The month I turned 26... it was a pretty crazy one
This week I turned 26...
And I've gotta say, this has been an incredible year. I learned so much (a lot of it from / alongside folks on this list) and our company has really evolved.
This month was pretty great...
We had a major jaw-drop moment last week: Entrepreneur released a list of 20 companies that investors are "closely watching." It featured SpaceX, MongoDB, Amazon, Robinhood, etc. And at the top of the list? Hatch Apps.
In the past week we've also onboarded 3 amazing new Hatch Apps team members. We were also excited to have one of our developers, Matt Wojtkun, featured in DC Inno.
For the most part, however, we're just focused on building and selling our product. And that's been going well, in large part due to feedback and referrals from you all! If you're interested in learning more on our product and potentially testing new features, sign up here!
Something I'm proud of...
From conversations with potential customers, we discovered that non-technical people who are interested in building software face one major hurdle: jargon. We started giving a talk at local events called "How to talk tech" that really resonated with our target audience. Given the success of that topic, we decided to digitize it.
So, we launched a tech dictionary with flashcards helping non-technical folks cut through the jargon. If you know of anyone who might find value, please share this with them!
Another fun little series...
We're teaming up with a bunch of local startups to host a Lunch & Learn series for our interns. It's hosted every Thursday at noon, and interns are asked to bring their lunch. A different rep from the local startup community (founders, investors, organizers) is speaking every week. If you have interns that would like to participate, let me know!
Brilliant stuff my friends are building...
For those of us who don't have room for any more toys in our kids' closets, Tanya Van Court at Goalsetter has the answer to our prayers! She's built a savings and gifting platform for kids to help them learn to save.
For those of us who feel the disconnect between higher ed and the real world, Jake Schaufeld at Real Time Cases has built a bridge between the two. Real Time Cases delivers engaging video-based activities that make it easier for educators to let students address real problems facing relevant companies in the moment, as they are happening.
For those of us who are looking to give back to folks in the country from whence we came, Ronit Avni at Localized has developed a platform enabling professionals to mentor college students at universities across the world.
An event that I hope to see you at...
I'll be emcee'ing at the second Vinetta Showcase of 2018 where four top female founders will pitch for the $20K Venture Challenge. It'll be kicking off at 6:30 on 6/20 at Booz Allen Hamilton's Innovation Center. Let me know if you can make it!
Sending some love...
To the superstars who fuel my fire like Anna Mason who scored us some majorly clutch press; like Rebecca Yarbrough, Natalie Buford-Young, and Sarah Van Dell who helped us source a critical vendor; like Cameron Hardesty, Jereme Holiman, Penny Lee, Ksenia Coulter, and Sara Akbar who helped us recruit great talent; and like many others who have gone out of their way to help make this month great!
A few ways to help...
We need to make a critical hire— someone to lead our operations, and hopefully grow into either a Chief of Staff or a VP of people/culture sometime in the near future. We need them to handle all of our day-to-day ops (contractors, service providers, random little issues here and there) as well as our people ops (team happiness, support, etc). We're looking for someone 3-5 years (or more) into their career, and who can manage themselves. Here is the full job description. If anyone comes to mind, let me know!
I'm looking to get more networked in the developer community. If you know of any great senior engineers or folks who are doing a lot of organizing in the Women Who Code or Femtech communities, I'd love to be connected!
We're looking to get the word out about that technical dictionary I mentioned. If appropriate, we'd love for you to share with your networks. Here's that link again.
Onward and upward,
Amelia
