Motivation

• Why do you want a startup?
  • I love building teams and motivating people, but I need to feel like I’m doing it for something I genuinely believe in. Although I’ve been a designer, head of product, advisor, or community lead in past roles, I’ve always naturally found myself in leadership positions, whether explicitly stated or not. In the past, my biggest obstacle was often dealing with the egos and motivations of founders. When I became a founder, I realized I could finally create the work environment I had always sought. I found that in a founder role, I could bring together a myriad of different skills, which were ultimately better suited for leadership than independent contribution. Additionally, the scrappiness and fast pace of a startup provide much more space for creative problem-solving and seeing your impact realized.
• Are you control or wealth motivated?
  • I wouldn’t say I’m motivated by either. I’d be glad to have enough money to spend the rest of my life contributing to projects I find interesting purely for joy, not out of necessity. I’m far more motivated by being part of something I feel is important and interesting, and by the opportunity to build and learn with people I admire and respect. Between control and wealth, I guess I’d lean toward wealth in its broadest sense—wealth of experiences, stability, and the means to live life without limitations.
• Where does building a startup sit on your priority list in life right now?
  • At this moment in my life, my only strong priority is learning to listen to myself and lean into things that energize me (post-Sona). I’m definitely excited about the opportunity to build something again, but I now have a much healthier relationship with work and derive less of my self-worth from it than I used to. In other words: there’s no rush, but I know it’s what I’ll likely find myself doing soon.
• What else is at the top of that list?
  • Nurturing my relationship with my partner and laying a solid foundation for our life together/ future family
  • Ensuring my mother and younger sibling are stable and have someone to lean on if they need support.
  • Mental, spiritual and physical wellbeing

Still working The project

• What are the things that are important to you (in other words: what would you not compromise on):
  • Re project:
    • Non-exploitative business model (ie artists can never be fucked over, and we mustn’t build anything that puts them in danger of any sort legal or otherwise).
    • Thoughtful messaging and presentation
    • I have a decently high risk tolerance but I never want to put myself or my team in danger of facing legal ramifications for what we build
• with regards to the product / tech stack
  • Good + smart design is a must for me
  • I defer on tech stack
• with regards to the company / culture
  • Healthy and encouraging company culture
  • Quarterly on-sites for deep work. People expect remote work but I feel in person makes the world of a difference.
• with regards to hiring / team
  • Even if an employee is talented I have a zero tolerance policy if they’re disrespectful or combative in a way that hurts company culture/ puts others down.
  • I don't ask for much but to do this well we’ll need an excellent community lead/marketing head on this.
• What else is important to you? Any irrevocables? Stuff that would upset you if you didn’t get?
  • Personally:
    • The flexibility to work remotely is extremely important to me as my partner lives in Berlin and is not in a position where he can move to the states presently.
    • Respecting boundaries — I can sometimes get consumed by my work so I’ve put a lot of effort into developing a more healthy balance between “work” and “life”. Though they very often blend together I need to know that my boundaries and time are being respected as I do for anyone I work with.
• What is the ideal size of exit for you and after how many years of work?
  • 2-3 yrs
  • More than happy with a 5M exit
• What are the top 3-5 traits you’d look for when hiring?
  • Good communication skills
  • Team player
  • Curious/ passionate
  • Heart’s in the right place
  • Not a huge ego, but not insecure about what they bring to the table
• Would you prefer to raise from the community or from VCs? Why?
  • Better to go over this in person. Don’t love VCs, but they’re often easier to manage than huge community raises unless you can manage to raise from super angels etc.

Life situation

• What other on-going commitments do you have or expect to have in the next 2 years?
  • I’d like to occasionally advise other founders in the space
  • I’ll probably get married at some point in that time frame
  • My partner and I have a house in Cape Town we travel to for the winters. You and your fiancé would be more than welcome to join!
• Do you expect to have kids soon? How soon?
  • 3-5 years — though nothing is set in stone.
• What sort of hours do you expect to be putting in?
  • For the next 2-3 months I can’t put in crazy hours (but my guy CP if here to help!)
  • Once I’m back on my feet, sky is the limit. I need weekends to be weekends to get the rest and recharge that helps me work my best- otherwise all in.
• What happens if we make no money for next 12 months? Will you be cash strapped?
  • I need to start making an income in the next 5 months. I set some funds aside to take a break between Sona and whatever comes next, but by then money will start to be a burdening thought.

Still working Role / working together