Founding a Startup, Just One More Time
I’m a 2X founder and a startup investor. What would I do differently today?
My entire career has been in startups.
I co-founded two tech startups, and was the first employee at another. Those products were used by Fortune 500 companies, governments and universities: even now, they form a core part of Canada’s national government intranet, and are how NBC News sends footage back to its newsroom. I was also an engineer at Medium, the platform you’re reading this on. I love to create new products, and I love to do interdisciplinary work. Building a product business with a human mission is fulfilling to me: it feels like all my muscles are being used. Like most founders, I prefer to use a broad range of skills than go deep on one.
Since January 2017, I’ve been the Director of Investments for San Francisco at Matter Ventures, which supports entrepreneurs building a more informed, inclusive, and empathetic society through a five month accelerator program. I’m responsible for sourcing the startups we invest in west of the Mississippi, as well as helping them raise money and develop their businesses. It’s been, in parts, a challenging, inspiring, heartbreaking, life-affirming journey.
