nobody knows how.

    Feb 23, 202612 min read
  • MarketingConsultingBusiness

    What Nobody Tells You Before You Hire a Marketing Consultant

    A founder spent $40K on marketing consulting and had nothing to show for it. Here’s why the industry rewards diagnosis over delivery — and what to look for instead.

    Feb 23, 20267 min read
  • MarketingStartupsStrategy

    SEO vs. Paid Ads: Which Should Your Startup Prioritize?

    Every startup founder asks this question. The answer isn’t either/or — it’s about sequencing. Here’s a stage-by-stage breakdown of which channel makes sense and when.

    Feb 22, 20268 min read
  • PersonalMarketingEntrepreneurship

    I’ve Been in Marketing Since I Was 10

    Before I knew what SEO or CTR meant, I was optimizing Minecraft thumbnails on my parents’ computer. Here’s what a zero-subscriber YouTube channel taught me about marketing.

    Feb 20, 20265 min read
  • MarketingBusinessPersonal

    Good Content Doesn’t Win. Here’s Why That’s Our Fault.

    There’s a disconnect between quality content and the stuff that actually goes viral. Is it the algorithm? The platforms? Or something deeper that we’re all complicit in?

    Feb 19, 20268 min read
  • BusinessEntrepreneurshipMarketing

    Why I Don’t Sell Hard

    I’ve never cold-called a prospect, never sent a pushy follow-up, never promised the moon to close a deal. Here’s why — and what happens when you let the work do the talking instead.

    Feb 16, 20267 min read
  • PersonalEntrepreneurshipFaith

    You Are Not Too Far Gone

    From doing nothing with my life during COVID to obsessively building my first company. This one's for the person who thinks they can't do hard things.

    Feb 16, 20266 min read
  • AIMarketingStartups

    How AI Startups Should Think About Marketing in 2026

    The AI space is crowded, noisy, and full of companies saying the same thing. Here's how the startups that actually win are approaching marketing differently.

    Feb 8, 20266 min read
  • EntrepreneurshipBusinessConsulting

    What I Learned Working With My First 10 Clients

    The real lessons from early client work that no business school teaches you. From pricing mistakes to learning when to say no.

    Feb 7, 20266 min read
  • StartupsMarketingStrategy

    Why Most Startups Waste Money on Marketing (And How to Fix It)

    74% of startups fail due to premature scaling. Here's what that actually means for your marketing budget and how to spend smarter, not more.

    Feb 6, 20267 min read
  • PersonalEntrepreneurshipMarketing

    Hi, I’m Mina.

    From Egypt to Canada, from engineering to marketing, and everything in between. The story of how a young man's curiosity, hustle, and refusal to cut corners led to building Olunix.

    Feb 5, 20265 min read
  • EntrepreneurshipTorontoPersonal

    Building a Business in Toronto as a Student

    What it's actually like to start a company while finishing your final year at McMaster. The resources, the challenges, and the things nobody warns you about.

    Feb 4, 20267 min read
  • MarketingStartupsConsulting

    Marketing vs. Consulting: What Early-Stage Startups Actually Need

    Agency, consultant, or in-house? The answer depends on your stage, your budget, and what problem you're actually trying to solve.

    Feb 3, 20266 min read
  • MarketingEngineeringPersonal

    From Engineering to Marketing: Why Systems Thinking Matters

    How studying Automotive Engineering at McMaster shaped the way I think about marketing, and why the best marketers think more like engineers than creatives.

    Feb 2, 20267 min read
  • EntrepreneurshipBrandingBusiness

    How We Rebranded From GrowByte to Olunix

    The real story behind our rebrand: why we did it, what we learned, and the practical steps of changing your company's identity without losing what matters.

    Feb 1, 20267 min read