This is a series of real talk blog posts meant to let founders share a bit about themselves and their companies without the marketing jargon and “killing it” puffery of most tech startup profiles.
What does your company do, for who, in plain English please!
We build competitive games for experienced web developers!
Our flagship game, Battlesnake, helps senior and intermediate developers deeply explore new tech in a way that is self-directed, challenging, and fun for their friends and their families.
What's a typical day like for you, from wakeup ‘til bed?
My day begins at 5:30 am when I get up with the kids and get them through their morning routine. I usually start working around 8 am.
Our team is distributed across North America, so our daily standup is earlier than most to accommodate all time zones. We try to schedule any synchronous meetings in the hours following, usually up until my lunchtime.
My afternoons are reserved for deep work like writing, brainstorming, or —if I’m lucky— coding 😊
At 4 pm I’ll break for kids’ dinner, the bedtime routine, and then spend a few hours working most evenings.
It took me some time to become comfortable creating protected family time in my schedule, but it’s become very important to me. I also encourage our team to do the same.
What keeps you up at night?
Not much these days, I’ll take whatever sleeping hours I can get! 😴
What brings you joy?
Seeing an idea come to life! This can be a new project, feature, or even a new team or growth initiative. I love building, and I like seeing the results of what I’ve built.
What is one word you hate to hear?
Haha, I really hate the term “no-code” 😅 It’s used to describe an arbitrarily specific class of software tools and abstractions that aren't particularly novel, just hard to describe.
What is one word you love to hear?
Not a single word exactly, but I love the moment when a developer first understands what Battlesnake is and their brain starts firing on all cylinders. Every instance of this is unique, and immediately recognizable. I live for that moment.
What was your biggest failure in the past year?
Probably holding onto control of smaller decisions for too long. Battlesnake is a small yet mighty team, with incredibly capable people in every role. It’s irrationally difficult to hand over the reins to something you’ve worked and fought so hard to build, but that is often required to reach the next stage.
What was your greatest accomplishment in the past year?
As a person? I taught my daughter how to blow her nose, which is astoundingly difficult to explain to someone who’s never done it before.
As a founder? It’s cliché but I’m very proud of the team we’ve built around Battlesnake. The jump from 3 to 8 team members is a critical one, and I’m constantly humbled by the talented folks that chose to join us in the past year 😊
Who or what inspires you most?
Definitely our community of Battlesnake players and developers. Without them, we’d be lost, and since they’re all accomplished developers, the amount of empathy, support, and feedback we receive daily is one of our greatest advantages.
What's your best tool for managing stress?
Music is a great outlet for me. The right song hitting at the right moment can instantly change my mood, and I’ll often be playing something in the background during meetings and zoom calls.
What's getting the most burn on your playlist right now?
90s Electronica. Underworld, Sneaker Pimps, Massive Attack. I’m a 90s kid at heart.
Favorite shoes?
Big ol’ doc martens. See above 😉
Favorite cooking ingredient?
Coriander and cumin, particularly in stewed or braised dishes. I love cooking Indian and Mexican food — if it’s on rice or in a tortilla, I’m in.