Jessica Nicole Mahoney has spent her career asking a question that resonates with every product builder: how do you turn a bold idea into software that can actually scale? Her work, from scaling a real estate software startup into a Berkshire Hathaway division to founding her own venture, makes the case that the hardest but most vital step in technology is not invention, it’s execution. “I’ve always thrived in ambiguity; that is where real innovation happens,” says Mahoney, whose journey highlights why disciplined iteration, and an ability to align vision with systems are essential.
Recognizing Problems Others Miss
While embedded in the Berkshire Hathaway ecosystem, she noticed a recurring friction point in the home-buying process. Buyers struggled to visualize what a property could become, creating a gap between aspiration and purchase. After all, as she puts it, “a house isn’t a home until it’s designed.”
That observation became the foundation for ImaageQ, a SaaS platform started by Mahoney that enables real-time visualization and personalization of spaces through AI and augmented reality. The platform bridges real estate and interior design, giving customers the ability to see, adjust, and experience a space before moving in. “We recognized the biggest problem is visualization,” Mahoney explains. “So we built ImaageQ as a design intelligence layer that makes the process seamless.”
A Methodology for Building Scalable Products
Early stage companies tend to struggle because they fail to ground their vision in the right problem, a lesson she kept in mind while building ImaageQ. “From the beginning, it’s what is the problem and how can I solve it? That’s where everything starts,” she says. Her own methodology reflects a hybrid approach, combining the technical fluency of a product founder with the market instincts of a sales leader.
For Mahoney, access to subject matter expertise is critical. Many entrepreneurs, she notes, chase big markets without deeply understanding the workflows they are trying to improve. “You have to solve the problem with experts who know what it’s like to live without the technology. Otherwise, you’re just guessing,” she says.
From there, she advises defining whether a product is transformational, optimizing existing systems, or disruptive, which creates new market categories altogether. For ambitious entrepreneurs like Mahoney, the greatest opportunities are often found in disruptive technologies. “I’m not looking to solve things that have already been solved,” she says. “I want to completely change how things are done.”
The Hardest Step: Capital and Validation
Even with a strong product vision, scaling requires capital, which is why Mahoney frames fundraising as a measure of leadership. “Raising capital is about showing you are the person worth betting on,” she says. Her milestone-driven model and disciplined execution helped ImaageQ raise more than one million dollars in seed funding, with a $5 million round now underway.
And when founders frame fundraising as a true measure of leadership, the focus naturally shifts to building authentic connections with investors and customers. For Mahoney, those relationships opened doors such as invitations to showcase ImaageQ at Milan’s Global Forum for Interior Design and to partner with Tier 1 luxury brands, validating both her model and her vision. “I didn’t use AI to make those connections,” she says. “I built them on the ground floor, meeting people one-on-one.”
The Future of AI in Product Development
On the topic of AI, Mahoney views it as a universal medium of communication and a bedrock for emerging industries, seeing a shift towards more powerful models that will be able to reason and adapt across workflows.
She predicts the shift from today’s narrow AI, which excels at single tasks, toward general AI that will reason and adapt across domains. “The future AI will be less of a tool and more like a new operating system for human potential,” she explains. Her own company embodies that principle, embedding intelligence into augmented reality to create immersive, personalized design experiences. “AI is not a threat, it’s a way to make businesses more efficient, more profitable, and more human-centered,” she says.
Leadership with Purpose
Mahoney continues to build technologies that anticipate needs before users articulate them. Her work underscores a larger belief, that design intelligence is the new currency, and software is the vehicle that can bring it to scale.
Behind Mahoney’s professional drive lies a personal mission shaped by resilience. After the loss of her younger brother Ryan, she committed herself to building technologies that honor creativity and elevate human experience. “Crucible moments bring some of the most iconic things to our world,” she reflects. “You can’t stop a woman on a mission. Better yet, you can’t stop a group of women on a mission.”
Today, in addition to leading ImaageQ, Mahoney serves as a board director and mentor, advising early stage companies on growth, governance, and innovation. Her message to the next generation of founders is to surround yourself with experts, and never lose sight of the human impact behind the code.
Follow Jessica Nicole Mahoney on LinkedIn or visit her website.
Source: Jessica Nicole Mahoney: How to Turn Vision Into Scalable Tech Products
