Giving back
I have been remarkably fortunate in life. Growing up in a suburban middle class family, I got a great education in public schools and graduated from a state university with a valuable engineering degree. I have been employed at good companies, run a successful consulting business, and co-founded a very successful ventured-funded startup. A long while ago, I began to think about how I could pay back some of this good fortune I have had.
Is now the time for a startup?
Things are looking pretty bleak in the economy today, even though there might be some improvement going on. For those that still have jobs, they still wonder if they will have a job tomorrow or if they will be among next week’s statistics of the jobs lost the previous week. Is now the time to take chances and throw in with a startup?
Introductions
Since this is the first time most of you will have run into me, I guess I should introduce myself. I’m currently retired, by choice. I advise two venture funded startups, Agito Networks and Aerohive Networks. I volunteer my time to the Jazz Archive project at KCSM-FM, digitizing the third largest jazz LP collection in the world. I serve on the board of San Jose Jazz, a service organization that provides music education programs and presents the San Jose Jazz Festival.
