Month: October 2020

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Our first RV trip

by bijansabet

We have always wanted to rent a RV. Daydreams of getting an Airstream and exploring the southwest or perhaps the Pacific northwest. One of those things on the wanderlust to do list. But we never did it.

So a few weeks ago, we rented a RV. It wasn’t as cool as an Airstream. While new-ish, it looked like it was straight out of the 70s. But getting a RV rental isn’t easy as many of them are taken this time of year and that is especially true during this pandemic. Our original plan was to drive north into Vermont. But the campgrounds in Vermont discouraged visitors from Massachusetts given the Covid cases spiking in our county.

Instead we found a campground in the Berkshire Mountains. We loaded our clothes, supplies, food, coffee(!) and camera gear and headed west. Driving a RV is quite different than our electric sedan. The RV is massive, it’s loud and drives like a boat. But it’s super fun. A feeling of indepence. We had everyting we needed in our little house on wheels.

The fall colors in the Berkshires were fantastic and so was the crisp morning air that greeted us each day. And it was fun to get away and just enjoy time together hiking during the day and relaxing each evening in our camper. We missed having our daughters with us on this trip but they are in college now. I can totally picture my son getting a RV with his friends when he’s older.

I am grateful for our getaway. I’m now even more excited for a future trip to the southwest :)

(Color photographs made with a Hasselblad 503cw and Kodak Portra film. Black and white photographs made with a Leica M-A and Kodak Tri-X film. Developed and scanned by Richard Photo Lab in California).

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From the creator of Sparrow, a new app called Beam is coming soon

by bijansabet

As most folks know, when iPhone first shipped there were only apps created by Apple. The App Store wouldn’t arrive until about a year later. And even then, apps that directly competed with Apple’s apps were far and few between. And users had to deal with either poorly implemented web apps or Apple’s apps for critical things like email.

By 2011 or so, a new app called Sparrow launched on the Mac and then iPhone. Sparrow was a thoughtful, beautiful app that delivered a powerful and yet simple approach to mail. Like so many others, I was taken with Sparrow and it quickly became my default client. Eventually, Google acquired Sparrow and the app was no more.

Earlier this year I was introduced to Dom Leca, the creator of Sparrow. Dom told us about his vision for a new app called Beam. A few weeks later, my partners and I made an offer to lead the seed round in the company. Dom and Sebastian Metrot have been working on building the initial team and the first version of Beam. While they aren’t ready to fully disclose the product today, you can read about their vision in their paper and join the beta.

I’m really excited about Beam and can’t wait for you all to try it.

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Mount Cardigan

by bijansabet2 Comments on Mount Cardigan

A few weeks back, my wife and I made a day trip to New Hampshire and spent the day exploring Mount Cardigan. We heard about this place many times over the years but this was our first time. It was one of those magical fall days, the weather was crisp and the colors of the season was a real treat. The hike itself took about 4 hours round trip. The last 1/4 mile up the face was super challenging but felt great at the top.

(All of these photographs were made with a Mamiya 7ii and Kodak Portra 400 film. Developed and processed at Richard Photo Lab in California.)

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Startup salaries + company culture

by bijansabet

I woke up this morning thinking about startup salaries and how it impacts company culture. As I started drafting this post I started having a mad case of deja vu. After a quick Google search, I discovered an old post on the very subject many years ago.

It’s a bit dated but I think the main points hold up for sure.

The only additional comment I want to add is the importance of fairness and consistency.

At board meetings, directors are asked to approve employee option grants. Management proposes all the grants offered to employees and the board has the opportunity to ask questions, comment, reject or approve. At most board meetings, this is unfortunately not given the attention it deserves. Common symptoms include, rushing the topic at the end of the meeting with a few random questions about confirming the 409a price and how much of the option pool is impacted.

I encourage all founders and investors to treat these employee grants with more respect. More respect for the company, the investors, existing employees, future employees and the impact on culture. If you respect this issue deeply, employee grants could be transparent, there would be consistency to how each employee earns equity, terms would be consistent and so would percentage grants by role.

If the employee option grants are an ad hoc mess, then it likely means the founders and the board didn’t do it’s job fully. And while there might be short term benefit to speed, the long term impact always comes home.