Kickstart brat! 🖐🏼
In 2016, I left school for a year and a half to work as a product manager for Kalibrr, the first YC startup in the Philippines. It was my first job. I didn't even know what Product Management was when I applied.
I just wanted to work. I wanted to learn from the best.
It was a great experience to have dinner in the old Kalibrr office which I haven't visited or seen in 6 years.
I was surprised to see it as an open floor plan.
It looked much bigger in my memory with the walls & conference rooms. It was the entire world for me at one point in my life.
I was giddy and overjoyed to sit at a table that would have been situated in the old meeting rooms where I first learned about product management.
"CEO of a product?! CEO! That's what I want to do! Sign me up!"
I begged for the job for 3 months. I would finish all my work in growth and marketing as soon as possible so I could knock on the door of product, design & engineering. So I could ask for work from the head of product at the time,
. I did any work required. I did anything they asked. I moved fast. I was focused. I begged with action & urgency. I begged with execution for an opportunity to learn "product management". After 2.5 to 3 months of hardwork, they gave me a chance.
I'm not smart. I don't come from pedigree. What I have is tenacity & unwavering willpower. Thank you for seeing the effort!
Across the hall whereJeff Tan, my cofounder alongside people I admired sat, I remembered my desk where I had one of the best times of my life.
It was an honor to serve job seekers & recruiters and learn from one of the greatest startup teams and mentors.
Thank you
Paul V. Rivera , Dexter Ligot-Gordon , Roxi Biribicchi ,and Joan Magno for giving me a chance and mentoring this out-of-school youth. Thank you for letting me start sprinting.
Thank you
Kickstart Ventures for hosting a great dinner.
Thank you for reminding me of where I started.
From the bottom. Begging and sprinting with action and urgency. Still am!