Co-Founder + Head of Software (2016-2023)
Built (0-to-1) a patented and award-winning lighting + home control system using custom hardware, firmware, software. Raised $33M from Menlo Ventures, AME Cloud Ventures, Xplorer VC, Heroic Ventures, Amazon with a SW / FW budget of $15M+. Shut down in 2022 after supply chain constraints and economic downturn impacted ability to raise necessary financing.
- Technical Architect – Lead engineer for custom-built AOSP/Linux devices: SW, FW, Cloud, Mobile, Web, QA, CI/CD
- Architected and built a resilient, privacy-focused software stack with data processing and decision-making algorithms executed locally on Orro devices and then synced across network. No service outages since product launch.
- Built and supported integrations with 50+ other leading smart home products from elite companies like Google, Ring, Amazon, Sonos, and more.
- Team Building – Recruited premier engineering talent with range of experience (20+ engineers in total)
- Cultivated leaders and ICs that went on to work at Google, Meta, Amazon, and more with a 3.5yr average team-member tenure.
- Revamped Sprint and Feature Development Processes going from “team of experts” to “team of cross-functional builders” with emphasis on “Drivers”.
- Strategic & Organizational Leadership – Internal and external technical leader
- As co-founder handled range of responsibilities for HR, operations, IT, roadmap planning, goal setting, individual growth, team growth, sales, investment activities, and more.
- Responsible for definition + implementation of security policies passing multiple external security audits.
Highlights
- First offices: garage in San Francisco and two rented desks in Austin
- Moved to three different offices in Austin; last office perk was walking 1-on-1s around Lady Bird Lake
- Travel to San Francisco, Ashland, San Diego, Atlanta, Orlando, and more
- Avoided going to CES; CEO went with a demo suitcase (see Stitcher and Samba TV)
- Present at startup pitch events and as industry conference panel speaker
- FastCompany 2019 Innovation by Design Awards Finalist
- Award-winning new product at CEDIA Expo 2023; drove a moving truck with booth halfway across country in an ice-storm
- Sailed and surfed for first time