Tea & Jam: From Sandbox to Scale By Airwallex & JDI
How do founders move from vibecoding experiments to fully implemented products without getting stuck in the “sandbox trap”?
In this Tea & Jam session, JDI Group and Airwallex bring together startup founders and product leaders to explore the messy middle between prototype and scale.
Expect real talk, small-group discussions, and collective wisdom that will be synthesized into a community playbook — practical insights you can use right away.
This session also ties in with the launch of Airwallex’s AI Sandbox program, giving startups a chance to explore opportunities for validation, customer partnerships, and scaling with confidence.
🍵 What is Tea & Jam?
Tea & Jam is a community format where participants gather in small groups over tea to:
Tackle a theme-aligned prompt
Share perspectives across roles and stages
Co-create ideas and solutions
Our team then records and synthesizes the insights into a playbook for the whole community.
💡 Discussion Topics
We’ll break into groups to dive deep into three scaling challenges:
1. Avoiding the Sandbox Trap
Spotting when you’re stuck in perpetual experimentation
Knowing when it’s time to commit resources toward scale
Avoiding over-investment in proofs-of-concept without traction
2. Building for Scale Without Breaking
Making early design, team, and process choices that smooth the path to growth
Balancing speed vs. stability in the move from prototype to production
Steering clear of tech debt, readiness gaps, or misaligned markets
3. Turning Early Adopters into Growth Engines
Leveraging design partners and early customers to validate scaling decisions
Building trust and relevance through co-creation
Moving from “one-off wins” to repeatable adoption
We’ll kick the session off with a fireside chat between Mischa Schirris, Head of AI at Airwallex and Darren Lai, Technology Leader & Coach at TechJDI.
👤 Who Should Join
This session is for founders and product leaders who are:
Pre-seed to Series A, venture-backed or fundraising
Building scalable, tech-driven products
Making the leap from prototype to implementation
✅ What You’ll Gain
Peer insights from founders who’ve crossed the phase from prototype to product
Frameworks to spot signals, avoid traps, and build for scale
A community playbook capturing key takeaways
Fresh connections with fellow founders and product leaders
About Jumpstart Disruptive Innovations (JDI)
JDI is a Venture Catalyst driving forward the future of innovation. Since 2016, we’ve jumpstarted the exponential growth of innovative companies – from FinTech, F&B, e-commerce to education. We empower them with strategic knowledge and resources to build and scale their disruptive innovations from Asia to the world.
About Airwallex for Startups
Designed for venture-backed, globally-minded founders, ready to scale smarter. Airwallex for Startups brings together our global financial infrastructure with hands-on support to help you build strong foundations, impress investors and move faster without wasting capital. Alongside high-impact perks, you’ll gain access to a global network and insights to guide every stage of your journey, from first raise to international expansion.