Stick or twist: Leaving a big tech company for a startup

Stick or twist: Leaving a big tech company for a startup

Posted by Admin on 29 May 2018

Extracts from an article by Bobby Hellard at IT Pro.

“Working at the likes of Google or Microsoft can seem like a dream come true – the opportunity to be part of a community that's at the forefront of the technology industry, a place to make a name for yourself.

For some, however, the excitement of working for a famous name, often with a big paycheck, can quickly dissipate. This can be especially true when faced with the grim reality of being another cog in a corporate wheel, constantly churning out projects with little enthusiasm in environments that often stifle personal development.”[…]

“Having been an investment banker at Lazard for six years, Gus Tugendhat joined Thomson Reuters in a corporate development role and worked his way up to a managing director position before hitting a career roadblock.” [..]

"I don't regret leaving Thomson Reuters or joining Red Deer. Far from it," says Tugendhat. "It was the right thing to do at the time and I had absolute conviction that I wanted to do a startup, but instead of doing someone else's I wanted to do my own."

"Whatever I did next had to solve a problem, be really simple and it had to bring together a really good team of people. Red Deer was valuable not because it was a success, but because it was a learning experience that inspired me to do something I was infinitely more passionate about."

That inspiration and passion led to the formation of online data service Tussell, a startup that works with businesses to exploit opportunities in the UK's public procurement market. It's proved to be a successful venture, but the initial concept was born entirely from the experiences he garnered from his previous positions.”

Read the full article on the IT Pro website.