Meet Kamban
Hi everyone, I’m Kamban, Founder of Elephas. Before starting Elephas, I developed FlatGA, a tool for unifying website metrics. I’ve spent years in product development, always focused on solving real user problems rather than just building fancy features.
What inspired you to create Elephas?
It’s actually a funny story. When GPT-3 was first released, I was experimenting with it but found it frustrating that you could only access it through APIs. I thought, “Why can’t this just be integrated into all our apps?” So I built a simple wrapper to solve this problem and shared it on HackerNews. To my surprise, it exploded in popularity and even trended on the homepage. Even though the UI was pretty basic back then, people loved the concept because it solved a real need.
How does Elephas enhance productivity for Mac users?
Look, we built Elephas to solve a real problem Mac users face – managing and accessing their growing knowledge base effectively. Our Super Brain feature lets you pull in content from anywhere – PDFs, web pages, notes apps, even voice memos – and access it instantly using AI. Plus, our Smart Command feature works system-wide, so you can get AI assistance wherever you’re working.
What sets Elephas apart from other productivity tools on macOS?
The big difference is how we handle personal knowledge. Most tools just store information, but Elephas actually understands your content and lets you work with it naturally. We support offline usage, local embeddings for privacy, and integrate with tools people already use like Obsidian and Notion. Plus, we’re built specifically for the Mac experience, not just a cross-platform port.
Are there plans to expand Elephas beyond macOS & iOS?
Right now, we’re focused on making the best possible experience for Apple users. Being Mac-first lets us create deep integrations with the system that wouldn’t be possible with a cross-platform approach. While we do have an iOS app for our Pro users, our priority is perfecting the Mac experience.
What role does AI play in the functionality of Elephas?
AI is core to what we do, but it’s not the whole story. We use AI to understand user content, generate responses, and power features like our Smart Command. But what makes it work is how we combine AI with local processing and privacy features. Users can even run Elephas completely offline if they want to.
What are the biggest challenges for a SaaS product in the current market?
The main challenge today is standing out in a crowded market. Everyone’s launching AI tools, but few solve real problems. The key is building something that genuinely makes users’ lives better, not just adding AI for the sake of it. Another challenge is privacy – users want AI capabilities but are rightfully concerned about their data.
What advice would you give to someone starting a SaaS product today?
Focus on solving a real problem that you deeply understand. When we started Elephas, we weren’t just adding AI features – we were addressing specific productivity challenges Mac users face. Also, listen to your users obsessively. Some of our best features came from user feedback.
What do you think the future of productivity tools looks like?
I believe we’re moving towards more personalized, context-aware tools that understand how you work. The future isn’t just about automating tasks – it’s about tools that learn your workflow and adapt to it. AI will become more integrated but in a way that respects privacy and puts users in control.
Did you enjoy our interview? Do you have anything to say to our community?
Thanks for having me! To the community – I’m constantly amazed by how you use Elephas in ways we never imagined. Keep the feedback coming – it’s what helps us make the tool better. We’re committed to building something that genuinely helps you work smarter, not just another AI tool.
