Dive into the Deep End
A couple months ago I started working on a new product with my friend, colleague, and head of engineering from my last company, Avi. We are building something we want to use. We need to go as fast as possible, and I want you to help us. Here’s what I am looking for:PotentialInsane work ethic and gritObsession with consumer products and AIA love of building thingsThere is no job title. But here is what’s going to happen:At first, I am going to tell you what to do. That might mean setting up da...
Dive into the Deep End
A couple months ago I started working on a new product with my friend, colleague, and head of engineering from my last company, Avi. We are building something we want to use. We need to go as fast as possible, and I want you to help us. Here’s what I am looking for:PotentialInsane work ethic and gritObsession with consumer products and AIA love of building thingsThere is no job title. But here is what’s going to happen:At first, I am going to tell you what to do. That might mean setting up da...
Sequoia Wants It Hard
I have seen a lot of young first-time founders play it fast and loose in their fundraising processes the past several years. It’s been frothy times, so I think it brings out a lot of strange behavior. It got me thinking of when I was a young founder and the things I’d do, particularly one specific story that I tell people when I get asked “what not to do” when fundraising. Back in 2010 Steve and I launched GroupMe to much fanfare. It got a lot of attention out the gate because we built it at ...
Sequoia Wants It Hard
I have seen a lot of young first-time founders play it fast and loose in their fundraising processes the past several years. It’s been frothy times, so I think it brings out a lot of strange behavior. It got me thinking of when I was a young founder and the things I’d do, particularly one specific story that I tell people when I get asked “what not to do” when fundraising. Back in 2010 Steve and I launched GroupMe to much fanfare. It got a lot of attention out the gate because we built it at ...
A Better Way
I am so tired of the current political discourse and its inescapability. I am tired of our two party system that is objectively failing us. I am tired of being told what to think, what to say, what to believe, who to like, who to oppose, what is right, what is wrong, etc. It’s too much. The Republican Party was dismantled with the arrival of Trump and MAGA. Now the Democratic Party, of which I have been a member of my entire voting life, is being dismantled by the far left which consists of s...
A Better Way
I am so tired of the current political discourse and its inescapability. I am tired of our two party system that is objectively failing us. I am tired of being told what to think, what to say, what to believe, who to like, who to oppose, what is right, what is wrong, etc. It’s too much. The Republican Party was dismantled with the arrival of Trump and MAGA. Now the Democratic Party, of which I have been a member of my entire voting life, is being dismantled by the far left which consists of s...
Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast
Nearly a decade ago, a product manager told me about the phrase "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast." It's a military motto that refers to how elite forces traverse ground and infiltrate enemy lines. The premise is that a deliberate and highly coordinated series of interconnected movements is significantly more effective and fast than an all-out storm the battlefield approach. While the former seems to move at a relatively slow clip, it is actually meaningfully faster than any alternative because...
Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast
Nearly a decade ago, a product manager told me about the phrase "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast." It's a military motto that refers to how elite forces traverse ground and infiltrate enemy lines. The premise is that a deliberate and highly coordinated series of interconnected movements is significantly more effective and fast than an all-out storm the battlefield approach. While the former seems to move at a relatively slow clip, it is actually meaningfully faster than any alternative because...
Early Stage Brand Design
When you are building a startup some things are cyclical. One of the things that constantly cycles through is the idea that a visual rebrand will be the thing that helps you find the next S-curve and grow. I found myself there multiple times with groupme and fundera. It’s part of the laws of physics of startup building. Almost all of the time this does not move the needle. What most every company needs is some brand design - a logo and marketing website - that’s good enough and a style guide ...
Early Stage Brand Design
When you are building a startup some things are cyclical. One of the things that constantly cycles through is the idea that a visual rebrand will be the thing that helps you find the next S-curve and grow. I found myself there multiple times with groupme and fundera. It’s part of the laws of physics of startup building. Almost all of the time this does not move the needle. What most every company needs is some brand design - a logo and marketing website - that’s good enough and a style guide ...
