Collate

As a founder, who you let validate the path you're on is make or break. Listening to VCs who don't know your product well is dangerous - whether you're running a life science or software company, let your customers be your guide. I had fun discussing this topic with Amy from Forbes. Thanks for having me. Collate https://lnkd.in/gZ2v_pjb

I didn't think I could feel this alive again. On the surface, this start up seems different than the last - AI software vs a life sciences, etc. But the parts I enjoy the most remain the same. Building a killer team and the joy of working with them each day. Creating a product people really want. Driving hard against tough deadlines. And last but not least, the chance to impact patient's lives in a profound way. Thank you to Amy Feldman and Forbes, to the entire Collate team, and to my cofounders Jigish Patel and Nate Smith. https://lnkd.in/gFjsEs3R

Seeing Collate on the Nasdaq billboard is exciting, but I'll be more excited when I'm ringing the bell inside. In the history of the US stock market, fewer than 1% of IPOs have been led by women CEOs. Our $30M seed isn't just about the numbers - it's about building something transformative in regulated industries, getting life saving medicines to patients faster, while hopefully paving the way for more founders to take their companies all the way. Thank you to our team, investors, and early customers who believe in our vision. Now, back to work.

Why I chose Surbhi as my co-founder and joined her to build Collate When Surbhi Sarna and I had the privilege of working with founders at Y Combinator, we often advised them on one of the most important decisions they’ll ever make: choosing a cofounder. YC cofounder Jessica Livingston has wise advice on this topic (https://lnkd.in/gGVxVpFb): Choose carefully—someone you already have a strong relationship with, you’ve worked together, you know is effective and reliable, and who shares your ambitions and moral outlook. Never did I imagine that advice would come into play with Surbhi’s 8-year-old son asking, “Is this another co-founder date?” It was. And it wasn’t planned. That moment in Surbhi’s living room sparked a conversation that made one thing clear: Surbhi is the perfect founder for this journey. Her vision for Collate is rooted in her personal experience building a medical device company from concept through acquisition by Boston Scientific, and investing in hundreds of life sciences and software companies as a YC partner. Jessica says that there are three essential qualities in a startup founding team: “determination, domain expertise, and ability to sell,” and Surbhi brings all three. What sealed the deal for me was Surbhi’s relentless passion for solving hard problems, her unwavering commitment to advancing human health, and—honestly—how much the two of us laugh together. Building a startup is a privilege, and doing it alongside someone you admire and trust is extraordinarily rare. Surbhi’s leadership and conviction, our prior experiences building nVision and Lever, and our time working together at YC, make me certain we’re building something transformative with https://collate.com/. To all founders: choose your co-founder wisely—it’s the foundation of everything. To Surbhi: thank you for bringing me along for this incredible ride. And to everyone reading this, stay tuned. We’re just getting started.

Introducing Collate and announcing our $30M seed round A few months ago, the symptoms returned: Midnight note-taking. A whiteboard in my shower. The familiar, consuming obsession with a product idea. I'd felt this exactly once before - right before starting my first company. Now, fifteen years later, that same undeniable feeling has returned. I have no choice but to become a founder again. While running my first company, I experienced the burden of documentation that life science companies face – from R&D to commercial readiness. Then at YC, I was lucky enough to witness the transformative, inevitable nature of software and AI. There's a unique opportunity to bridge my two worlds – to harness AI in a way that fundamentally changes how life science companies operate, letting them focus on what matters most: advancing human health. I'm thrilled to be building this alongside Nate Smith and Jigish Patel. The conviction in our vision is shared by an extraordinary group of investors who have backed us with a $30M seed round. Thank you to Satish D. at Redpoint, Josh and Liz Wessel at First Round and Sarah Guo at Conviction. And of course, YC is joining as well. To YC and Garry Tan - thank you for the invaluable gifts: a family of GPs I'll always count on, a deeper appreciation for software's potential, and most preciously, the privilege of supporting so many remarkable founders on their journeys. To my founders, I will always be here for you. And with that, I'm heading back to the founder's arena - grateful, energized, and ready for the many challenges that lay ahead. Thank you Forbes, for the great coverage: