Journey 2025

•4 min read
reflections

Now that we are 3/4 of the way through the year, I wanted to take a step back and reflect on the past 9 months. Why? Because things have gone quite far from what I expected - but in a good way...

I started the year on a freelance endeavor. To be clear, the idea was to dedicate some time to what had been a side project for quite some time: a project called AiPodFM - a podcast index which could pave the way for new podcast experiences. In parallel, I would pursue life as a freelance product engineer to have some income while still having flexibility and time to learn and experiment with new technology, especially GenAi.

On the freelance side, I was fortunate to have a client to work for right from the start. Through my cousin, I was put in contact with the founder of FundFrame. It quickly clicked between us, and from the start, we got into a problem-solving mindset together, building things that could address some specific pain points he had as an investor.

After a few months, I was spending 80% of my time working freelance with FundFrame. The remaining 20% was spent on AiPodFM and experimenting with GenAI tools. The more I experimented with the tools, the more I realized how capable they are when provided with the right context (the discipline now called context engineering). Regarding AiPodFM, it meant that I could get most of my problems solved just by using the models in a novel way and with a simple interface. Furthermore, I found another service doing most of what I had initially set out to do. Regarding my freelance endeavor, and specifically the work at FundFrame, I quickly found joy in solving problems by leveraging my experience from software and product combined with what these new tools would unlock.

Halfway through the year, I was fortunate to have some new freelance possibilities show up (I cast a few lines early in the year, but it took about six months before any of them turned into real potential customers — lesson learned). At this point, it was like a fork in the road. Should I continue to work with FundFrame (I was offered to join the core team), or should I continue freelancing? I have pros and cons listed in my Obsidian notes, but in the end, I went with FundFrame.

There is no single answer to why, but it lies in the sum of the below:

  • I prefer to work with other talented people rather than alone
  • I like to solve hard problems and derive business value
  • Not having to 'sell myself as a freelancer'
  • Working with Steffen and Alexander has been great from the get-go
  • It allowed me to transition (back) into a more technical role
  • Early-stage startups are hard but fun
  • I believe there has never been a better time to build something big as a small team

So that's the story of how I went from a freelancer to a full-time Tech Lead at FundFrame. It's far from what I expected, but all I can say is that it feels good, and I am super excited to see where this thing - which started a bit like a side-quest but turned into a proper journey - ends.

And just like my favorite podcaster often does at the end - let me leave you with some clever words that I have listened to many times over the past few months:

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life." - Steve Jobs