8 ms·

My friend just told me this made it to the front page of HN and I feel I should add a quick follow up that a year later I haven't been happier about the decisio

My friend just told me this made it to the front page of HN and I feel I should add a quick follow up that a year later I haven't been happier about the decision. I actually decided to start my own company a couple months ago with a friend and former classmate, and we are actually part of the current YC batch (www.amulyte.com) and I couldn't be more excited about how things have turned out :)

sbilstein 13y ago
I made the same decision after about 10 months at Bing back in 2011 and joined an early stage startup in Seattle. A year and a talent acquisition later, I'm in SF working for a web company that couldn't be more different (and happier) thenMSFT. Good job on getting out; I'm glad I did when I had the chance!
- jacalulu 13y ago
  Thanks! I'm glad things worked out so well for you too :)
mabbo 13y ago
Out of curiosity, what city did you base the startup out of? (Couldn't find it on the website). I recently moved back to Toronto (Amazon Seattle to Amazon Toronto) and I've noticed that there really seems to be growth in the industry here. Lots of little start-ups, and lots of large companies opening and expanding offices. It's fantastic.
- serverascode 13y ago
  There's an Amazon Toronto?
  - mcpherrinm 13y ago
    Yes, both in Mississauga by the warehouse and in downtown, though I don't know details about either location. http://toronto.amazon-jobs.com/ http://toronto.amazon-jobs.com/
  - CaveTech 13y ago
    It's worth noting that Amazon will pay the same employee less money to work in Toronto than Seattle, yet cost of living in Toronto is slightly higher.
    - nasalgoat 13y ago
      You don't have to pay for healthcare is the justification I believe.
- jacalulu 13y ago
  We were based out of Markham while I was back living in Toronto (free office space), but have relocated to Mountain View while going through YC. We haven't decided where we will be based out post Demo Day yet - I think it will depend on how the next couple of weeks play out. Toronto/Waterloo area is definitely growing and expanding - I went to school at UW and it's crazy to go back and visit and see how much has changed. I'm also partial to the SF area, the energy here is still quite different than back in Toronto I've found.
iamshs 13y ago
I was interested to know why is shoplocket not listed on your LinkedIn? Obviously, this might be a personal question, and no answer is deemed necessary but was just curious about the direction of the original project.
- jacalulu 13y ago
  I ended up staying at Shoplocket for only 2 months. It was a great experience and I'm still really close with the founder (she's a great friend of mine). I decided not to list it on LinkedIn because I think it usually just raises more questions than answers when someone sees you worked at a place for only 2 months. I ended up writing another post about why I left after 2 months - http://jaclynkonzelmann.com/when-things-take-a-turn/ http://jaclynkonzelmann.com/when-things-take-a-turn/
  - iamshs 13y ago
    Thank you for the link. It is interesting to see trajectory of one of your peers. I am from the UofA and want to go in a similar direction. :)
    - fnbr 13y ago
      Who, really?me too! It's cool to see fellow Albertans on HN.
jacalata 13y ago
The amulyte website seems to imply that you are the only outside-the-home option, which isn't true. You might want to edit that a bit. Overall I found it a little weird that none of the content appears to be addressed to the old person who will wear and use the system (it all talks about "your loved one" not "you") - if you're targeting seniors who want to "maintain their independence", shouldn't you be expecting at least some of them to be still aware enough to want to look this stuff up for themselves?
- jacalulu 13y ago
  Thanks for the feedback! The voice we use on the website is something we have put a lot of careful thought into. We talked to several retirement home directors, researchers in elder care, rehab experts (the list goes on) and we learned that in almost all cases, the decision to use a device like this is made by the daughter or daughter-in-law. That is why the copy on our website addresses the audience as being the primary caregiver as opposed to the senior. Most seniors won't be looking at the website to learn more about the product, but we also wanted to make sure there was a way for them to read about it if they wanted to learn more, so we also have a brochure available that is addressed to them. As for other products that are able to work outside - there really aren't that many options available, and all of them are missing certain features that we have built into ours. The most popular systems being used today definitely are not capable of working outside (Philips Lifeline, Life Alert, etc.), and that is the primary market that we are targeting. The combination of being cell enabled, single device, online portal, with activity tracking capabilities is something that sets us apart from those systems. We also have a WiFi module integrated into the device to allow us to accurately detect location even indoors (other systems simply use GPS and cell towers).
mh- 13y ago
Amulyte website has a typo: "The device is equppied" :) looks like a solid offering, best of luck.
- jacalulu 13y ago
  Thanks! Just fixed it :)

sbilstein 13y ago

I made the same decision after about 10 months at Bing back in 2011 and joined an early stage startup in Seattle. A year and a talent acquisition later, I'm in SF working for a web company that couldn't be more different (and happier) thenMSFT. Good job on getting out; I'm glad I did when I had the chance!

jacalulu 13y ago
Thanks! I'm glad things worked out so well for you too :)

mabbo 13y ago

Out of curiosity, what city did you base the startup out of? (Couldn't find it on the website). I recently moved back to Toronto (Amazon Seattle to Amazon Toronto) and I've noticed that there really seems to be growth in the industry here. Lots of little start-ups, and lots of large companies opening and expanding offices. It's fantastic.

serverascode 13y ago
There's an Amazon Toronto?
- mcpherrinm 13y ago
  Yes, both in Mississauga by the warehouse and in downtown, though I don't know details about either location. http://toronto.amazon-jobs.com/ http://toronto.amazon-jobs.com/
- CaveTech 13y ago
  It's worth noting that Amazon will pay the same employee less money to work in Toronto than Seattle, yet cost of living in Toronto is slightly higher.
  - nasalgoat 13y ago
    You don't have to pay for healthcare is the justification I believe.
jacalulu 13y ago
We were based out of Markham while I was back living in Toronto (free office space), but have relocated to Mountain View while going through YC. We haven't decided where we will be based out post Demo Day yet - I think it will depend on how the next couple of weeks play out. Toronto/Waterloo area is definitely growing and expanding - I went to school at UW and it's crazy to go back and visit and see how much has changed. I'm also partial to the SF area, the energy here is still quite different than back in Toronto I've found.

iamshs 13y ago

I was interested to know why is shoplocket not listed on your LinkedIn? Obviously, this might be a personal question, and no answer is deemed necessary but was just curious about the direction of the original project.

jacalulu 13y ago
I ended up staying at Shoplocket for only 2 months. It was a great experience and I'm still really close with the founder (she's a great friend of mine). I decided not to list it on LinkedIn because I think it usually just raises more questions than answers when someone sees you worked at a place for only 2 months. I ended up writing another post about why I left after 2 months - http://jaclynkonzelmann.com/when-things-take-a-turn/ http://jaclynkonzelmann.com/when-things-take-a-turn/
- iamshs 13y ago
  Thank you for the link. It is interesting to see trajectory of one of your peers. I am from the UofA and want to go in a similar direction. :)
  - fnbr 13y ago
    Who, really?me too! It's cool to see fellow Albertans on HN.

jacalata 13y ago

The amulyte website seems to imply that you are the only outside-the-home option, which isn't true. You might want to edit that a bit. Overall I found it a little weird that none of the content appears to be addressed to the old person who will wear and use the system (it all talks about "your loved one" not "you") - if you're targeting seniors who want to "maintain their independence", shouldn't you be expecting at least some of them to be still aware enough to want to look this stuff up for themselves?

jacalulu 13y ago
Thanks for the feedback! The voice we use on the website is something we have put a lot of careful thought into. We talked to several retirement home directors, researchers in elder care, rehab experts (the list goes on) and we learned that in almost all cases, the decision to use a device like this is made by the daughter or daughter-in-law. That is why the copy on our website addresses the audience as being the primary caregiver as opposed to the senior. Most seniors won't be looking at the website to learn more about the product, but we also wanted to make sure there was a way for them to read about it if they wanted to learn more, so we also have a brochure available that is addressed to them. As for other products that are able to work outside - there really aren't that many options available, and all of them are missing certain features that we have built into ours. The most popular systems being used today definitely are not capable of working outside (Philips Lifeline, Life Alert, etc.), and that is the primary market that we are targeting. The combination of being cell enabled, single device, online portal, with activity tracking capabilities is something that sets us apart from those systems. We also have a WiFi module integrated into the device to allow us to accurately detect location even indoors (other systems simply use GPS and cell towers).

mh- 13y ago

Amulyte website has a typo: "The device is equppied" :) looks like a solid offering, best of luck.

jacalulu 13y ago
Thanks! Just fixed it :)