I have intended to post about starting at thestartupfactory.tech for some time, but the team has been working on so much exciting stuff that I was a bit distracted! However the business is so unique I thought it would be worth sharing some of my thoughts on the first few months.
tsf.tech is not like anywhere else I’ve worked. Everyone here has a voice to suggest changes in how we do things, we all have a share in the business and as such that means we’re all shareholders in the startups we’re working with.
People are the most important part of our business, I met most of the team before I joined, and equally the whole team meet Founders before we agree to take on projects with them. This means we all get the opportunity to make sure we share the same vision and values, and we’re on the same page before we kick work off. Once work commences we’re all empowered and trusted to own our work and deliver the best results for our startups.
One of the main attractions of coming here for me, was working with startups, taking an idea and turning in to something useful in a relatively short timeframe. During these three months, I’ve been working with several startups with a ‘mobile first’ strategy, so focusing on mobile apps and mobile friendly websites using Expo (check it out if you haven’t encountered it before, it really streamlines cross-platform app development). There is a huge variety in our startups and Founders, which leads to an interesting array of tech discussions in the office, from intricate graph database designs and how to manage Kubernetes Cluster upgrades through to how to best handle embedded system failures. One thing remains consistent, though: Every founder we work with has an infectious dedication and drive to get their idea built and to the market. There’s a good balance between work, development and social time too. We have a monthly team evening out, and take it in turns selecting where to go (it hasn’t been mine yet but I’m already working on the shortlist) as well as a team breakfast once a week, and Friday mornings are our own R&D time, meaning I get to dedicate some time to my own development.
The office is buzzing now, with tech drop ins, new founders pitching ideas and our current founders sharing our working space. I’m looking forward to an even brighter future here at TSF as we grow the team (check out the vacancies here!) and set more startups on their journeys to world domination.
