Last week I visited the San Juan Islands. One afternoon, walking the shore of Clark Island at low tide, I realized what a tech startup is like.

I am a creative. I tend towards the visionary. I’m motivated by stories of Alfred reorganizing his royal court because of his studies in the translation of Boethius into Anglo Saxon. I’m inspired by the courage and commitment of  the librarians of the Timbuktu library. When people ask me why, I might tell them them the story of Al Guinness and his 1000 year lease.

As I walked down the Clark Island beach, I kept trying to look out to the ocean, but every time I would trip on a rock or twist my ankle on a kelp covered stone. I could only move forward if I made sure each step was secure. Each step was a detailed moment that needed attention if I would ever make it to the point overlooking the bay.

When I got to the point, I got to watch a harbor seal teach her pup to fish. A blue heron landed to walk the pools, a solemn procession of one, temporary king of the tide.

That is what a tech startup is like. We have incredible programmers, coders, UX designers slogging away at the details, making sure each step is firmly planted on a rock that won’t roll out from under our weight. I’ve watched the technology develop. I’ve watched our CTO, Nathaniel Talbot, add amazingly talented people to the platform team. Their work is a success when they aren’t noticed, but I’ve been watching, and, let me tell you, it is impressive. The detailed development work putting together the technology for this platform is coming together. When it does, not only will you be impressed by the content that you will have the opportunity to fund with your subscription, you will be impressed by the brand new technology you will be using to do it.

We are almost there. I can’t wait for you to see it.

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