Last updated on Feb 16, 2024 from my home in the San Francisco Bay Area:
👼 My wife and I welcomed our second child in February
There is something truly special about witnessing the birth of a new life and taking care of a newborn. It’s like a hidden yet really significant dimension to the human condition is suddenly revealed, enriching and expanding one’s understanding of what it means to be human.
Or maybe it’s all a big evolutionary ploy to keep you going through the sleepless nights 😂
Either way, I’m excited that both mama and baby are doing well and look forward to finding out what kind of person the little one will become.
🎮 I wrapped up a decade in gaming
In 2023, after 4 years as the CMO of gaming unicorn Playco, I stepped down to get back to building from 0 → 1.
I will be forever grateful for my Playco experience. I am particularly thankful for the opportunity to have worked with and learned from Playco’s CEO Michael Carter, who is a world-class entrepreneur in more ways than one. I grew tremendously as an operator and executive hyperscaling the company and helping to build a unicorn. That was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience that deserves its own post, which I hope to write some time soon.
Stepping down also marked the end of my decade-long gaming journey, which began with my startup Chobolabs, founded in 2012. For those counting, that’s 11 years, so longer than a decade. Feels very strange to write - it’s certainly a lot longer than I could have ever imagined.
And it might not be truly “the end” given that I remain an active advisor to Playco as well as a handful of other consumer startups 🙃! Time will tell!
🎢 I am exploring startup ideas full-time
I stepped down from Playco for a simple reason: I couldn’t resist the startup pull any more. It’s time to build again.
I have been exploring full-time, with 2 key priorities:
🚀 Find something that truly speaks to me
I am willing, ready, and able to take my time and identify an idea that really excites me and I have strong conviction about. That’s a big luxury, for which I am quite grateful.
At the same time, the process often feels quite uncomfortable. In particular, it means letting go of good - but not great - ideas, which is a lot harder than it sounds.
🤝 Team up with great cofounders
I have always been very team-oriented in my startup endeavors. I find the startup journey too challenging to take on alone.
This time around, exploring ideas also serves as an opportunity to meet and learn about potential cofounders. This includes both founders I've known for some time, as well as new connections who share my passion.
My goal is challenging yet straightforward: identify and team up with cofounders who:
- share my values and goals as well as complement my skills
- push me to be better with their ambition yet have the humility to admit mistakes and change their mind
- are truly present in a conversation, listen deeply, and form their own opinions
- exhibit high levels of trustworthiness and integrity
- are committed to the long journey ahead
I plan and hope to respond in kind.
I am excited for the journey ahead and look forward to getting into some startup trouble soon!
P.S. This page is inspired by Derek Sivers’ The /now page movement.