California Dreaming
Well, that was fast.
One minute, I’m wearing 3-day-old underpants, driving a motorbike through northern Thailand. The next, I’m wearing high heels in Los Angeles, meeting with venture capitalists as the COO of one of their portfolio start ups. Obviously, there was some stuff in between, but mostly just salted peanuts and crappy movies on long plane rides (and more than a few beers with lovely friends in NL).
One of my goals when leaving my job and NYC in February was to see more of the world, and to force myself to look at it differently. I wanted to meet new people and make myself uncomfortable. The idea was to trust my gut and follow my whims. To not always have a plan.
More often than not, this trip made me feel some mixture of triumph, confusion, inspiration, and fear. Along the way, I saw things and met people that were deeply troubling and profoundly beautiful. I’ve had the extraordinary luxury of nearly ten months to listen to myself think, and truly change everything, inside and outside.
In the middle of all that, I got a call from my oldest friend. Noel and his brother got patents and big funding for their start-up: a company with a handful of people, a great concept, tons of potential. Was I interested?
The idea is compelling. They’ve come up with a modular block system for building customized internal space — like Legos for grown ups. You can make any size walls or rooms, super cheap and super fast. One person can put up a real wall in 30 minutes using a screwdriver, from materials packed on a pallets and delivered in a minivan. Unlike drywall, it’s made from recycled materials that can be reused and reconfigured infinitely. It’s environmentally sustainable. It can help create fast, affordable housing for people in need.
Sold!
I expected to be away longer than I was. At the very least, I thought I’d be gone until the end of this year. I definitely didn’t think that my next move would be working in Los Angeles for a company in construction tech. But this is a chance to put everything I’ve learned so far to the test: to build a company that makes customized products, scale it quickly into a billion dollar business, and help make the world better. Sometimes life gives you an offer you don’t want to refuse, and I’m incredibly lucky to get this chance.
I landed in L.A. last Saturday night and I started working two days later. I found an apartment and signed up with the local bike share program. I’ll probably be here for the next year, and then we’ll see what happens. John and I have done this kind of thing before. Lucky for me, he’s game, and his job is flexible, so he’ll spend about half the time with me here. Whatever it is, it won’t be dull.
Here we go!
