The night we made our summit push on Mt. Kilimanjaro, we woke up at 1AM. After a hasty breakfast of millet soup, we began our 8-hour trek to the 19000-feet elevation peak.
On paper, this was the hardest hike I've ever done. From the lack of oxygen, to the 50mph howling winds, to the elevation gain, to the pitch darkness, it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime challenge.
But, in the moment, it didn't feel that way. I wasn't anxious or worried as we ascended. I don't even remember feeling sore after nearly 4000 feet of elevation gain.
I remember only bits and pieces: my shins flexing from the steep gradient; the sand particles ricocheting off my face from time to time, reminding me to distance myself further from the hiker in front of me; the first rays of sunlight peeking over a blanket of clouds as vast as the ocean, ever so slightly tickling my cheeks with warmth.
But for most of that morning, all I did was place one foot after another. I was in an almost trance-like state, running on autopilot. There was no room in my head for anything else.
Our journey from Seed to Series A felt very similar.
There were no ingenious "a-ha" moments, dramatic 180s, or existential pivots.
Over the course of 12 months, we just put one week after the next, one customer after the next, one project after the next.
There was rarely any room in my mind for contentment, doubt, or contemplation. There was always another ARR goal, Linear ticket, or customer ask to tackle.
Our victories were short-lived, but setbacks felt temporary as well. We got used to pushing through anything and coming out the other end stronger, as a team.
Just like that summit night, bits and pieces do stick out from the fray.
I remember moving into our own modern SOMA office, complete with standing desks, fancy chairs, and an espresso machine, feeling like we were finally a "real" tech company.
I recall when, after some initial hesitation, a superstar ex-colleague from Retool agreed to join our budding team and feeling like we were finally on track to build out a rock-star company.
And of course, I will never forget sitting across from Dalton Caldwell, Paul Buchheit, and Bryan Berg in a chilly hotel conference room during the Series A raise.
As we laid out our progress to some of the most legendary figures in VC, I couldn't help but be surprised at how much time had passed since the Seed round. It felt like only yesterday when we were just 2 boys with a dream. In many ways, we still were.
The summit at Kilimanjaro was beautiful. But because of the high elevation, we couldn't stay long. After a 15 minute stop to take photos and rehydrate, we put our packs back on and started our 2-day descent back to sea level—one foot after another.