understanding the people on the other side
zuaiworked on community and communications for an ai tutor for indian students.
g. b. piranesi · c. 1761
the temple of the sibyl at tivoli
a surviving temple at tivoli, etched around 1761. this belongs to piranesi’s vedute di roma: a series of views that turns real architecture into something worth looking at slowly. the pixelated surface gives way to the fine lines of the original as you look closer.
see the original at the meti’ve wanted to build something of my own for as long as i can remember.
i spend a lot of time thinking about design, tech, music and finance. i’m drawn to how things are made, how they make us feel, and why people choose them.
finance interests me as a way to understand how the world works — how money moves, how businesses grow, and how people make decisions when the outcome is uncertain.
g. b. piranesi · c. 1754
the bridge and castel sant’angelo
rome seen across the water: the bridge and castel sant’angelo, around 1754. another view from the vedute di roma, but a different rhythm — the horizontal span of a bridge and the solid mass of a castle. the moving strip is a detail of this larger etching.
see the original at the metTHE CURRENT CHAPTER
01 / these daysbuilding closet theory.
i’m leading product and tech at closet theory, a fashion-tech company born out of the foundery. a small team, a consumer idea, and a lot still to figure out.
g. b. piranesi · c. 1749–50
the drawbridge
this place was imagined. made around 1749–50, the drawbridge is part of piranesi’s carceri d’invenzione, or imaginary prisons. unlike the views of real places elsewhere on this page, its architecture belongs to an invented world.
see the original at the metTHE WAY HERE
02 / a few chapterslearning what it takes, by trying.
a few stops along the way. each one left me with something.
starting with a question
lancetried building a more personal way to hire, matching people and jobs by intent.
learning through the product
muvinworked on product design for a fintech app for teens, with over 50,000 users.
finding a way in through design
unlearn productled design for a cohort-based product management program.
trying something of my own
yellotried building personalized learning for people at work. it didn’t work out. i didn’t stay with the problem long enough to solve it.
building a creative agency
aeonstarted a creative agency working with startups on their brands and content — identities, websites, pitch decks, packaging and social media.
following my curiosity into finance
true beaconworked on quantitative narratives and research, finding ways to make financial ideas easier to understand.
putting myself in the room
the foundery to closet theoryjoined the foundery and began building in the consumer space. now leading product and tech at closet theory.
THINKING OUT LOUD
03 / from my notebooksome things are easier to think through in writing.
01explorationchase nonlinearityon exploring beyond your lane, and the person you become by staying in it.02building in indiawhy not to build in india is the best argument to build in indiathe gaps we’ve learned to live with, and the companies that could be built inside them.
view all writing ON MY BOOKSHELF
04 / pages in progresswhat i’m reading, and what stays with me.
02 reading00 finished
sapiens
currently readingthinking in bets
currently readingLET’S TALK
05 / leave a little helloalways up for a good conversation.
if you’re building something, exploring an idea, or thinking about any of the same questions, say hi. i’d like to hear about it.