Ryan Angilly

I am joining Roximity

As a technical guy in Boulder, there’s no shortage of opportunity. Earlier this summer I needed to pull back from working full-time on Signal Genius in order to pick up some contracting & pay the bills. With that, the flood gates of “Oh you’re free? Want to work on this startup/project/company with me?” opened up. Opportunity is a double-edged sword in Boulder. On one side, it exists and is everywhere. But on the other side, all that opportunity can induce decision paralysis.

When I decided to start seriously considering some of these offers, I had to put a framework around the decision making process. That included understanding what I value.

• I don’t value a big salary: just pay me enough to live in Boulder, go skiing, fix my car if it breaks, and go out on Pearl Street every now and then.
• I don’t value haggling over equity: there are basic ranges that are obvious to people who have been around, so just give me a fair chunk and let’s get back to work.
• I value team & culture: when shit hits the fan, does the team put their heads down with a big grin on and say ‘hold on tight’?
• I value learning: is the opportunity positioned in a way that will maximize my exposure to new experiences? For me, this means being slightly beyond the idea phase, and being along for the ride of growing the technical infrastructure, business partnerships, revenue, and team size.

That last one is the clincher. I’ve seen lots of startups in every stage, and it’s rare that an opportunity comes along where that kind of learning is possible. One thing became clear over the past couple months, Roximity is this opportunity. It’s a rocket ship about to take off, and I am beyond excited to be a part of it.

Those of you close to me might be wondering what’s happening with Signal Genius. Well, it’s certainly not going away. Signal Genius has the potential to be a really great business. I, along with my cofounders Jonathan and Rich, have put a lot of work into SG over the past year understanding the problem and refining the product. We all agreed it would be silly to just throw that away. For me, however, it’s simply time to move on. Jonathan and Rich are going to keep going strong, and I’ll still be involved as a technical advisor.

Two days ago was my two year anniversary in Boulder. It’s amazing what can happen in 104 weeks. I’m looking forward to the next 104 weeks, and beyond, with Roximity.