2022 is slowly coming to an end and I’m still trying to process this eventful year. As with every year, I had set out to follow a personal roadmap the past year, consistently building toward the long-term goal of running Anzu with my good friend, Tim. On the other end, I spent a lot of time studying, reconnecting with family and friends, and working on other personal projects. Let’s go over each of the three pillars that defined 2022.
GraphCMS → Hygraph
In March, GraphCMS organized the first off-site since September 2019. In the three years, our team had more than doubled in size, which meant finding a location and getting all visas ready was a huge challenge. In the end, everything worked out and I had an absolute blast meeting my team in person again and some people for the first time. At the same time, we started looking for a new name for the upcoming rebranding, announced in July. 2022 was a big year for Hygraph, and I’m sure 2023 will bring even bigger news.
Studying at TUM
In the last quarter of 2022, I spent an increasing amount on representing my university in the Refinitiv inter-university hackathon, a competition to use the vast financial and non-financial data provided by Refinitiv in a new product. This was huge as Refinitiv is one of the biggest fin-tech companies in the world, powering the exchange of information used by institutional investors and funds operating on a global scale. We ended up building automated pitch books with a focus on ESG metrics, including a portfolio builder, powered by Next.js. My team managed to score 2nd place, which I am incredibly proud of.
Building Anzu
When I wasn’t working on Hygraph or studying, I used my spare time to build Anzu. What started as a platform for resource management slowly morphed into building blocks for teams, with a new focus on high velocity and context. We made sure to build something people want by talking with colleagues and teams building huge products, and we have a lot more to share in 2023. We’re still early but it feels like we’re moving in the right direction, getting closer to PMF with every course correction.
With all the important tasks done, I’m spending some days with the family and bundling my energy for what’s coming in the next year. Expect to hear more about Anzu soon!