SAM

What was SAM?

SAM was initially planned to be an app to be used by the news media to filter down and find citable social media posts related to breaking topics.

Technically it started out as a backend tapped into the Twitter Firehose, absorbing a gigantic amount of Twitter data and parsing it for users in a meaningful way via a simple web app.

What did I do there?

I joined SAM to tackle the technical aspects of the product. I was there from founding for the first 6 months and in that time I did a mixture of meetings and prototyping, ultimately resulting in a (reduced scope) Twitter filtering web app which was used to demo the vision.

What did I learn?

I learned that I can build a lot of different types of web apps. I improved my javascript UI skillset, and enjoyed playing with large twitter datasets. I also learned about venture capital, and sales from my cofounder who was a master salesman.

As founders we parted ways 6 months in, I had come to realise that I personally did not have enough in common with the audience.

Where is SAM now?

SAM is now samdesk. Pivoted somewhat since those first prototypes, I have no doubt SAM will continue to grow exceptionally.