My current CTO job does not completely fill the bucket.
I am one of three executives. The work touches data centers and managed services, and I have room to change a lot. The piece I still miss is being an entrepreneur.
I wanted to create a service, take it to market, and help decide where the company went.
I wrote to somebody I had trusted since the early Beatport years and asked whether he wanted to build again. Beatport had been the beginning of a lot for both of us. We had learned, grown, and had a ridiculous amount of fun doing it.
Since leaving Beatport, I have explored cloud infrastructure at Peek, mobile devices, telephony, managed hosting, and customer operations. Peek's missing Series C cut that job short, but the company is now a small client and partner.
The new idea was a managed infrastructure company for growing technology businesses. It would combine dedicated hardware, cloud systems, virtualization, load balancing, firewalls, storage, and the software required to make those pieces manageable.
I already have a couple of small clients and access to data-center space. What I need is somebody who understands finance, marketing, equipment leasing, and how to turn technical capability into a real company.
The idea is not especially sexy. I said that directly. It looks bootstrappable and relatively low risk. If it works, it could pay for other projects later.
There is one complication. My current role creates possible conflicts, so I need some anonymity until the new company is off the ground. A partner who can be forward-facing with early clients is important for that reason too.
The note went out while I was ending a ridiculous travel loop through Amsterdam, Kansas City, Denver, and Austin.
The subject was “New beginnings.” I sent it and asked whether he wanted to talk.