There’s a familiar image when it comes to startup success: the lone founder building something groundbreaking from a basement or garage fueled by coffee, code, and chaos. The Founder’s Journey often starts this way.
But the truth is, that’s not the only path to building something great.
Some of the most powerful innovations, including MenuSano and Field Eagle, started inside a company.
MenuSano and Field Eagle were tech products incubated within Konverge Digital Solutions, a software development company known for encouraging creativity and entrepreneurial thinking from within. Both products were born from a small, driven founding team. We believed in solving real problems through software.
Like many early-stage product teams, especially in SaaS, we made mistakes during our Founder’s Journey. We were learning. We began this journey in 2012 with excitement and hope for success. It turned out to be a long road full of ups and downs. We never anticipated how difficult it would be. One by one, the founding team began to exit. By the end of 2014, I was the only founding member still at the company, still committed to the vision, and now going at it alone.
In 2015, I became Managing Director at Konverge while continuing to lead the development of MenuSano and Field Eagle as their founder. By 2016, I had decided to rebuild both products from the ground up.
With MenuSano, the original technology wasn’t delivering accurate results. I made the tough call to temporarily shelve the product, regroup, and build a new plan based on everything we had learned. Field Eagle was growing, but the platform couldn’t scale. I made the same call to rebuild it from scratch. Meanwhile, we supported existing customers who were still using the platform.
Starting Over & Re-Launching Two Tech Startups
I hired a new development team, rewrote the product requirements, led branding efforts, and created new business plans. I presented these plans to our internal incubator, Konverge Board of Directors. The board provided invaluable advice, which I applied directly to both products. I fully stepped into the role of leading both through a complete transformation.
By 2017, we were ready for relaunch. MenuSano relaunched first, followed by Field Eagle a few months later. Both came back stronger and prepared for the market.
Just as things were gaining momentum, I was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2017.
With the support of the Konverge board, I was able to continue working while managing the physical and mental toll of breast cancer. I went through a series of surgeries, a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction. At one point, it felt like I lived at the breast clinic. It consumed me. Even through it all, I kept building. I leaned on my team more than ever, and we kept pushing forward.
Today, MenuSano and Field Eagle have become successful SaaS products. They now operate as independent tech companies under the Konverge Group of Companies.
As the founder of both products, I saw the immense value in building under an incubator like Konverge. We had access to resources, the ability to take calculated risks, and the structure to scale. That experience inspired me to launch Konverge Ventures — another Konverge entity focused on investing in startups and mentoring founders through the early, messy, beautiful stages of building.
Now, I get to do what I love most: continue leading and growing MenuSano and Field Eagle while helping other founders bring their visions to life. Through Konverge Ventures, I work directly with new tech startups. I help them build products that are changing industries and, in many cases, lives.
What I learned during my journey
Founders don’t always look like the stereotypes. They don’t always own the garage. Sometimes, they build from the inside out.
Some of the biggest tech products in the world followed the same path:
- Paul Buchheit built Gmail at Google as a side project.
- Amazon Prime was born from Charlie Ward’s internal idea.
- Slack was a pivot from a failed game — turned internal tool — turned global phenomenon.
These products weren’t born in isolation. They were built inside systems that empowered creativity, experimentation, and execution.
So, if you’re working for a company and have an idea, don’t wait for the garage. Start building where you are. Founders come in all forms, and some of us create from within. Now, I help others do the same along their Founders’ Journeys, and nothing is more rewarding than that.
Do you need help turning your early-stage idea into a product? Through Konverge Ventures, I offer mentorship and strategic support to help you build, validate, and scale. 👉 Book a consult, and let’s bring your idea to life.
