The last post: end of sabbatical

It has been a while since I wrote an update, and a lot has happened in these last few months. This is my last post in the sabbatical series, because I’m no longer on sabbatical now! I have recently joined a young company, Videoverse, to lead product, and am excited for what lies ahead.?

In my update 2 months ago, I wrote about how a ‘plan for a plan’ was emerging, but I myself wasn’t very clear what that concretely meant, and whether or how it was a good thing.?In hindsight, I was building mental comfort with the shape and size of what I wanted to work on next, which helped me make the decision that was to come soon.?

Late March and early April brought with them interesting, exciting and very different opportunities, several of which I could imagine going deeper/ full-time on. I’ve written briefly about some of these below, but since I wasn’t keeping track of exactly which happened when, here’s the overall version:

• A McK friend and mentor introduced me to a senior technology leader in India, with whom I started jamming on an idea that marries web3 to marketing tech. It was very intellectually stimulating, and a few others from his network joined in, and we had a few weeks of regular calls and created plans. At the same time, we realised that we were/ are in the early days of what looks like a crypto-winter, and so, we need to build much more conviction and proof in the idea to make it investible, both for an external VC type, and for us with 100% of our time.?
• Another mentor from my time at Google introduced me to a very senior Xoogler (think: one of the OGs) in the valley, who was looking for a product lead for a new idea they were working on. My first reaction was “Wow, they want to talk to me?”. Unfortunately, we soon realised that it would be suboptimal for me, sitting in London, to work with a Bay Area based team, given I have the clarity that I don’t want to move back any time soon. Life’s too short for me to play H1B-H1B. To add to that, for me, the sector they are building in was new (steep learning curve), and the target user persona not intrinsically exciting (gotta stay honest!). So, we concluded this was a no-go, and I now have a story to tell :) especially when they make unicorn.?
• Another Xoogler founder with seed funds in the bank (a MarTech idea, again!) got in touch through common connections, and for a couple of days we talked quite seriously about whether I’d join the founding team. They even made a detour on their Europe trip to meet me here in London, which I tremendously appreciate. Their whole team is Bay Area based as well… so…?
• A startup I’ve been advising is now very close (fingers crossed) to raising their first large-ish round, and we contemplated whether I should join full time. We gel well on a personal level, I am bullish about the product, and believe I can add a lot of value. But if we’re being honest, I’m more useful to them as an objective outside advisor vs. full-time, given both the complementary skillsets of the founders, and better use for their resources in growing the tech and sales functions. To add to that, I believe that my own skills are much better suited in a larger organisation. So, we decided I would continue to help them from the sidelines.?
• Last but certainly not least, my good friend Kaushik introduced me to one of his firm’s recent investments, Videoverse. More on that later…

I visited family in India for a few weeks in April, and attended 2 weddings and 2 major senior birthdays in 10 days. Fun and hectic. Not sure I want such crunched trips too often. But it’s family. And that’s why being “close by” in London is so awesome. Argh. Yes, we like this, and signed up for it.?

<side-thought>The cat doesn’t, and didn’t. Or maybe she loves it, being alone in a big house. Who knows. </side-thought>

The rest of my time in India, I spent meeting friends and some of the companies and people mentioned above. I particularly enjoyed one full day in one of the quieter parts of Goa, where a close friend has been holed up for more than a year, maxing out on the WFH situation. We had good food, long walks on the mostly empty beaches, and even longer chats. I’m definitely thinking Swati and I need to figure out such a work-from-beach situation in the not-too-distant future. Even the internet connection out there was better than London or Bay area, so there’s really nothing to miss. Missing a lot of stuff is actually the point. Except when you realise no other friends live within a 2 hour radius. Hmm. Ok, maybe a regular work-cation then.?

The month of May just flew by. Conversations with the Videoverse team were going well, and we sensed we might be a good fit. It is a product in a space that I find exciting, targeting a user persona I would like to build for and can empathise with. I had a chance to meet many of the team members, and we were getting good vibes both ways. Several of my former McK colleagues who had special insight helped me think through the opportunity, which was immensely useful. The people equation was checking out, as much as one can do this outside-in. Working from London was not merely possible, but we believed it could be an advantage, esp. on the customer side. And finally, the stage of the company and my intended role presented an excellent opportunity for personal growth. So, all in all, it quite nicely fit the shape and size of what I’d been looking for. My time over the past few months had readied me to take such a jump, and honestly, I was itching to get back to building tech and feeling part of a team again. And so, we shook hands on it.

As soon as I knew the timer was running out on my sabbatical, I tried to make the most of the few weeks left and maxed out on afternoon naps, coffees and walks. Some family (including our high-energy 7-year-old niece) visited us in London in this time as well, and it felt good to be able to spend quality time with them before things got busy.?

Come June, as I jumped into work, things have gotten busy again. That, and wanting to wait a little to gather my thoughts, is why I’ve held off on this last post.?

“But I thought you were going to take at least 6-12 months off!” several friends remarked. I smile, and my answer is that I was always open to it (definitely 6, not so sure of 12, that’s their vicarious imagination), but I never made it a goal. My stated goal was no-commitments for 3 months, which I diligently stuck to :).?

Looking back on the last 5 months, which is what the time off has ended up being, I can confidently say that it has been fun, relaxing, sufficient, and very useful. I got a chance to reconnect with myself and with friends, to cook up new ideas, to enjoy time with family, to reflect on what I want next, and to build comfort, inner confidence and excitement to take on something quite new and different. I’ll do this again!

P.S. No post is complete without a picture of Niki, my omnipresent sabbatical-time companion and silent zen-guide. For this last post, I allowed myself to snap a selfie with her, as she sits at my desk and judges and nudges in equal measure everything I do.