EPISODE 09: MARK QUEZADA
Mark discusses his experiences in the tech industry and his transition to successful entrepreneur and CTO at Hobnob
Mark is the CTO and Co-Founder at Hobnob. Mark is one of the most talented full stack developers and startup minds in Hawaii. He’s founded multiple companies, has built apps and websites visited by millions, and has been a major asset in the Hawaii startup ecosystem for nearly a decade.
LINKS AND RESOURCES
Podcasts Mentioned
a16z podcast by Benedict Evans
The Startup Radio School by Aaron Harris
Entrepreneurs Mentioned
Startups Mentioned
Blogs Mentioned
Accelerators and Events Mentioned
SHOW NOTES
3:44 – Mark’s introduction to the tech world
5:52 – How Mark ended up in Hawaii
7:19 – Mark’s first tech job
8:42 – The thought process behind MirthLab
10:40 – Working for Pierre Omidyar
13:07 – Joining the Fast Customer team
17:40 – Applying to Blue Startups first cohort
19:10 – Trying to get their first company off the ground
22:30 – The elevator pitch for his first company Minded
24:49 – Moving from Minded to Hobnob
27:10 – The idea behind Hobnob
29:50 – Overcoming obstacles on launch day
30:48 – How Hobnob uses Twilio for scaling
36:27 – Hobnobs first users and the start of their organic growth
40:56 – Raising a round (first investor gave a term sheet 2-hrs after initial meeting)
42:20 – What its like for Mark being able to shape the culture of his team and product
44:46 – Working with team members across the globe
46:30 – Testing and hacking growth – How changing the gradient color on their app icon improved downloads by 300%
48:27 – What’s in store for Hobnob
49:40 – Rapid Fire Q&A – What is your favorite thing about Hawaii, favorite beach, useful tools for entrepreneurs, favorite blog or podcast, book that has been read or gifted multiple times, someone that you find inspiring, final tips for entrepreneurs
57:56 – BONUS! – Mark talks about what it was like working with Ebay Founder, Pierre Omidyar