Rob has successfully bankrupted 3 tech companies, is a YCombinator alum, has built products used globally by brands like MTV & Sony, and has raised funding in the US & UK. He is author of The Mom Test, a handbook on how to learn from customers when everyone is lying to you.
His first company — way back in 2007 — was an attempt at a scalable startup that didn't work out. But he had some moments along the way: going through YC, raising from great investors, and closing some big customers like Sony and MTV.
After burning out (and bankrupting himself) on that one, he started building his businesses in pursuit of freedom. He set his sights on financial independence and early retirement, which he reached about five years later (in his early 30s).
He then took a three-year sabbatical, learned to sail, rebuilt a derelict 1972 Westerly Centaur, and vagabonded through the coasts and canals of England, France, and Spain. Much to hissurprise, he discovered that he actually quite enjoyed working (as long it's on interesting things with good people), so he un-retired, sold the boat, moved to the mountains of northern Catalonia, and got back to it. He's now back to working with Devin Hunt (yet again) to build software and support for indie nonfiction authors.
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