What Makes a Great Engineer?

I have hired a lot of engineers. In different locations, in the US and globally. Men and women. Super experienced or straight out of college. I’ve learned that the best engineers don’t conform to any specific demographic (gender, age, race or ethnicity). 

Hiring is really hard. To be successful, you have to have a solid strategy that absolutely includes technical questions and demonstrated ability to code (yes, I know some people don’t like this, but if I’m applying for a job as a car mechanic, it seems reasonable that I have to demonstrate I can, ya know, work on  an engine.) Even with the best strategy, a hire can turn out to be average, or even below average. 

There are three key traits that are found in the really great devs:
  • Aptitude - Fearless because they have the ability to quickly learn new concepts, programming language(s), tools, environments, operating systems, etc. 
  • Self motivated - Internally driven by the desire to solve hard problems. 
  • Integrity - Transparent, even when the news isn’t good. Tells it like it is.

All you have to do is interview people and hire the ones that have all three of these traits. Easy right? Actually, it isn’t easy at all. If we drew a quick Ven diagram, it would look something like this


Depressing but accurate in my experience. I sometimes joke that the intersection on the diagram means that about 5% of the world has all three of these attributes and that seems to be about right.




Race Review: Surf City Marathon/Huntington Beach - Finisher!

On Superbowl Sunday, February 7, 2016  we ran the 20th edition of the "Surf City Marathon" in Huntington Beach, CA

Some of the marathon crew wanted a winter race and our usual options didn't line up on our various calendars (and the weather didn't cooperate either). We searched around for something that would be warm, not hot, and dry. After several years of looking at Surf City, we decided to go for it this year. At a very pricey $145 for the event, I skeptically pressed the "Register" button and signed up.

Race day

The race had an early start at 6:30am - the forecast high was 80F, so the earlier the better! As parking was supposed to be a challenge we went on parking recon after the expo. The effort paid off nicely when we pulled into a nice spot on the street at 5am and walked to the start. When the race gun fired, it was a pleasant 48F.

The first two miles of the race were flat and fast, running along PCH in the cool ocean air. We took a quick right turn at Mile 3 and ran smack dab into a large group of high school kids cheering so loud I thought I'd won the marathon! It's funny how crowd support quickens your step a bit and fires you up, even at Mile 3. We took another few right turns and hit the only set of hills in the marathon. Miles 5 - 8 went through Huntington Beach Central Park which was nice and shady (particularly relative to what was coming up). After Mile 8, the course took us back down the hill and onto PCH to start Mile 10.


Running north on PCH, we hit the turnaround about Mile 12.5 and then ran back south to Mile 15.5. This was easily my least favorite part of the race - almost 6 miles on 6 lanes of black top. No shade and the temperature getting increasingly warmer.


We left PCH and ran north along the path at Bolsa Chica State Beach to Mile 20.5, essentially retracing our steps along PCH but this time with a view of the ocean and without the 6 lanes of black top :-). The ocean views were great and the breeze helped to cut the heat a bit. A quick turnaround and then another 5 miles south retracing our steps. 

At Mile 25.5, we exited the beach path and headed south on PCH to the finish line. Conditions at the finish were in the low 80s - February in SoCal.

Post-finish we rushed to pickup our drop-off bags, shower and head the airport for a quick bite. Fortunately we had a live stream of the Superbowl on the plane and caught the 2nd half at home.

Overall, here's how the run rates in my book:

Organization – Well organized, marked course and great support. Grade: A

Course - Some nice parts however the PCH portion, almost 10 miles, is pretty lousy. But hey, finding a marathon in February that is dry and warm isn'tn easy. Grade: C

Aid-stations - Many aid stations, fully stocked. Plenty of water and electrolites. Grade: A

Swag – Nice medal and dri-fit long sleeve shirt.  Grade: A

Price - Incredibly steep. Grade: D

Joining First Round Capital's Expert Network

I started working with First Round Capital in July 2015 as part of their Expert Network.

As many entrepreneurs have discovered, finding strong advisors can be a difficult proposition. The goal of the Expert Network is to reduce the friction that happens all to often when entrepreneurs attempt to find an advisor to help with a specific need:

The First Round Expert Network is a carefully curated community of over 100 experts across domains — like product, design, engineering, marketing, finance, business development, and human resources — who are available to advise First Round companies to help solve their biggest problems, today.

This is different than the work I do with StartX as a Lead Mentor in several ways — most notably that while StartX takes no equity in any company, FRC has invested in all the companies that take advantage of the Expert Network. Additionally, StartX is an incubator whereas FRC is a venture capital firm.

In the first six months, I have had two main areas of focus:
  • Advisor to CEO - advising CEOs in areas related to engineering, hiring, culture, financing and scaling a business
  • Technical advisor - advising CEO/CTOs in areas related to mobile, cloud computing and global scale
Time commitment is always a big concern of mine - domain specific advisory roles keep interactions focused and productive. FRC gets a definite “thumbs up” on this one!

If you are interested in learning more FRC’s Expert Network, head over and sign-up

Race Review: Florence Marathon - Finisher

On Sunday, November 29, 2015 we ran the 32nd edition of the Florence Marathon.

Florence was our last stop in Italy and after 11 days touring, it was time for the marathon. Everyone tried to have a lazy day on Saturday to rest up and recover from the miles of walking and running every day. We headed out to the expo to pick up our bibs. The expo was on the marathon course so we made sure to scout out the neighborhood and get a general feel for the run (although we missed the hill at Mile 20). The usual excitement of an expo, this time all in Italian. There were just over 9000 runners and over 90% were Italian (there were 50 Americans in total). So ... *everything* was in Italian. Which made it a lot more fun :-)

Race day

We were staying close to the start of the point-to-point race. It was late November and anything is possible but fortunately it was dry and relatively warm (~40F) with light winds. The race started beside the Arno river promptly at 8am in several waves. Each wave began with a cheer and great crowd support. Before I knew it, we were off ... and promptly split off into groups of 1 or 2 or 3. I wouldn't see some of my fellow travellers until the finish line!

Kilometers 1 - 5 were pretty straightforward - fun neighborhoods, lots to see. We ran past the main train station and into Parco del Cascine around 5.5k. I wasn't sure how this part of the run was going to go as the map looked like we would just doing loops and mentally, that can be tough. Seeing the Kenyans exiting as we were entering the park is normal stuff as they are easily twice as fast as I am. However watching the other runners loop by you over and over can kill your morale. Luckily, this run was well thought out as the park was large enough that you didn't see the other parts of the loop until you were upon them. Five miles here was great - beautiful trees, nice paths and best of all, the first stop in the park had hot tea. Some of the group found this to be a treat and made sure to hit it at every stop they could. I just stuck with the Italian-style gatorade, which was ... fizzy. But it was quite good! 

After exiting the park, we crossed the Arno and after a few miles, crossed under the old city gate and past the walls that used to protect Florentinians from the attacking Siennans hundreds of years ago. We ran through town up towards the Boboli Gardens and the Piatti Palace. We then headed East along the Arno and crossed it again at Kilometer 21 - the halfway point of the marathon!

The next 10k took us through various neighborhoods in Florence, past the Academia and up to the site of the expo at Stadio Comunale. This part of the run was interesting but has lots of turns so you have to pay attention. There was a not-nice surprise waiting at Mile 20 -- a pedestrian bridge over the railway. Steep hill at Mile 20, ugh, who is the sadist that put this on the course?!

The last 7k of the marathon had an amazing number of important sites - the Duomo (and the amazing dome built by Brunelleschi), Campanile, statue of David and crossing Ponte Vecchio just before Kilometer 40.

The last 2k went by in a flash and before I knew it I was across the finish line. Quick trip to pickup our drop-off bags, shower, dinner, pack and then head to airport in the morning. Crazy trip but a great marathon!

Overall, here's how the run rates in my book:

Organization – Well organized, marked course and great support. Grade: A

Course - A lot of turns! See a number of Florence neighborhoods and listen to the locals yell "die die die!" as you run by (which apparently means "go go go"). Grade: A

Aid-stations - Many aid stations, fully stocked. Plenty of water, hot tea, bananas and fizzy electrolites. Grade: A

Swag – Nice medal and dri-fit short sleeve shirt.  Grade: A

Race Review: L.A. Marathon - Finisher

On Sunday, March 15, 2015 we ran the Los Angeles Marathon, something I never thought I would do.

I have to confess, LA isn't my favorite place. Just the thought of the town brings visions of traffic jams, smog and urban sprawl. When one of our buddies suggested we do a group weekend there and schedule it around the marathon, my vote was a solid "no way". I lost. 

Fast forward six months and it was time to head to LA. We had rented a house near Venice Beach and bit by bit everyone turned up. To orient ourselves to LA (and have some fun before the marathon) we went to Universal Studios on Friday. The weather was warm (a harbinger of what was to come) but pleasant for the time of year. A good time was had by all, however, I would personally recommend that you stay off the Minion rollercoaster -- it made me turn green.

Saturday was the day to keep our feet up, rest and hydrate. First we had to hit the expo to pick up race packets and look for fun race shirts (sponsored by asics, so they had some good ones). We had been receiving email the last few days about the potential for hot weather but the news on Saturday took everything up a few notches. Suddenly we were all being blasted with "Be careful" and "plan ahead" email from the Race director. This freaked everyone out. By the afternoon, the announcement was made that the race would still have the same start time of 7am but they were eliminating the "wave" starts. This meant that we could start earlier (good) but that it would be a complete zoo at the start with a mix of runners and walkers, all moving at different speeds (bad). 

Our Saturday night dinner was quiet instead of the usual rowdy "let's all get pumped up" vibe the group usually has during a pre-race meal. There was quite a bit of discussion about race strategy, should we run/not run and an overall feeling of ... well, impending doom. As the group got ready (you probably know this already, but never wait until the day of to prepare) we took an inventory - we had salt tablets (new for some us and I really don't like to try something new on race day), bandanas that hold ice (great for ultras apparently), plenty of fluids and a solid race plan.

Race day

The race is point to point, so we rose early, left the house at 4:30am and headed to Santa Monica to catch the bus to Dodger Stadium (as a Giants fan, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make this journey. Somewhere I was sure that I would see Kruk and Kuip there, scowling at us and yelling "We see you!")

The race started right on time at 7am and as advertised, there was only 1 wave -- everyone at once. The temperature was a warm 75F but the sun wasn't up yet. The first few miles of the course had some moderate hills but the main issue was watching your feet. Lots of people, all going at a different pace. At times, the runners in front would suddenly part like the Red Sea and you would have to quickly dodge a walker. A little crazy.

We hit Mile 7 about 8:30 and were very happy to see some of the group cheering us on with signs and words of encouragement. Funny but sometimes that makes all the difference. At this point, we were taking salt tablets once an hour and besides the initial GI feeling of ugh, everyone was feeling strong and on plan.

Miles 10 - 14 were fun - incredible crowd support, plenty of tourist attractions (Gruman's theater, Hollywood, Sunset Strip). All the while we were hitting a series of rollers; the course was never really flat. After Mile 14, we made our way down a series of hills to Beverly Hills. The sun was out in full force by this and the temperature was rising. The crowds were great, cheering everyone on and squirting the runners with water (the Fire Dept even opened some hydrants and had hoses going as well). 

Mile 20 came and I hit the wall hard. The course crossed over the 405 freeway here and there are no trees or shade to speak of -- due to the street configuration, there weren't even crowds or hoses. It got really hot; all the ice in my bandana and the cubes under my hat had melted. Time to bust out some mental toughness! 

We pushed on and ran through Brentwood, starting at Mile 22. The crowds returned, ready to keep the runners wet and cool. There were trees. The course even started to head downhill towards the Pacific Ocean. Life was good :-)

Soon we could see the final left turn onto Ocean Avenue/Highway 1. Santa Monica is such a beautiful sight and that day didn't disappoint. The coast was great, the rides on the pier were packed and the finish line half a mile ahead. At this point, your adrenaline takes over and before I knew it, I was across the finish line, standing in front of some seriously cool machines that quickly reduced my body temperature. Finishing temperature was almost 90F.

Overall, here's how the run rates in my book:

Organization – Well organized, marked course and great support. Grade: A

Course - Didn't think I'd like it, came away loving it. Great way to see lots of different neighborhoods in LA. Grade: A

Aid-stations - Many aid stations, fully stocked. This was a critical aspect of the race due to the heat. I understand they had issues in previous years but 2015 was very well done. Grade: A+

Swag – Nice medal and dri-fit short sleeve shirt.  Grade: B+

Joint Venture Silicon Valley - State of the Valley Conference 2015

Joint Venture Silicon Valley held the annual State of the Valley Conference today and it was, as expected, phenomenal.

I've been a board member at JVSV for the last two years and am always impressed by the excellent Russell Hancock, President/CEO of JVSV. Russ and team work hard all year for this event and it shows.

One of the most interesting parts of the day for me is the data-rich (geek heaven!) presentation that leads off the conference. JVSV issues the "Silicon Valley Index", a study of the local economy, housing, venture capital and other important aspects of Silicon Valley metrics. There is a ton of data, so much so that it doesn't all fit in the report - JVSV has launched a website to allow everyone to dig more into the numbers - you can find it at http://siliconvalleyindicators.org/

Data from the study quickly made its way into various stories in the media and will likely be quoted widely.

Kudos to everyone at JVSV - can't wait until next year

Race Review: Prague Marathon - Finisher!

On Sunday, January 11, 2014 we ran the Prague Marathon, in the beautiful Czech Republic.

Prior to race day, we made sure to take in a walking tour of Old Town and the surrounding neighborhoods to make sure we had a good understanding of the many historical areas the race travels through. This was a really good idea and I highly recommend it.

Here's the official race video that shows some of the amazing sights

Race day

The race started at 9:00 am just off the Old Town Square. 9:00 is a late start for me as I usually run early so I tried to sleep a bit later than normal and worked on fueling. The latter turned out well but sleeping in on race morning didn't work -- too much adrenaline! Temps were in the low 40s with high humidity and a forecast intermittent rain.

The start was amazing - we ran west through Old Town Square and almost immediately crossed the Vltava river. A quick left turn, headed south and just past Mile 2, across the Charles Bridge. This bridge is usually full of tourists, but today it was all runners, all going the same direction. An amazing sight to see (the video above does a good job capturing it). We then crossed (again) over the Vltava and headed north along the river for the next 5 miles.

The elevation of the course was pretty consistent, a few hills but nothing of significance.

At Mile 8, we crossed the Vltava again and headed south. We ran along the river, had a quick out-and-back loop from miles 16 - 19 and kept going. I had not ventured this far south in Prague and it was neat to see the buildings and various statues along the route. Crowds were out cheering, and continued to do so even during the rain showers. The rain was nice because it would get very humid, then rain, then the temperature would drop and the cycle would start again. Things never got too wet; the lower humidity was nice.

Crossing the river two more times, we ran mostly along the water and took in sights like the colorful buildings below that are amazing to see.

Finally, we took a left turn, ran down the cobblestone Staromestske Namesti, into the Square and through the finish line. Great run!

Overall, here's how the run rates in my book:

Organization – Well organized, marked course (was worried I'd get lost and don't speak Czech but had no problems). Grade: A

Course - 26.2 miles of an 11th century city, most of it with a view of the river. Grade: A

Aid-stations - Many aid stations, fully stocked. No Gatorade. Fun volunteers. Grade: B

Swag – Nice medal and dri-fit short sleeve shirt.  Grade: B+

Bonus - Got to run in Prague


StartX: Vynca.org

The latest class of companies officially joined Stanford's StartX incubator in late 2014. As a Lead Mentor, I am fortunate to mentor two companies, one of whom is Vynca

Mission

Vynca.org was founded on the idea that we could all benefit greatly from making early decisions about our end-of-life care. 

Working with their initial customer, Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), Vynca is striving to make end-of-life care discussions part of the doctor/patient relationship. 

Vynca and OHSU are using the POLST framework ("Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment") to enable patients to specify what type of care they would want in various medical situations. Their ePOLST system enables the sharing of POLST data with state registries and other healthcare systems.

While this might not sound like the "normal" mentoring engagement, the mission of the company resonated with me immediately. Also, the team has many of the same challenges that any startup has including technical implementations with large healthcare systems, how to navigate the world of venture capital, hiring and more.

Team

The Vynca team consists of 2 PhDs and 2 MDs, a great combination that understands both the medical and technical aspects of their business. Keep your eye on them as they continue to make progress!

StartX

Quick note - company applications for the next session must be submitted by February 1st, 2015.


StartX Teams

I’ve had more than a few asks recently about the various teams I’ve mentored at StartX (I was a mentor at the first StartX, fka SSE Labs, session in June of 2010 and continue in this role today). After a bit of sleuthing through my mail, I’ve put together what I think is a comprehensive list along with any pointers/info I have about the current status of the team.

Roles

  • Lead Mentor - my primary role at StartX
  • Board of Advisors - I occasionally serve as a Board member for companies. The BoA is comprised of entrepreneurs, VC and StartX alumni
  • Judge - Periodically I participate in the evaluation process which determines the teams that are invited to StartX/StartXMed.

Teams

  • ThinkBulbs - Led by Alvin Tse, ThinkBulbs launched the "Say Cheeze" app for iOS. Alvin is currently at FlipBoard.
  • Fresh Cookies
  • Juntos Finanzas - Led by CEO Ben Knelman, Juntos continues to be recognized for their innovative approach to providing financial products and services to cash-based households.
  • Nutrivise - Led by CEO Laura Borel, Nutrivise was acquired by Jawbone
  • Mind Sumo - A fantastic team of folks, driving hard to help college students succeed in the job market.
  • Medigram - HIPAA compliant group messaging for doctors/hospitals. 
  • Endowr - Team at the formation phase, trying to disrupt student loan lending.
  • Appfluence - Hai and team offer Priority Matrix, an award winning, multi-platform project management app.
  • Bluesora - An early company in the quadrotor space.
  • Pixelapse - GitHub for designers and their teams/customers.
  • Insynctive - Led by CEO Eric Kish, Insynctive offers a SaaS-based solution for HR, benefits and payroll.
  • arc
  • Tangible Play/Osmo - Changing education and iPad gaming with the interaction of tangible objects and software.
  • Roam Insights - Enterprise sales analytics tools.
  • Dynaoptics - True optical zoom for mobile devices
  • Script - Building a great photo/drawing app, PicCandy
  • OMG