I’m Leaving a Great Job to Start a Startup. Here’s Why.
Despite all of its shake-ups, 2016 was a year of personal achievement for me: I helped a startup rise from obscurity to having Fortune 500 clients; developed great products alongside a fantastic team; and received recognition for writing about the tech industry.
This is exactly why it was hard for me to leave everything behind and start fresh, with nothing promised — to start a startup.
Half a year ago, a friend introduced me to John Zettler, a former hedge fund manager who wanted to build a simplified platform for investing. I decided to meet with John, even though I wasn’t seeking any side work at the time. We planned on meeting for thirty minutes after work, but our conversation was so engaging that I didn’t leave until three hours later. I was impressed with John’s passion, insider knowledge, and easy-going nature.
Fast-forward five months, and after several of these meetings, John is asking me to join his company as CTO and Co-Founder. This came as a surprise, and despite my desire to jump in, I had to weigh several priorities. My wife and I had just found out that we would be having our first child in 9 months! How could I leave a great, well-paying job for a risky startup venture, all the while foregoing a salary until we raise investment?
My wife Jess and I had several conversations, both privately and with John. After a week, I told John that I would only be able to join full-time on one of two conditions: either the company had to raise sufficient capital to pay me a minimal salary, or we had to get accepted into a startup accelerator, a rite of passage for many early stage startups.
John had already applied to several accelerators and had so far been unlucky. The largest, Y Combinator, sent a rejection email a week earlier. I felt bad for not jumping on this new opportunity, but I knew that I had an obligation to my family.
Two days after the conversation, I received a call during my lunch hour from John.
“Tom, I just wanted to share the news with you. We got into an accelerator!”
I couldn’t believe it. This is what I’ve always wanted to do, at least since I learned how to code — become a founder of an accelerator-backed startup. I immediately called Jess, who was preparing to drive to Connecticut for the holidays.
“Sweetie, we got in! We got into an accelerator!”
On the other line, I heard a long pause, followed by something in between a question and exclamation, “Okay…. Great!”
Since that day, Jess and I have made a plan to go forward together. I’ve also met with startup founders with families to gather information on how to balance family- and work-life. I’m proud to announce that as of Feb. 11th, I’ll be joining John at Commandiv as CTO and Co-Founder full-time. I’m hopeful as I look to the future and eager to get started simplifying investing for our customers.
I’ll also be sad to be leaving behind a great company, currently an exciting player in the New York AI scene. Agolo has grown so much since I first joined in October 2015, and it will continue to do so. I thank my bosses Mohamed and Sage for proving to me that employers can actually care about their employees and lead by example. I hope that I help lead Commandiv with the same integrity and passion that they have shown me at Agolo.
Life is full of surprises, and sometimes all you can do is take the opportunities that it presents you. I’m hoping that with enough hard work and perseverance, luck will be on my side again in 2017.
If you’re interested in simplifying your personal investments, visit us at www.commandiv.com or email me for more info at tom@commandiv.com. If you’re a startup founder and would like to offer mentorship, please reach out as well. I’m always available for a coffee and conversation :).
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com on February 8, 2017.
