New Beginnings at Hosting.com
This post is slightly overdue since most that know me have already heard the news, but several months ago I left investment banking and joined Hosting.com as Integration Project Manager. In my new role I’ll be focusing on the integration of acquired companies, as well as internal strategic projects as needed between acquisitions.
I went into finance after college because I recognized that while I had some hands-on entrepreneurial experience building a startup company, I still had a lot of learning to do when it came to the way larger established companies were run, financed, and sold. If I wanted to grow into a successful investor or to repeat my entrepreneurial success on a larger scale, I needed develop my financial skills and experience a variety of industries and companies. I got all of this experience and more during my time working with the many bright people at Edgeview Partners. Having a ringside seat next to our partners and clients gave me a great appreciation for all the considerations and work that go into corporate finance and dealmaking. In addition to intense hands on financial experience I got, the many late nights hardened and groomed a messy college senior into a stronger, more polished young adult.
However, in time, I realized that I really missed being around technology every day and working with a team to grow a business. Additionally, many of the most talented entrepreneurs and investors I’ve met and spoken with are also great operators, and I knew that I still had a lot to learn in that regard. I wanted to get back to growing a company. Last year’s turmoil and uncertainty in the financial industry provided the final push that I needed to break out of my routine, take some risks, and seek out something new. I connected with a long-time family friend who was able to point me to what would turn out to be the perfect combination of all the things I was looking for – Hosting.com in Denver, Colorado.
When I arrived in Denver to interview, I spent the entire cab ride from the airport to Hosting.com headquarters with my face pressed against the back window – the snow-capped Rockies, brown high plains, and expansive western sky were an arresting contrast to the rolling green hills of Charlotte. I met with several executives, and after a few hours discussing the job, my qualifications, and the quarterback woes of the Buffalo Bills, I knew Hosting.com was a place I could come to make a difference, gain some hands on experience in a growing company with great people, and (maybe most importantly) to get excited about work everyday.
Today, I’ve been here for just over three months, and each day has been interesting and educational. Hosting.com has been a great fit for me because it provides an opportunity to combine the financial and deal-related skills I learned in investment banking with my entrepreneurial drive and interest in technology. It’s also been extremely refreshing to “get on the bandwagon” after so much transactional work and actually focus on the long term success of the company. Everything I’m working on is directly focused on scaling our business, improving efficiency, or serving customers – it’s great to be able to get involved on an operational level. Being on the inside of a world-class datacenter/hosting company has given me a new appreciation for the massive network infrastructure that runs our modern internet. It’s also exciting to be on the cutting edge of much of the cloud computing architecture that will run the internet of tomorrow.
All in all, it’s been a great move for me, and I’m very glad to be back in the technology industry and back in a hands-on role. Wearing jeans to work isn’t too bad either.
PS – I’ve also made a commitment to update this blog more frequently in 2010 now that I’ve got a little bit more time available to write. You’ll still see plenty of posts in the “Finance and Economics” category, but also expect some more fleshed out content under “Technology” as I try to write more about cloud computing, applications, and internet infrastructure in general.
Imagine my surprise when I came back today to find that
I few days ago, there was a post on Digg highlighting a