In less than a year, Vai Singh and his co-founder built Turing App and grew its YouTube channel to almost 55,000 subscribers, all while Vai worked full-time as head of strategy at one of Europe's biggest space services firms. In this episode of The New Build, he breaks down how he used YouTube to validate his content, built the app on Bubble in just four weeks, and created a framework for ruthless prioritization that lets him balance entrepreneurship with a busy career.
About Vai Singh
Vai Singh is the co-founder and CEO of Turing App, a science and entertainment platform producing bite-sized audio shows for curious learners. Before Turing, he spent 12 years in strategy consulting with Fortune 500 companies. He currently serves as head of strategy at one of Europe's biggest space services firms while building Turing on the side. The idea for the app came during his parental leave walks when Vai couldn’t find science content that struck the right balance between accessible and in-depth.
Connect with Vai: LinkedIn
About Turing App
Turing App is a science and entertainment platform that makes complex scientific concepts understandable for everyday audiences through audio shows. The platform spans everything from Einstein's theory of relativity to whether AI could ever learn to smell scents, filling the gap between dry academic content and oversimplified pop science. Named after Alan Turing, it has rapidly grown to over 50,000 engaged subscribers across multiple countries.
Follow Turing App: Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook
What you'll learn in this episode
This conversation covers the specific decisions that took Turing App from concept to a platform with tens of thousands of engaged users. Vai shares how he used YouTube to validate his content before building the full product, including why doing this gave him confidence there was real demand.
You'll hear about his four-week Bubble build process, and why he chose to rebuild the mobile app from scratch using Bubble's native mobile editor rather than wrapping the web version. Vai also explains his framework for filtering constructive feedback from trolling, why he believes AI tools are enabling "single person unicorns," and the mindset shift from corporate perfectionism to entrepreneurial "good enough."
Whether you're a corporate professional thinking about a side venture or an entrepreneur looking to build an audience-first business, this episode offers a practical look at what it takes to build something meaningful while keeping financial stability.
Episode timestamps
[00:01:26] Introduction: Meet Vai, the strategy executive building Turing App on the side
[00:02:44] The moment everything changed: How his daughter's birth triggered entrepreneurship
[00:03:36] Discovering the content gap during late-night parental leave walks
[00:05:25] Breaking free from finance's "golden handcuffs" to pursue passion
[00:07:24] Why content comes first: Using YouTube to validate before building
[00:11:00] The Special Relativity series that changed everything
[00:13:00] Four weeks to launch: Building the first version on Bubble
[00:15:00] The "not frustrating users" standard vs. perfectionist paralysis
[00:19:00] The 15-video rule: Why persistence beats perfection on YouTube
[00:21:00] Single-person unicorns: How modern tools are changing the entrepreneurship game
[00:25:10] Life-changing advice from an Afghanistan veteran with a bullet near his heart
[00:29:48] Outro: Bubble updates on mobile subscriptions and launch lab applications
Key insights from this episode
Test content before building product
Vai found that YouTube could validate demand faster than building a perfect app. Rather than spending months developing features in isolation, he tested his science content directly with audiences through video uploads. This meant he had confidence there was demand for his approach before investing heavily in app development.
Launch "good enough" instead of perfect
Vai had to consciously unlearn his consulting mindset to become an effective entrepreneur. His Fortune 500 background trained him to deliver “200% perfect” work, but entrepreneurship meant launching as soon as the product worked well enough not to frustrate users. For founders with corporate backgrounds, he recommends prioritizing real user feedback over internal perfection standards.
Ruthless prioritization is key for balancing work and side projects
When asked about managing both a demanding strategy role and building the Turing App, Vai emphasized he heavily relies on automation and AI tools. He automates everything possible and focuses his limited time only on the highest-impact activities. What makes this sustainable is that working on something you're passionate about energizes rather than drains you.
Filter feedback by value, not volume
Vai developed a framework for processing YouTube's mix of supporters and harsh critics. He distinguishes between constructive criticism that can be acted upon versus trolling that should be ignored, recognizing it's impossible to implement every piece of feedback. The key is determining whether criticism supports or detracts from the core mission.
Resources
- Turing App — Science and entertainment platform with bite-sized audio shows
- Canva — Design tool Vai mentions as making content creation accessible
- Einstein’s special relativity theory — Mentioned in the outro as Vai’s favourite lesson
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The New Build is a bi-weekly podcast exploring how solo founders and small teams are building products that reach millions of users. New episodes drop every other week.
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