Barts Electric’s Post

Announcing… ✨ UnVale's new VP of Engineering, Calvin Fisher, with 15 years of experience and two successful exits as an Engineering lead!!! Beyond being a fantastic person, proud father, and self-described nerd, Calvin had an immediate understanding of our unique community and infrastructure needs as we scale to millions of active users. Our hiring process was intense! Quickly after closing the round, we began the month-long hunt for our perfect engineering lead. During our process, we attracted: 🧑💻 - Over 900 qualified applicants 🤓 - 46 applicants from FAANG with over 10+ years of experience. 🦸 - 194 ex-founders, including 9 YC alumni. What it came down to was unimpeachable technical chops and a deep understanding of team management, process, and our infrastructure–as well as what it takes to scale a company to an exit. Bri and I are so happy to welcome Calvin to our team, which now includes 6x founders who have been a part of 4 company exits. I asked Calvin for a quote so you could hear firsthand why he joined UnVale— “I'm thrilled to be heading up the engineering team at UnVale! I've been leading software teams for over a decade and making software professionally for over 15 years. I'm coming to the team after leading my most recent startup to a successful acquisition directly out of its incubator phase. As a lifelong nerd, I've been involved in creative communities like this one since the days of dialup. People are one of the most crucial factors in a company's success, and I believe wholeheartedly in the team and their ability to bring this product into the world; the culture and community around UnVale are second to none.” He might even be a better writer than me… Keep following our journey at our UnVale company page. There is plenty more to do in 2024–and we are going to squeeze every drop out of this year–but this is all in prep for a truly transformative 2025! Talk soon.

Exciting news: I'm launching a 2nd company in early 2025 Wtf, why? In building Paage these last 2 years, I came across a really big problem. I knew if I could solve it, it would at least triple our growth, so I spent months looking for a good solution. I couldn't find anything I like that actually worked, so I built an internal solution. Over time, my internal solution got better and I started showing it to friends. They all wanted it. Running 2 co's at once seems like it'll be a lot of work, but this new co just seems too promising. The best part: it uses a lot of the same tech as Paage! So as I improve one product, the other gets better too. What to expect: + If you're a Paage customer, Paage will get even better now + I'll share learnings building the new co (hint: it's not in the sales space) + New co details coming early next year Stay tuned :)

To Cofactr, New York is home. Phillip Gulley and I started Cofactr in Brooklyn for a simple reason: we both lived and worked here. But as the company grew and we saw what other startup hubs around the country like SF and LA had to offer, we knew that being based out of Brooklyn wasn’t just about convenience - it was about laying a foundation that would support our long-term success. Here’s why: 🏆Talent Pool: Brooklyn gives us access to a vibrant mix of skilled software engineers, designers, and operators without sacrificing proximity to our operations. 🔗Connectivity: With major airports and efficient public transportation, reaching customers and partners is a breeze. When you’re constantly visiting customers or suppliers, easy access matters. 🏭Industrial Space: People don’t often associate Brooklyn with industrial logistics, but it’s one of the few places where we can co-locate our physical facility with our engineering team. For a semiconductor logistics company, having engineers close to the warehouse keeps us agile and connected, avoiding the disconnect of placing our facility in a low-cost market miles away. Brooklyn isn’t just where we started - it’s where we’ve grown, with the right mix of talent, access, and space that few other locations can match.

My Early Days as a Domestic EV Partnership Manager at Plug Me In 🚗 Embarking on my journey, in this exciting new role, I've already been fortunate enough to experience the joy of customer engagement I can already feel that each interaction with our wonderful customers is not just a meeting but a step towards building a long lasting partnership I am so lucky that at Plug Me In I have also experienced this as a team leader on the operations side. This really gives me a broad understanding both of customers needs and how we can deliver that operationally to help everyone make the steps towards Net Zero Here's what's made my experience so amazing so far in these early days: The Power of Listening I've learned that the most profound connections start with listening. Understanding our customer’s needs has been the cornerstone of our budding partnerships Collaboration Over Transactions It's not just about closing deals, it's about creating value together. The synergy between our team and our customers has turned conversations into collaborations Shared Success Stories Celebrating wins, big or small together, has fostered a sense of shared achievement. Our customers aren't just clients, they are partners in our mutual journey towards success Strong teams I can’t believe how quickly I have fitted into the commercial environment. It helps being supported by amazing people, and a special shout out to my line manager Mark Stevenson MBA. As I continue to navigate these waters, I'm reminded that at the heart of every partnership is a shared vision and trust. Here's to many more chapters of positive engagement and strong partnerships! #PartnershipManagement #CustomerEngagement #SharedSuccess Plug Me In #ev #evcharging

We got placed on the same team completely by chance. 2 years later, we quit our jobs to be Co-Founders. Michael Hess and I used to work at the same company. I was VP of Product. He was a Tech Lead. We spent a while working together because of this project, and I actually made a note to myself that when I'm ready to start a company, I should talk to Michael. He was undoubtedly "co-founder material"—mainly for 3 reasons: 1. He's incredibly effective with technical skills. If you're building any company (or even Product, really), you need a Michael on your side in this sense. 2. He's a fantastic communicator. This is sort of rare with some technical people. Not him though. Michael communicated his priorities, progress, goals, and everything else extremely effectively. 3. He has high integrity, and it shows. Honestly, as a part of a team, this isn't crucial for me. We're working to get a job done. When building a company, though—where we're responsible to investors, our team, and customers—it is. Working with him on that project, I thought Michael would be a great person to build a company with. 2 years in, it's safe to say I was right. Michael's been a better Co-founder than I even expected. I'm excited for what's next! 

Hard to think of a more rewarding thing as a manager than promoting your team. Hard to think of an easier decision than promoting Jethro Cohen. If you are a founder...you must know Jethro! When he reaches out, you are ignoring him at your peril. He is passionate about what he does. He loves the job and loves helping those around him. He builds outstanding relationships and networks that he uses to help founders - whether we've invested or not. And when we do, he goes super deep and will run through walls to help you out. He's no just a people person though - he is smart, insightful and will give great direction on key strategic issues you are facing. It's no wonder he has such respect and admiration from founders and other investors in the ecosystem. Noone is perfect though, so buyer beware: he has the worst taste in icecream possibly ever. He staked his career on a certain flavour. Lucky he's bloody good at his job, because he lost that bet but we kept him anyway. Jethro Cohen - there's no stopping what you can do. I look forward to watching you develop into a future leader at Square Peg and across the industry more broadly!

What a year it's been A bit more than a year ago, I decided to try out life as an consultant helping founders and CEOs going to market in a more repeatable and scalable way. Despite really missing working tightly together with my own team, I must admit it's been quite good first year, where I: 1. Got a much more flexible calendar allowing me to sit in the garden sunshine a bit more often in casual clothes :-) 2. Have met with tons of brillant people and really expanding my network both in size and quality 3. Learned that what we did at Playable is quite rare 4. Seen how hard scaling is for most founders and also 5. Learned that I really, really like sales + a lot more! So I'm up for 2nd year again trying to balancing out working with cool companies, having full flexibility and enjoying life. Soon it's all about a few weeks in Italy with my lovely family fueling me massively for the second half of the year! Have a great summer!

Yesterday, we opened the doors to our new office at Level 2, 29/104 Bathurst Street, Sydney—and I’m filled with a sense of gratitude and excitement for what’s to come. This moment represents more than just a new space; it’s the beginning of a new chapter, filled with possibility, growth, and the determination to overcome every challenge that comes our way. The truth is, growth doesn’t come without setbacks. You’ll face obstacles—some big, some small—but they aren’t the end of the road. They’re the stepping stones that shape you, teach you, and make you stronger. Many give up when things don’t go as planned, but the reality is, the only limits we have are the ones we set for ourselves. If you're starting your career in IT or dreaming of building your own SaaS startup, don’t let the hurdles stop you. Be resilient. Be creative. Be unstoppable. I’ve been there, and I’m here to help you take that next step with confidence. Let’s catch up over coffee—whether you’re looking for guidance, support, or just someone to bounce ideas off, I’d love to help you navigate your journey and turn those dreams into reality.

📣Calling all junior or senior Finance or Accounting major! If you're interested in learning more about RV, don't miss this great opportunity to join us for our Networking & Career event on November 6th. You can sign up at the link below! #finance #financejobs #accounting 🚀❤️

“Dom don’t jump!” Said no one when Dom Odoguardi and I shot content at one of the highest places in NYC. But why did we shoot here? Because we have all hit high points in our careers so it just made sense. So when my guy Dom came to NYC we wanted to share our highs in marketing and sales with our communities. Mine being around alignment with your company and teams when building a startup. Understand where budget should be allocated and what research should be completed before going all in is extremely important if you’re looking to save time and build lean. What are some of your highs in your role? Ps. Go check out Dom’s profile to see the other clip of our lows… shot at one of the lowest points in Brooklyn according to Dom.