Post-YC Demo Day Reflections

2 years ago around this time, I was still working at Well.ca. Things were going well and I was good at my job. It was also around that time when I was making a huge decision. A decision that unexpectedly led me to Y Combinator couple years later.

Lots of Sleepless Nights

I was wrestling with a challenge so scary I didn’t know whether I could solve it or even how to begin. I felt an obligation that it was up to me to fix some of the things that could be improved in the world. It was like picking to code a speech recognizer in high school without knowing how to begin and had no teacher for guidance.

For weeks there were many sleepless nights. I would pace around my apartment debating whether I should go for it or stay at Well.ca. It’s always the hardest to be first when there are no results yet, and others probably had doubts about me. Well, in the end I decided to jump right in, like all other times when I’m faced with a challenge.

I scheduled a meeting with Well.ca founder Ali Asaria to tell him the decision. I wanted to personally tell him because he’s been an inspiration. I said to Ali, “You started Well.ca when you were 27. I am 28 now. I’m going to go start my own company.”

Ali was very supportive. He gave me advice and offered to help in whatever way he can. And of course he kept his word in the years that followed. I’m very thankful. Without him, we might not be where we are now.

2 Years Later - YC Demo Day

Fast forward 2 years, I can’t believe that I just wrapped up my time in YC S14 batch with the demo day this week (see coverage on TechCrunch). I’m very thankful for everyone at YC. They worked hard to make this happen. I’m also very thankful for them believing in us and accepting Kash into the batch.

There are many great companies in my batch with impressive traction. There are also non-profits in the batch doing inspiring work. I’m sure the impact of this batch will be felt for years to come.

I was also very lucky to have found my co-founders Kaz and Geoff. We formed an awesome team that’s been through all kinds of battles you can think of. It’s still a miracle to me. Missing any one of us, I probably would be writing about very different things now.

The timing also had to be right, because along the way we also added my super awesome friends of 10+ years, Steve and Pritesh. If situations didn’t align, things might have been quite different now.

Looking back at my first post about my startup, it’s absolutely incredible to me that I’m entering the 3rd year of my entrepreneurial journey.

The Future - Endless Determination

I’ve concluded that “Startups are not as impossible as you think, but it’s more difficult than you ever imagined.”

There will be lots of challenges ahead, but I believe in the Kash team. Each time our hypothesis was proven wrong, we adapted and forged ahead. We were limited by time and resources at every turn, and we executed regardless.

I thought one of my best traits is persistence, but even that was challenged beyond my imagination. So many times when things became tough, I pulled through because of my co-founders and the voice in my head that says, “If you think you can do it, then you can do it.”

I’m not the smartest person in the room. But I believe that I have sufficient skill and massive will power to bring positive change to the world. Whether that works out depends on many factors, some of which is out of my control. But you can bet I’ll give it my all.

That’s my mission.