Ellen Chisa
Ellen Chisa is CEO and Co-Founder at Dark, which is on a mission to let a billion people code — by creating a language, editor, compiler, and PaaS that together make it possible to build a complete scalable app in an afternoon.
One of the things I admire about you is how intentional you are with your time. Were you always that way?
I think I developed it. Growing up, I could just work harder than everybody else and get things done. Then I went to Olin College, where the work was project based. Working harder no longer worked and I was getting super burned out. I knew that what had gotten me there wouldn’t get me here. Two things helped. First, I started getting comfortable asking people for help who were much better than me. Olin had people who were technically truly world class. Second, I started building in routines that would help me prioritize. These days, I write my morning pages every morning in DayOne. It helps me figure out what I’m anchoring on — where my brain will tend to drift to throughout the day unless I do something about it now.
You’ve talked publicly about your decision to drop out of HBS. I don’t think I’ve ever asked you — why did you decide to attend in the first place?
An ex-boyfriend told me I wouldn’t get in to HBS’s 2+2 program. So to prove him wrong, I wrote all the essays the day they were due. Then I spent the four years between college and HBS talking to people about whether to go. I probably had at least 100 conversations. I learned that people will always tell you to do what they did. But there was one conversation I still vividly remember, with another woman in my same position, who ended up at GSB. While talking to her, I realized that I’d regret not going more than I’d regret going.
Did HBS change you?
I learned something about my own biases and cynicism. I’m happy to talk to people but I’m also a little bit wary of people. I was mistrustful of all these super social people who wanted to be best friends with everyone. I realized towards the end of the year that their way wasn’t better or worse, it was just completely different.
How did you meet your co-founder, Paul?
In early 2017, I decided to start angel investing. I announced it on the internet and Paul sent me a cold email. He had talked to 50 potential co-founders before me. He wanted someone who had a technical background. He’d read what I’d written about the importance of building a more inclusive tech ecosystem, and he too felt strongly about that. It was all pretty crazy. He was in SF, I was in Boston, we’d never met. And less than a week later, he flew out and stayed with me and my now-husband in my one bedroom apartment in Cambridge.
How did you know that you’d work well together?
I called his previous co-founder, and his assessment of Paul’s strengths and weaknesses exactly matched what Paul had reported. I took that as a great sign that Paul was self-aware. Then we fundraised together — the pressure of that was such a great test. Now that we’re in the company building stage, we hired a coach to help us work together as a unit. Paul can be very black and white, while I see everything in a million shades of nuance. The coach helps us see why we each act the way we do.
At first, you called your company “Ellen And Paul’s new startup,” complete with matching URL: http://www.ellenandpaulsnewstartup.com. You’ve since rebranded. How did you choose the name Dark?
Dark was Paul’s code name for the project. We were very optimistic and had all these clever ideas about how to get a good domain name, since four letter domain names aren’t exactly easy to get. But we couldn’t find anything we liked better than Dark. We really enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek nature of “Ellen and Paul’s new startup,” though. We already have the rights to “Ellen and Paul’s new new startup.”
What’s the culture you’re building at Dark?
We’re really big on the idea that just because you don’t name your culture doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It’s there, and the question is whether you can recognize it and then from there, try to shape it. We tend to be extremely reflective. We give each other a lot of feedback. We’re really crisp on what skills we expect someone to bring to the table. And we expect to hire people who can take feedback.
Dark chocolate or milk chocolate? Dark.
Dark roast or light roast? Am I supposed to answer Dark?
“Nightswimming” by REM or “Dancing in the Dark” by Springsteen? Dancing in the Dark.
Founder you yourself admire? Oh, can I please have two? Erica Brescia and Edith Harbaugh.
