Aphera 1.0

Software is hard. I’m getting close to 50. Tech has developed a new religion. The power dynamics have shifted, yet again. I asked myself in the last two years, what does work look like? What does it look like for me? I’d been working as a creative director and product designer at a VC firm, and as a founding designer at a number of startups. Both the VC and the last startup had embraced the two letters that you’re sick to death of hearing about by now. I didn’t necessarily expect to be making a photo editor in 2026. It’s harder to invest your own money, time, and effort into something while you’re nowhere near cash positive. Every person, or group of people, who starts up a small business and specifically skips outside investment is doing things on hard mode. I took this on a hike in Mt. Rainier National Park. This multi-day backpacking group reminded me of the shared experience of doing hard things. Developed in Aphera, of course. What does it take to make a company today — one…