Sea Otter’s Post

💼 DoorCut ✂️ One year of challenges, struggles, and perseverance. Exactly one year ago, the idea for Doorcut was born. Since then, this project has taken me on a journey filled with numerous challenges, both technical and human. Working with developers while juggling my studies has been a real learning experience. Like any project, there have been moments of frustration, with timelines stretching longer than expected, costly mistakes, and promises that turned out to be more complex to fulfill. However, every difficulty has been a lesson. I’ve learned to navigate these situations, stay patient, and adapt to the unexpected. While the road has been bumpy, I’m grateful for the work done by the team and the progress we’ve made. Today, Doorcut is on the verge of becoming a concrete reality, just a matter of a few weeks, and I’m extremely thankful to see this vision take shape. A big thank you to everyone who has accompanied me on this journey and continues to believe in this project. 🚀 The road ahead is still long, but seeing the project come to life is an immense satisfaction. #Entrepreneurship #TechStartup #Perseverance #Innovation #Doorcut

#peopleOfHeymax Luck would (not) have it: When Long Yin reached out and asked if we were hiring any PM on the team last year, we were a 4.5 people team of confused engineers not sure what directions to take. The software engineer's instinct tell me that it's too much of a luxury to have dedicated PM on the team so early on. So I made a *terrible* offer to Long Yin: "I have no idea what roles we need, but you seem smart, how about we try working together for a month, no compensation guaranteed, and we see where we get to?" Magically he accepted. This is a sign of a true hustler - focusing on opportunity and not on immediate return. Through the month I got to learn about how fast he move, and how much energy, product thinking, and structure he brings to the team, not only as a PM, but as a community manager, a marketing manager, a content strategist, a business development manager, a project manager and most of the time a dedicated dumpling enjoyer. A true hustler that embraces scrappiness, moving fast to build useful product, iteratively. I got so much energy from you, and thanks for the leap of faith to join the team so early on as a founding PM Long Yin!

Caught up with Tristin recently. This guy's going places. Sharp mind, killer motivation - the right mix for success. We dug into what he's building at Shopgenie. Their growth? Impressive, unreal, off the charts. They're exploding. Tristin's leading the Product team and kicking ass. Heads up, product folks - he might be on the hunt for top talent soon. Even if you're not in the market, Tristin's worth knowing. He's got big plans for Shopgenie and beyond. Plus, he's just a good time to hang with. Thanks for swinging by Raleigh Founded - North Street, Tristin. Grateful I get to see a bit of your success. #startup #productmanagement #networking #techinnovation

898. That is how many people are listed as working for Vroom on LinkedIn. That represents the number of automotive friends and family members that are already a part of this industry that we should not let go! For the most part, I have not been a proponent of the way what Vroom went to market (see: 2021 Super Bowl commercial). However, they have challenged this industry in many ways that I do think are good. They, similar to Carmax and Carvana, build scale into everything. They gave customers a choice on how to purchase. They made things easier. Did they make mistakes? DUH...every startup does (I should know...) Are there good people in those 898 that you would love to have working for you...you bet! I am working on a spreadsheet where you can find every profile, title, and name and will share it when I have it! Let's get some people some new homes! #automotive #vroom #jobs #automotiveindustry #dealership

Last week I hit the big 4-0. I guess this age is made for deep reflection, because I'm going there. We were going to be in New Orleans, where I spent most of my early career in tech and cut my teeth on startup life – for the better part of a decade. Naturally, we grabbed dinner with Matthew Tritico and Jenni, and as the evening went on we spiraled into deep conversation. This has me reflecting on these pivotal moments in my life that led me to where I am today – building an incredible product (Koala) with incredible cofounders (Tido Carriero, Netto Farah) and team. Every pivotal moment is about people. The first major one was meeting my now wife, Aimee Shwery. She saw my potential and pushed me to pursue (what I thought was just a hobby) professionally. I'd probably still be on a farm in Iowa if not for her (jk I was never on a farm). We found ourselves in New Orleans, and the first two amazing people I met were Joe Ellis and Matthew Tritico. Literally on Day 1. Their mentorship and moreover their friendship opened countless doors for me, including an epic journey working alongside Patrick Comer and the early team at Lucid. Then came Segment. Some may not know this, but Netto Farah was the one who *hired me* at Segment, and Tido Carriero was the one who sold me during the interviews (well, I was already sold by Netto, but Tido made the decision a no brainer). Segment is where the three of us Koala co-founders first connected and each of us experience quite a journey of career growth and impact there. This experience deeply influenced my desire to build a products that customers love, and to do that with people you have Default Trust with. (stealing a phrase that Netto likes to use). It's wild that while you can navigate through life with intentionality, so much comes down to the people you meet along the way. #startup #thursdaythoughts #gratitude

Zero to one journey is always exciting and I am fortunate enough to be a part of one again at Castler From multiple product iterations to business model pivots, building teams from scratch, and getting the first few believers on board, we're living the startup dream. But it's not all smooth sailing. Effective decision-making is key to success. During the early stages, every opportunity feels valuable, but it's crucial to focus on what really matters and address the hard questions head-on. By doing so, we're growing every day and not slowing ourselves down. #startuplife #earlystage #decisionmaking #growthmindset

If you're joining an early-stage startup, your goal should be to make your job redundant. I know it sounds weird, but hear me out: Once your company gets some traction and their first customers, it's time to build the customer journey. Your job is to set things up so they run smoothly without you needing to be there all the time. To develop repeatable processes and materials that are either embedded into your product or part of an efficient self-serve motion. Miss this focus, and you risk ending up with a company that struggles to scale and a product that can't be self-sufficient.

🇺🇸 After 5.5 years, last Friday was my last day at Loadsmart. Before talking about what's next for me, I wanted to reflect on this period of my professional life where I've experienced more personal and professional growth than any other time. Besides my own growth, I feel very lucky to have been able to hire, lead, and work with so many amazing human beings. I am extremely proud of how the people I hired, led, and coached over time have turned out on their own careers. I believe I had at least a little bit of impact on each of them, and I hope our paths will cross again in the future. I also reflect on how startup life is. What a ride! I worked on almost every product in the company, and I have seen all fluctuations of the market, from the 2018/19 soft market, the early COVID-19 drama where revenue went to almost zero, the aftermath of panic buying where every product had to be shipped everywhere, to the continuous growth of the market for two great years and the inevitable correction of the market that's still going on in 2024. Startups are always hard, but they are also very fun and can give you countless opportunities for learning and growth. I can't recommend this enough. For the people that I leave at Loadsmart, I wish you and the company a great run, and I'll be always cheering on the sideline. I always remember this phrase from Yoda to describe startups: “Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you?”. Thank you all for the ride!

Over the last nine years, Mobile reCell has been working tirelessly to reshape an industry that is ripe for change. Along the way, we’ve experienced tremendous growth, our fair share of triumphs and hardships, but most importantly, we’ve delivered truly impactful solutions for our customers and partners. Today marks the next chapter in Mobile reCell’s journey. I am thrilled to announce that Mobile reCell has been acquired by Apkudo, the leader in supply chain automation for connected devices! Simply put, combining forces allows us to execute a common vision centered around transforming connected device supply chains, both for businesses and consumers. This acquisition is more than just a new partnership. It’s a celebration of shared values and complementary strengths which also represents our mutual commitment to innovation, excellence, and the reduction of e-waste. We have ambitious plans—together, we expect to enhance the way we serve our customers and add even more value to our IT asset recovery solutions. A heartfelt thank you goes out to all our customers and partners. We’ve been fortunate enough to work with some of the largest and most admired brands in the world. You gave this scrappy little startup a chance to solve your most complex IT asset recovery challenges. To the people I’ve met and the friendships we’ve created—you all have played a pivotal role in where we’re at today. For this, I’m forever grateful. To the remarkable Mobile reCell team—where do I even start?! We wouldn’t be where we are today without all the perseverance and grit it took to execute our collective vision. Building a startup is extremely difficult and isn’t for the faint of heart, that’s for sure. You all stuck with it when things were tough… and guess what? We built a great company that you all should be very proud of. We also built something that can’t be found on a P&L or in a business plan—we fostered a culture where people felt welcomed, ideas could flourish, and personal/professional growth could happen. I’m thrilled to be embarking on this next chapter with you all. We can't wait to roll up our sleeves and get to work with the Apkudo team. There's so much to accomplish over the coming years, and we’ve set ambitious goals I’m confident we’ll be able to achieve as a combined force. Here. We. Go. 🚀

The time is now to quit your job and start an #autotech company. Seriously. That’s the advice from our technology operating partner Jake Sigal. And he ought to know. He started and exited two companies during economic downturns, and he’s condensed his knowledge and rationale into 5 quick bullets. Read the full piece in Automotive News. Thank you Jamie Butters for the opportunity! What are you waiting for? #detroit #automotive #startups #venturecapital