After shutting down Valet.io and taking a brief vacation, I spent all of June looking for a new adventure that would build on what I learned as a solo technical founder. Any lingering disappointment in Valet’s outcome was quickly overwhelmed by the contagious enthusiasm radiating from all the teams I met with. One opportunity and team stood out as particularly unique: Eaze. I’m very proud to be officially joining as an engineer and will be heading to San Francisco later this month.

And yes, I am joining the “Uber for weed.” Here’s why:

Big Business, Bigger Growth

Less than a year after its launch Eaze has racked up scary revenue and growth numbers with sizable margins. Growth has largely taken place within the initial market (San Francisco), with an added boost from San Diego and the more recent addition of Los Angeles. Eaze has built a powerful brand in a short period of time. The market for medical marijuana in California alone is roughly $10 billion and state laws are changing quickly. Eaze is positioning itself as a technology company and I think it’s poised to capture a unique market as it opens up.

What matters most to me is that I’ll have a highly leveraged opportunity to grow a business with code. Eaze, even in its infancy, has reached the scale where seemingly small technical decisions and optimizations can have huge financial impact. That means there’s ample opportunity to be thoughtful about how we build the product and continue to improve on the patient experience.

Built for the Web

Eaze isn’t allowed on the App Store (or Google Play). You order through a web application, either from a desktop browser or on mobile. Eaze is one of the few companies I’ve seen whose primary platform is the web, even if it is by necessity. Valet.io was also primarily a mobile web application. I’ve invested a lot in server and client side JavaScript knowledge. I want to double down on that investment.

A lot of smart people I’ve talked to at fast-growing companies agree that JavaScript will continue to leak into non-web platforms (e.g. driving native UI elements with JavaScript). The tooling just isn’t quite there yet, and so those same people are primarily focused on building great native iOS and Android experiences that will grow their businesses today. Eaze’s stack is JS, front to back. It’s an opportunity for me to continue to push the open web forward through open source packages while also solving real-world problems at a growing company.

The Team

Eaze didn’t have an engineering team when it first launched—the application was initially built by contract developers. The CEO brought Shri Ganeshram on to build the engineering team this spring. It was immediately clear just how passionate Shri and the first few engineers are about the company. They told me as much, early and often. There’s a lot to be built, and everyone cares deeply about doing it well and growing as engineers along the way.

Plus there’s a seasoned team of people growing the business. They’re clearing regulatory hurdles, pushing growth into new markets, and solidifying all the ways Eaze will retain customers as the industry heats up. “Uber for weed” conjures a image which couldn’t be further from the reality. Eaze is a collection of startup vets who see an opportunity to build a once-in-a-lifetime business.

Changing Coasts

I’ll be leaving New York for San Francisco later this month. I’ve lived in the same fifteen mile radius for twenty one years and am ready for a little unfamiliar territory. Get in touch for coffee/dinner/drinks before I go! I’m excited for what’s ahead, even though it means putting 3,000 miles between the family, friends, and familiar places I love here in New York.