#01_introductions
Welcome to the Gildre Introductions Channel! Please feel free to introduce yourself once you join this community. We recommend sharing your name, city you're based out of, LinkedIn profile, and a fun fact about what you're currently doing/building.
Thread
Hey everyone, excited to join Gildre!
About Me:
• I’m from Orange County, California
• Background in insurance & politics, I originally wanted to be a lawyer or politician before founding my company
• Fun fact: I started building my company at 18
What I’m Working On:
• Building PropTrak, an AI-native property management platform with 60+ AI features to automate daily tasks for property managers
• Long term, growing Aletheia Technologies into an AI & robotics research hub with a mission to reshape how AI interacts with the real world
How I Can Help:
• Insights on AI SaaS development, fundraising strategy, and go-to-market planning
• Knowledge in insurance, compliance, and financial modeling (from my time at Farmers Insurance)
• Always happy to connect on early-stage growth, pitching, and ecosystem building
Why I Joined Gildre:
• To connect with other founders scaling ambitious companies
• To trade real stories about fundraising, scaling, and navigating early startup stages
Where I Could Use Support:
• Feedback on fundraising approaches and investor readiness
• Connections in proptech, AI, and SaaS ecosystems
• Advice on scaling from zero to first paying users
LinkedIn:
Excited to connect with everyone!
Pumped to have you in the community <@U09D3NN4RS4>! Looking forward to supporting your journey and learning from your expertise.
<@U09D3NN4RS4>
Curious what made you want to be a lawyer or politician and what made you change your mind? Only if you'd like to share more, of course.
Before being a founder, I spent 20 years in public education. I started as an English teacher because I wanted to help kids. I wasn't in the classroom very long and climbed the ranks to #2 at one of the largest school districts in Illinois.
I thought, finally, I could make the changes I've been dreaming of.
It was a constant battle.
Red tape, bureaucracy, and BS.
It led me to burnout.
I retired shortly after the pandemic and have been finding my way back to myself and my own vision of "making the world a better place."
I do miss walking into the cafeteria on a random Thursday between meetings and just that buzz when things are humming, kids are happy, and the vibe is high.
And, there is nothing like the way young people will speak their truth when asked. That was always refreshing.
Learning how to do the newest TikTok trend was also an added benefit 🙂
<@U098UKF3GKS> Welcoem to Gildre! Thanks for the thoughtful questions! Much like you, I wanted to change the world and I thought being a politician or a lawyer I could make that change. My short time on capital hill showed me otherwise though. Just as you explained, it’s a constant fight against red tape and bureaucracy.
That’s why I decided I wanted to be a founder. They don’t follow others rules and systems, they make their own.
Your journey in public education sounds incredible, and you seem really passionate about what you were doing. Those kids were lucky to have you. I hope you find a new buzz here on your founder journey because there’s is a lot to enjoy and you still get to meet great people unafraid to speak their truth! Let’s stay in contact !