(1) Who are you and what do you do?
Martin Fogelman, founder and CEO of Pluto, and I build inclusive and respectful tech to enable organizations to make smarter decisions when it comes to running their business and managing their people.
(2) In two sentences or less, describe how you participate in the startup ecosystem.
I created and run a workforce analytics and communication startup. Pluto also supports other startups in their D&I journeys.
(3) What are you currently reading right now and would recommend to others?
Admittedly, I’ve not been reading nearly as much as I used to since founding Pluto four years ago — even if my law school days are excluded from the relative comparison. That being said, some recent reads that I recommend are Data Feminism by Catherine D’Ignazio and Lauren F. Klein, all of Nikole Hannah-Jones’ work including the 1619 project and her essay “What is Owed,” and #MeToo In the Corporate World by Sylvia Ann Hewlett (and not only because of my cameo in Chapter 9).
(4) What makes you stay in the startup ecosystem?
Building things that matter, in the way they ought to have always been built.
(5) What drives your passion about the startup ecosystem?
The ability to scale our technology in ways that can change the world, and the fear that if I don’t someone else might in ways I won’t agree with.
(6) Where do you see the startup ecosystem in 5 years?
We’ve been seeing more attention being paid to diversity and inclusion in the startup ecosystem for a number of years now, though, as with elsewhere, the results have often been less than disappointing. I hope that the increased attention to the deadweight loss of injustice, segregation and hatred in all its forms, galvanizes leaders to truly value diversity and to earn, through hard work and hard choices, the full respect and power of the disenfranchised and marginalized.
(7) How has failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?
Even if failure doesn’t kill a good idea, the fear of it sure might. The thing about founding a startup is that it’s personal. Although it may never pay out, it requires a steep up-front payment of opportunity cost plus more work than you’ve ever thought possible. That knowledge either powers you to never give up and turn all of your failures into success, or rots away at your very soul — though sometimes it does both at the same time.
(8) What is one of the best worthwhile investments you’ve ever made (could be financial, time, energy, etc.)?
Pouring my soul into Pluto, for sure. Doing so has forced me to learn and improve upon more skills than I ever would have wanted to learn; allowed me to meet and work with people who are even smarter, more considerate and harder working than me; and has tested every relationship and friendship I’ve ever had, in the best ways possible.
(9) What do you do to refocus yourself when you feel overwhelmed or unfocused?
Well it was definitely easier to do before shelter-in-place, and mostly involved boxing, biking and running. The past few months though with 100x more work there hasn’t really been time to be overwhelmed or unfocused. But it’s easy because my team’s alway got my back, and I do try to make sure that even when we’re all running on all cylinders, I still take at least a day off a week and an hour for dinner at least a few days a week. I’m also hoping to take a few weekends fully off this month, including this 4th of July weekend to rest and step back a bit from the wild ride that has been 2020 so far.
(10) What’s one piece of advice you would give someone trying to break into the startup ecosystem?
Be ready to question your assumptions about what you think the market wants and needs, and to be humbled about the value of what you’re offering. Being open-minded and a good listener will make it easier to refine your solutions, all while building a sustainable workplace culture for your team. Last but not least, think carefully about who you want to build your product or solution around.
Leave a Reply