2016: Riding the Startup Roller Coaster
At the end of last year, I returned to the Bay and was reinvigorated by joining a small startup called analyticsMD that I really believed in.
This year was defined by that move, and all of the ups and downs of learning through an early stage company.
I worked there for almost all of 2016 (except for the last two weeks), and learned a ton from the experience. Apart from playing a key part in growing the team and setting up processes and structure, I greatly valued the opportunity to do things that I wouldn’t get to do in a larger company, expanding my skill set and gaining a deeper understanding of other roles and functions.
I not only got to learn about different areas like marketing, sales, and product management, but got to actually contribute and do work in those areas.
It’s been a roller coaster of a ride.
There were many successes and many struggles, but I don’t regret it one bit.
In moving on from analyticsMD, I decided to join Accenture in a consulting role a few weeks ago. My first project takes me to Los Angeles for half of each week, but I’m excited to have some more free time to pursue personal hobbies in the near future.
Outside of the startup, a few other notable things from the year included going on a trip to Cambodia and Thailand, running the San Francisco Marathon, and meeting my now girlfriend :).
I think I’ve done a good job of challenging myself this year both personally and professionally.
It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been humbling and inspiring.
Here’s to seeing where the next roller coaster takes me!
Today is my last day at analyticsMD.
It’s bittersweet.
14 months ago, I joined this healthcare tech startup to build something great.
I learned a ton, especially early on. I got to work on a bunch of things cross-functionally and jumped at the chance to fill needs as they came up. I saw the team grow from just seven people to now around 25.
More than anything, I learned so much about how a company gets built, and how hard it is to actually do successfully.
It’s been quite the ride- the ups and downs and everything in between. It’s truly been a blast.
But now it’s time for me to move on.
I’ll really miss this place though. In a certain way it’ll always be my baby.
This year, I am boycotting the NFL.
This means no Sunday football-watching sprees, no fantasy football leagues, no daily focus on professional football news.
I chose to do this because I have been frustrated by the league’s inaction on issues like domestic abuse and concussions. They are all about money and I didn’t want to be a part of that any more.
And it’s been great!
My Sundays are now free. It’s been amazing to have an extra day each week to do things other than watch football.
I’ve had some time to think about what happened last Tuesday, when Donald Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States.
Some good reads I’ve come across:
- How Half Of America Lost Its F**king Mind
- Dear White Friends: Stop Saying Everything Is Going To Be Ok
- It’s Going to Be Okay
I’m still trying to digest and understand. I know my perspective isn’t the only one out there and I’m trying to understand from others’ perspectives. I know sometimes I can be stuck in my own bubble.
On election night, I was so mad and sad. When the voting results started coming in and all of the momentum shifted Trump’s way, I shed a few tears. I couldn’t believe what was happening.
I had been so excited in the morning, celebrating a friend’s birthday, and envisioning what seemed inevitable, the election of Hillary Clinton as our first female President. It would have been historic and inspirational and a triumph for us as a society.
But Trump won. I guess this is where we are as a country. The racism, sexism, xenophobia, and hate won this election.
It’s disheartening to read letters written by first-grade students to Donald Trump. The person that they are supposed to look up to is someone who gives them pause and might even scare them. But those children inspire me. Their thoughtfulness and caring give me hope.
We can’t rewind and replay the election. We can only move forward from here.
I truly do believe that love trumps hate, and that we as a society will relentlessly fight to make that true.
As Hil said in her concession speech, we can “never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it. It is. It is worth it.”
We gotta keep fighting the good fight.
