About 100 days have passed since the last retrospective. I wanted to write this after 90 days, but with each day being so hectic, it’s been difficult to even keep records. Rize broke through the 80-hour workweek. However, we are not making progress. Can there only be good days? We are working like dogs, but it seems like it’s time to question if we are doing it well.

On April 17, 2025, our team incorporated in the United States. Although the final approval came the next day, we designated my birthday, April 17th, as our Day One. This post is a record of the 90-day journey of our team’s formation, from January 17th to April 17th, 2025.

I started this blog on January 1, 2019, as I began my journey into programming. It’s been six years now, and for the first time, I’m writing a retrospective as a “Year-One Founder,” someone awkwardly positioned between an entrepreneur and a developer. Choosing this title feels refreshingly different. Last year’s me spent the year solidifying my dream and removing obstacles in my way; this year was the first I actually dove into entrepreneurship. It seems that starting a company generally forces you into a state of discomfort in most areas, which can lead to immense growth. That’s why this year I learned so much that the process of distilling it all took longer than anything else. It was such a fun year that I regret not being able to record everything I learned.