By now you’ve gotten the chance to meet Iris the product and understand our overarching mission. We thought it would be fun to introduce you to the team so you can put names (and fun facts) to the faces behind Iris.
Our team is small, mighty, and 100% remote. Given that, it’s only fitting for you to meet the folks behind Iris because we want you to feel like you’re part of the team, too. Iris’ mission is greater than all of us, and we consider every user, reader, fan, and follower as part of the Iris family. This is part one of an ongoing, Meet-the-Team series, so with that…
Everyone, meet Agis Tsaraboulidis, Co-Founder & CTO of Iris!
Where are you located?
Komotini, Greece
Tell us a little about yourself and your professional background.
I was born and raised in Greece. Since I’m in my senior year of college now, I’m focusing on finishing school, improving Iris, and expanding it to more cities throughout the next months. The last couple years I built a mix of smaller and bigger projects that eventually led me to join the Iris team.
What’s your favorite animal?
I grew up with a dog. I love dogs. I’m not sure what it is about them, but it’s something magical. Recently our dog, Shuki, turned 7 years old and I totally miss her while I’m in Berlin for the summer.
What’s your go-to meal to cook at home?
I will have to go with pasta. It’s such an easy dish to make and it’s delicious. My favorite sauce to accompany the pasta would be bolognese. Love it. 🍝
What is the the most exciting thing about working at Iris?
Wow, that’s a tough question. I would have say a lot of things. I know it sounds cliche, but one exciting thing about working at Iris is the team itself. It’s a privilege to work with a team that really values craftsmanship, ideas, and that helps you become that best person that you can be. I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive and amazing team. Another super exciting thing I will say that’s the product itself. It’s pretty different from any other products on the market. One of the differences is that we build a product not only for younger people, but also for the elderly and this difference is a challenge in itself.
What is your favorite Iris project so far?
I really enjoy working on the whole product, from design improvements to complete features. If I had to choose only one I would say the Muted Hospitals feature. This feature helps medical professionals and doctors mute our notifications for the hospitals they’re working in. It was interesting to work on something that’s going to be used from a different audience, like doctors.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
Many people don’t know that I’m a huge fan of Home Alone 1 and 2. I start to watch both of them and listen to the soundtrack really early every year.
This is a toughie: Is a hot dog a sandwich? Why or why not?
I will have to say no because how you eat a hot dog is pretty different from how you eat a sandwich. 🤔
Was there ever a time in your life where Iris would’ve been helpful?
Fortunately not, but I can’t imagine living in a city other than my hometown and my family not being aware if something happened to me and I’m in a hospital. Iris will be a big relief to them.
Who or what do you think you would be in an alternate universe? Any pipe dreams?
I would definitely be a screenwriter. I really love series and movies with great scripts. Many times scripts aren’t valued as much as they should be. I had the thought about being a screenwriter when I saw the series L.O.V.E on Netflix. It’s one of my favorite series by far and the script was incredible.
In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of working remotely?
After experiencing both types of work, I can say that I don’t have a lot of cons for remote working. This type of work has a lot of pros. I love the flexibility that I have around the hours during the day I will have to work on Iris. For example, I can work 2 hours in the morning and then continue working on the product in the evening. This helps me schedule my college work accordingly and it’s beyond helpful. Another thing that I really like and I want to mention is that by working from my home or a cafe, I deal with less distractions and I can focus on actual work, accomplishing more in less time.
“In my 10 years in tech, I’ve yet to work with anyone as passionate, eager to learn, improve personally and professionally, and secure enough to be open about mistakes in order to course correct as Agis is. He’s a hell of a teammate and on track to be a phenom leader.”
-Cat Noone, Founder and CEO of Iris
If you have any questions for Agis, or just want to keep up with him on Twitter, you can follow him at @agisilaosts (his tweets are literal rays of sunshine☀️). Be sure to tune into the blog in the coming weeks for interviews with the rest of the Iris team!
💙 Team Iris
