Raising, reading, repping…a quick update
tldr; I'm starting a personal newsletter...
To cover all the things I too often forget to share. I've been telling many of you that I would start a this newsletter for... years. But today is finally that day! I'm going to start sending out these periodic updates on my work life / life life / friend's lives / etc. They probably won't be very regular, but I'll try to get one out every several weeks.
Here we go...
The year has started off better than we could've hoped for Hatch. Yesterday we announced our $1.3M in seed funding, and last month, we were named one of "the most promising startups in DC" by Technical.ly, and a "Red Hot Entrepreneur" by DCA Live. We're working with some awesome customers, building really cool tech, and developing a product we're really proud of. We also hired another awesome developer, Chris Gardner, who's already kicking butt / taking names, and we moved into great new offices at 18th & K. Now we're working on some crazy fun marketing initiatives... stay tuned, because I'll be in your inbox with updates soon!
Awesome reads...
I loved this blog post by Pricenomics on their brand of content marketing, which focuses much more on writing data-driven, analytical pieces that feed critical info to reporters and bloggers, thereby driving major traffic.
I also really enjoyed Nick Bilton's American Kingpin, which chronicles the founding of the Silk Road (the online blackmarket that facilitated over a billion in drug sales). It's got something for everyone: Bitcoin, Drugs, Young Love, Libertarianism, Murder. I highly recommend it.
Brilliant stuff my friends are building...
For those of us having trouble mastering adulthood, check out this crash course on how to be an adult that my cofounder Param Jaggi published a few weeks ago (on a Hatch app, no less).
For those of you who are super confused by bitcoin, subscribe for this quick daily newsletter on blockchain and cryptocurrencies the fab Erica Amatori just launched. (Kudos to her on just accepting a job leading marketing at Burrow!)
For those of us who love a great bildungsroman, pick up Down and Across, my high school BFF Arvin Ahmadi's debut YA novel, published by Penguin Books last week.
Sending some love...
To amazingly helpful people this month like Camille Alexander for connecting me with some phenomenal advisors; like Katherine Novikov, Kevin Alansky, and Josh Goldberg for giving great advice on how to grow our business (with a solid does of tough love); like Ajay Kori, Katie Kiewel, Lisa Cuesta, and Caroline Pugh for helping us navigate the murky waters of fundraising; like Jay Newton-Small, Theo LeCompte, and Meredith Balenske for helping us with press (they are all superstars— seriously); like Shizu Okusa, Elise Whang, Erin Janklow, Tara Silver, Kate Glantz, and Rebecca Yarbrough for helping me keep my sanity during out-of-control month; like Ashtan Moore for always doing what he can to help our company be successful; like Wendy Luke for being my guiding light as I learn how to be leader; and like my cousin Rachel Lerch who is always so generous with her time and advice.
So how'd I do?
Let me know if there are sections of this I should slash, or things I write more about. I'd also love to hear about anything awesome you're reading / would recommend I check out too.
Onward and upward,
Amelia
