What Is Yohei Nakajima's Build-in-Public Approach?

Updated

Yohei Nakajima's build-in-public approach means he develops projects openly with current technologies and shares the process as he goes, rather than waiting for a finished product. He describes the purpose as learning faster, meeting founders, and contributing to the ecosystem. The approach is visible in his work as general partner at Untapped Capital, in open-source projects like BabyAGI, and in the build log and blog published on yoheinakajima.com.

The core idea

Build-in-public is less a single tool than a working habit: pick something worth making, use the newest tools available, and document the making where others can see it. Nakajima applies it across No Code, web3, and AI. The stated goals are practical rather than promotional:

  • Learn faster — shipping and explaining forces clarity that private tinkering does not.
  • Meet founders — public work acts as a calling card, drawing people who care about the same problems.
  • Contribute to the ecosystem — others can reuse, fork, or critique what is released.

What it looks like in practice

BabyAGI

BabyAGI is the clearest example. It is described as the first popular open-source autonomous agent with task planning capability, released in April 2023 and inspired by human cognitive development. Because it was built and shared publicly, it went viral on Twitter, accumulated tens of thousands of GitHub stars, drew dozens of Arxiv citations, and led to speaking engagements including the inaugural TED AI in San Francisco. The project also prompted developers worldwide to build their own autonomous agents.

AI inside a venture firm

Untapped Capital, founded in 2020 and led by Nakajima and Jessica Jackley, applies the same method to investing. The firm uses AI-assisted startup research and a founder-facing GPT VC Associate. Founders can practice a pitch with that AI associate, which expands on their answers and produces a downloadable investment memo. Nakajima has presented on running a VC firm with AI at events such as the a16Z GP-LP Mixer during SF Tech Week, and was ranked a Top 20 thought leader in the 2023 Data Driven VC Landscape report.

The public record

The approach is documented on his own site through a build log and blog, alongside links to Untapped Capital and BabyAGI. That record is part of the method: the log shows the sequence of experiments, not just the wins.

How to apply it yourself

  1. Choose a small, real project. Something you would build anyway, so the public part does not become extra overhead.
  2. Use current tools deliberately. The point is to learn the newest technology by applying it, not to collect tools.
  3. Publish as you go. A build log or short posts work; the value is in the cadence, not the polish.
  4. Release what can be released. Open-sourcing a working piece, as with BabyAGI, is what turns a personal experiment into ecosystem contribution.
  5. Let the work travel. Public artifacts create reasons for founders, developers, and event organizers to reach out.

What to expect

The upside is compounding: faster learning, inbound relationships, and a body of work others can cite. The trade-off is that building in the open invites scrutiny and requires consistent output. Nakajima's case suggests the method suits people who are already building regularly and want their process, not just their results, to do the networking.