
Science Breaks Free – Startup Portrait #1: Microryza - Jackson-Solway
https://medium.com/startup-portraits/dcf0ba20b679
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larrys
A good way to get publicity.

But it's obvious that the idea of using a residential apartment (won't even
get into zoning etc.) and a living quarters that cramped isn't a long term
solution to a business.

Nice gimmick but I would question if this were replicated 100 times how many
setups like these would yield positive results as opposed to the obvious
problems with living like this and working in close quarters.

Add: With respect to what I said about "long term" yes it's obvious that it's
short term but it seems as if the hype makes it out to be a mid term solution

"The team claims the environment helps them make decisions fast, and I got the
feeling they wouldn't have it any other way"

...rather than just a curiosity.

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Jackson-Solway
The photographer here...

I completely agree it's not a long term solution, but I got the feeling from
being with the team for two days that it might work in the mid term. The
situation wouldn't be right for the vast majority of founders, but the team
gets along better than any I've worked with.

The biggest downside is probably the impact on recruiting for senior
employees, especially folks from academia. There might be bigger cultural
issues with those types of people though.

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chatman
Perhaps this is how Foxconn might be like for Chinese factory workers. Working
in a shitty place, but working hard towards a better future.

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rfnslyr
Working in a shitty place? That place looks _awesome_! I would love to work in
a place like this.

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angersock
So, some things to consider when doing this:

Who am I working with? Am I comfortable with those same people having free
access to my person and belongings while I sleep?

Do I trust these folks not to do something stupid that could damage the
capital while partying? (I once had somebody spill a beer into an SGI
workstation because we were using an apartment as an office, and one of our
dudes threw a party.)

Can we deal with the weird interpersonal dynamics that spring up in a group of
mixed sexes that is also collaborating on a business--presumably the same one
paying rent?

Do I have a place I can go to to get away from work/home if needed on a
reliable basis? Is it going to cost me all my money?

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what_the_pho
Microryza employee here. The majority of us were friends from before
Microryza, so there was a lot of trust already going into it.

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angersock
Similar story with our current living situation.

I think that having a community is very important in making any business
venture--I would be unsurprised to see this emerge as a pattern in
entrepreneurial ventures for folks our age.

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auctiontheory
That's a large one-bedroom apartment.

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ctvo
Can you turn this into a reality show? I'd watch.

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Jackson-Solway
Photographer here again...

Haha—the idea has already come up!

Stills are a little easier though, and probably more importantly, they're way
less intrusive than full-on filming. There's just something nerve-wracking
about knowing everything you do is being recorded. I wouldn't want to subject
a team to that.

I'll also note that we nailed down expectations right at the beginning for
what was on and off the record. I have a bunch of much goofier pictures, for
example, that won't be getting out ;)

