https://simplecast.com The Retro You're listing to The Retro, our show where we talk about the tactical, nitty-gritty, of how anyone can build a successful career in tech. I'm your host, Randy Brown, and along with Kirk Fernandes, we're the co-founders of Merit. Merit is a free platform to connect people on software teams to senior leaders in their field to growth their craft and career. Merit Technology Co, 2019-2020 en Mon, 20 Apr 2020 19:26:41 +0000 Mon, 20 Apr 2020 19:26:51 +0000 https://retro.simplecast.com The Retro https://cdn.simplecast.com/images/9545e5c4-ae0e-40d3-a794-75497ffa4c70/06c3f8e0-9d2f-4c3d-a879-d5057102ba9e/3000x3000/the-retro-logo-v6.jpg?aid=rss_feed https://retro.simplecast.com episodic You're listing to The Retro, our show where we talk about the tactical, nitty-gritty, of how anyone can build a successful career in tech. I'm your host, Randy Brown, and along with Kirk Fernandes, we're the co-founders of Merit. Merit is a free platform to connect people on software teams to senior leaders in their field to growth their craft and career. Randy Brown, Kirk Fernandes yes https://feeds.simplecast.com/g_OjR59e Merit Technology Co team@get-merit.com 792d1c53-1ea0-473c-b852-942a83b7ba1b Donald DeSantis Today we're joined by Donald DeSantis. Donald is a founder, designer, investor, and (soon to be) author. He was previously co-founder of Hightower (now VTS), which he grew from an idea in a Seattle coffee shop to a 250 person company. In this episode, we talk about why people join early-stage startups, the foundational and operational obsessions of founders, the golden triangle of hiring and why Merit is called Merit.

]]> Mon, 20 Apr 2020 19:26:41 +0000 team@get-merit.com (Chris Scott, Donald DeSantis, Kirk Fernandes, Randy Brown) https://retro.simplecast.com/episodes/donald-desantis-7SkHalUr Today we're joined by Donald DeSantis. Donald is a founder, designer, investor, and (soon to be) author. He was previously co-founder of Hightower (now VTS), which he grew from an idea in a Seattle coffee shop to a 250 person company. In this episode, we talk about why people join early-stage startups, the foundational and operational obsessions of founders, the golden triangle of hiring and why Merit is called Merit.

]]> Donald DeSantis Chris Scott, Donald DeSantis, Kirk Fernandes, Randy Brown 01:01:40 Today we're joined by Donald DeSantis. Donald is a founder, designer, investor, and (soon to be) author. He was previously co-founder of Hightower (now VTS), which he grew from an idea in a Seattle coffee shop to a 250 person company. In this episode, we talk about why people join early-stage startups, the foundational and operational obsessions of startups and why Merit is called Merit. Today we're joined by Donald DeSantis. Donald is a founder, designer, investor, and (soon to be) author. He was previously co-founder of Hightower (now VTS), which he grew from an idea in a Seattle coffee shop to a 250 person company. In this episode, we talk about why people join early-stage startups, the foundational and operational obsessions of startups and why Merit is called Merit. obsessions, founders, hiring yes full 8 08bbbb1e-56dc-42e6-ab37-c9c742e69d86 Jen Hau Today we're joined by Jen Hau.

Jen Hau is currently a Senior Product Manager at Truss. Previously Jen has held product leadership roles at Troops, VTS and VenueBook. Jen also has worked as an Operations Manager at Compass, worked at one of David Chang's restaurantS, volunteered for the 2008 Hilary campaign and has a law degree. Full disclosure Jen is a coach, investor, advisor in Merit along with being a friend.

Thanks for joining us, Jen!

]]> Wed, 8 Apr 2020 16:19:15 +0000 team@get-merit.com (Merit Technology Co) https://retro.simplecast.com/episodes/jen-hau-eRjKKmb0 Today we're joined by Jen Hau.

Jen Hau is currently a Senior Product Manager at Truss. Previously Jen has held product leadership roles at Troops, VTS and VenueBook. Jen also has worked as an Operations Manager at Compass, worked at one of David Chang's restaurantS, volunteered for the 2008 Hilary campaign and has a law degree. Full disclosure Jen is a coach, investor, advisor in Merit along with being a friend.

Thanks for joining us, Jen!

]]> Jen Hau Merit Technology Co 00:46:48 Today we're joined by Jen Hau. Jen Hau is currently a Senior Product Manager at Truss. Previously Jen has held product leadership roles at Troops, VTS and VenueBook. Jen also has worked as an Operations Manager at Compass, worked at one of David Chang's restaurantS, volunteered for the 2008 Hilary campaign and has a law degree. Today we're joined by Jen Hau. Jen Hau is currently a Senior Product Manager at Truss. Previously Jen has held product leadership roles at Troops, VTS and VenueBook. Jen also has worked as an Operations Manager at Compass, worked at one of David Chang's restaurantS, volunteered for the 2008 Hilary campaign and has a law degree. yes full 7 318dd3e5-6391-470a-9580-9b8ab3c491ab Urim Choi Today we're joined by Urim Choi, Director of Product at Eden Health and a coach on Merit. At Eden Health, Urim is building a new type of primary care delivery platform.

Urim has nearly a decade of experience in Product Management across healthcare, commercial real estate, and ad-tech.

Urim has led many big projects in his time as a PM, including launching the AppNexus Data Marketplace, leading the internationalization efforts of VTS, and scoping and launching Blink Health's first home delivery business in under six months.

In this episode we talk about

  • 🏥 The surprises of being a PM in the healthcare space
  • 🕵️‍♂️ Running a real product discovery process in a different country
  • đź’Ľ Transitioning from being an accountant to product manager

Whether you're just starting out or many years into your career, I think you'll really enjoy this episode!

]]> Wed, 18 Mar 2020 15:56:43 +0000 team@get-merit.com (Urim Choi, Chris Scott, Kirk Fernandes, Randy Brown) https://retro.simplecast.com/episodes/urim-choi-If_N_mIE Today we're joined by Urim Choi, Director of Product at Eden Health and a coach on Merit. At Eden Health, Urim is building a new type of primary care delivery platform.

Urim has nearly a decade of experience in Product Management across healthcare, commercial real estate, and ad-tech.

Urim has led many big projects in his time as a PM, including launching the AppNexus Data Marketplace, leading the internationalization efforts of VTS, and scoping and launching Blink Health's first home delivery business in under six months.

In this episode we talk about

  • 🏥 The surprises of being a PM in the healthcare space
  • 🕵️‍♂️ Running a real product discovery process in a different country
  • đź’Ľ Transitioning from being an accountant to product manager

Whether you're just starting out or many years into your career, I think you'll really enjoy this episode!

]]> Urim Choi Urim Choi, Chris Scott, Kirk Fernandes, Randy Brown 00:36:43 Today we're joined by Urim Choi, Director of Product at Eden Health and a coach on Merit. Urim has nearly a decade of experience in Product Management across healthcare, commercial real estate, and ad-tech. At Eden Health, Urim is building a new type of primary care delivery platform. Today we're joined by Urim Choi, Director of Product at Eden Health and a coach on Merit. Urim has nearly a decade of experience in Product Management across healthcare, commercial real estate, and ad-tech. At Eden Health, Urim is building a new type of primary care delivery platform. yes full 6 e4792a21-0530-4715-9320-9346a2bf454c Kwame Thomison Today we're joined by Kwame Thomison.

Kwame is currently the Founder and Principal at Magnetic, which provides coaching for engineering leaders and social learning experiences for emotional intelligence, software delivery best practices, leadership, and more.

Kwame has more than a decade of building software for companies such as Facebook, Google, and Asana. Kwame is also a coach on Merit where he enjoys coaching engineers who are looking to level up in their career.

In this episode we talk about

  • Joining a healthy engineering culture and learning
  • Becoming not just senior, but an expert, in your craft
  • Translating technical expertise into a team-wide mission

Whether you're just starting out or many years into your career, I think you'll really enjoy this episode!

]]> Mon, 9 Mar 2020 12:00:16 +0000 team@get-merit.com (Chris Scott, Kirk Fernandes, Randy Brown, Kwame Thomison) https://retro.simplecast.com/episodes/kwame-thomison-AiB9MXNi Today we're joined by Kwame Thomison.

Kwame is currently the Founder and Principal at Magnetic, which provides coaching for engineering leaders and social learning experiences for emotional intelligence, software delivery best practices, leadership, and more.

Kwame has more than a decade of building software for companies such as Facebook, Google, and Asana. Kwame is also a coach on Merit where he enjoys coaching engineers who are looking to level up in their career.

In this episode we talk about

  • Joining a healthy engineering culture and learning
  • Becoming not just senior, but an expert, in your craft
  • Translating technical expertise into a team-wide mission

Whether you're just starting out or many years into your career, I think you'll really enjoy this episode!

]]> Kwame Thomison Chris Scott, Kirk Fernandes, Randy Brown, Kwame Thomison 00:41:15 Today we're joined by Kwame Thomison! Kwame has more than a decade of building software for companies such as Facebook, Google, and Asana. Kwame is also a coach on Merit where he enjoys coaching engineers who are looking to level up in their career. Today we're joined by Kwame Thomison! Kwame has more than a decade of building software for companies such as Facebook, Google, and Asana. Kwame is also a coach on Merit where he enjoys coaching engineers who are looking to level up in their career. yes full 5 94f43e89-a513-4d78-9349-7ae8a0277f06 Kirk Fernandes ft. Stephanie Del Paggio Today's format is a bit different than normal, as we're going to interview my co-founder, Kirk Fernandes. As such, joining us today as co-host is Stephanie Del Paggio. Stephanie is a Product Manager at Harry's, a direct to consumer company which designs, builds, and distributes quality grooming solutions. Stephanie's early in her PM career — so we figured we would have a lot to ask our guest today about learning the craft of PM.

 

Today our guest is Kirk Fernandes, who's my co-founder at Merit. Kirk is also one of the Merit coaches where he focuses on coaching Product Managers at every level of career. Kirk started his career at Microsoft, where he was a Product Manager on a variety of teams including Outlook. After Microsoft, Kirk was the Head of Product at Hightower, and became a Lead Product Manager at VTS by way of a merger.

]]> Tue, 18 Feb 2020 13:00:03 +0000 team@get-merit.com (Stephanie Del Paggio, Chris Scott, Kirk Fernandes, Randy Brown) https://retro.simplecast.com/episodes/kirk-fernandes-stephanie-del-paggio-LXSVO6_i Today's format is a bit different than normal, as we're going to interview my co-founder, Kirk Fernandes. As such, joining us today as co-host is Stephanie Del Paggio. Stephanie is a Product Manager at Harry's, a direct to consumer company which designs, builds, and distributes quality grooming solutions. Stephanie's early in her PM career — so we figured we would have a lot to ask our guest today about learning the craft of PM.

 

Today our guest is Kirk Fernandes, who's my co-founder at Merit. Kirk is also one of the Merit coaches where he focuses on coaching Product Managers at every level of career. Kirk started his career at Microsoft, where he was a Product Manager on a variety of teams including Outlook. After Microsoft, Kirk was the Head of Product at Hightower, and became a Lead Product Manager at VTS by way of a merger.

]]> Kirk Fernandes ft. Stephanie Del Paggio Stephanie Del Paggio, Chris Scott, Kirk Fernandes, Randy Brown 01:14:47 Today our guest is Kirk Fernandes, who's my co-founder at Merit. Kirk is also one of the Merit coaches where he focuses on coaching Product Managers at every level of career. Today our guest is Kirk Fernandes, who's my co-founder at Merit. Kirk is also one of the Merit coaches where he focuses on coaching Product Managers at every level of career. yes full 4 cb880fc3-2aba-401e-813e-3543d0c06845 Will Howard Today we're joined by Will Howard, who's a coach a Merit. This year, Will co-founded Do What Works, which provides companies data and insights to help them run better tests faster. Before that, he was a Director of Engineering at Meetup, where over 11 years he hired an unknowable number of engineers and led various teams of 5 - 30 people. Tue, 11 Feb 2020 13:00:01 +0000 team@get-merit.com (Chris Scott, Will Howard, Kirk Fernandes, Randy Brown) https://retro.simplecast.com/episodes/will-howard-0Em_RvxR Will Howard Chris Scott, Will Howard, Kirk Fernandes, Randy Brown 00:59:46 Today we're joined by Will Howard, who's a coach a Merit. This year, Will co-founded Do What Works, which provides companies data and insights to help them run better tests faster. Before that, he was a Director of Engineering at Meetup, where over 11 years he hired an unknowable number of engineers and led various teams of 5 - 30 people. Today we're joined by Will Howard, who's a coach a Merit. This year, Will co-founded Do What Works, which provides companies data and insights to help them run better tests faster. Before that, he was a Director of Engineering at Meetup, where over 11 years he hired an unknowable number of engineers and led various teams of 5 - 30 people. yes full 3 960cacfa-afcb-4461-90af-bb519970906d Kate Matsumoto Today we're joined by Kate Matsumoto. Kate is a Senior Product Designer at Etsy, which is an online marketplace where people can make, sell, and buy unique goods. She previously worked for CreativeMornings and Tattly. When Kate's not at her monitor, you can find her at her pottery wheel, or hosting the podcast, "So where are you from?". Kate is also a coach on Merit, where she enjoys connecting with other designers to help them craft their own careers. Tue, 4 Feb 2020 05:00:02 +0000 team@get-merit.com (Chris Scott, Kirk Fernandes, Kate Matsumoto, Randy Brown) https://retro.simplecast.com/episodes/kate-matsumoto-O2n2yKlI Kate Matsumoto Chris Scott, Kirk Fernandes, Kate Matsumoto, Randy Brown 01:09:50 Today we're joined by Kate Matsumoto. Kate is a Senior Product Designer at Etsy, which is an online marketplace where people can make, sell, and buy unique goods. She previously worked for CreativeMornings and Tattly. When Kate's not at her monitor, you can find her at her pottery wheel, or hosting the podcast, "So where are you from?". Kate is also a coach on Merit, where she enjoys connecting with other designers to help them craft their own careers. Today we're joined by Kate Matsumoto. Kate is a Senior Product Designer at Etsy, which is an online marketplace where people can make, sell, and buy unique goods. She previously worked for CreativeMornings and Tattly. When Kate's not at her monitor, you can find her at her pottery wheel, or hosting the podcast, "So where are you from?". Kate is also a coach on Merit, where she enjoys connecting with other designers to help them craft their own careers. yes full 2 5463587c-fb7f-41ea-a021-ba5c4478bc86 Jackie Jiménez Today we're joined by Jackie Jiménez, a Staff Software Engineer at Meetup, where she's worked on Product and Platform teams. Prior to Meetup, she led engineering teams at SportsRocket Media, where she was a Director of Engineering.

Jackie is passionate about diversity and inclusion in tech, writing clear and maintainable code, and building reliable architecture solutions.

]]> Sun, 26 Jan 2020 22:36:55 +0000 team@get-merit.com (Chris Scott, Kirk Fernandes, Jackie Jiménez, Randy Brown) https://retro.simplecast.com/episodes/jackie-jimenez-gpDwpWS8 Today we're joined by Jackie Jiménez, a Staff Software Engineer at Meetup, where she's worked on Product and Platform teams. Prior to Meetup, she led engineering teams at SportsRocket Media, where she was a Director of Engineering.

Jackie is passionate about diversity and inclusion in tech, writing clear and maintainable code, and building reliable architecture solutions.

]]> Jackie Jiménez Chris Scott, Kirk Fernandes, Jackie Jiménez, Randy Brown 01:08:29 Today we're joined by Jackie Jiménez, a Staff Software Engineer at Meetup, where she's worked on Product and Platform teams. Today we're joined by Jackie Jiménez, a Staff Software Engineer at Meetup, where she's worked on Product and Platform teams. yes full 1