Creative Founder: Midpoint

“I wish I had not taken this class.” This is the thought keeps haunting me every day. It’s not because it is a bad class. It’s not because I have a bad team. Everything is great and I had been waiting for this class for years. This is my dream. This is my strength. This is what I’m good at. But it’s not the right time.

Kate Rutter from “What’s Wrong With UX” came to the class the other day. She destroyed our presentation and nailed the idea of “Cognitio” to the wall. I thought this would shake things up and ignite that spark in me, but it didn’t. What really resonated with me were the words from one of my classmates. He said that starting a company was the last thing on his mind right now. As a senior international student at CCA, he is worried about getting a job, a visa sponsorship and not getting deported. This was a BIG reality check for me. This is the reason why I am studying here in the first place.

I have started three companies. I have tried and failed many times. I have met Steve Blank, Eric Ries and many of the experts we talk about in class. I attended every single entrepreneurship meetup in the Bay Area, turned my apartment into a tech hub, hosted entrepreneurs from Mexico and Latin America, met with investors, and put my whole life on the line. IT DIDN’T WORK. I had to go back to school if I wanted to stay in the US and keep doing what I love.

I decided to invest in myself. I decided to use that drive, passion and previous knowledge to become one of the best Interaction Designers. I am my own company now. I am iterating on myself and pushing my boundaries. I am iterating on my process. I am my own product and I have invested more than $120,000 on it so far. I have limited time to sell it and start paying for those loans. Friends family and fools are waiting for that money and I need to make it happen.

I am a man of my word and I will keep the promises I’ve made. I will keep looking for job opportunities and will also remain as the CEO of Cognitio. I will be more firm with my decisions as a CEO and push the team forward. I will make things work. I will communicate better, be more involved, ask for help and deliver. I will finish this semester strong, build a solid product, and have job opportunities in the pipeline.