Why did you start Sunsama? What was it about its mission that made you want to go all in?
Travis and I were friends at University and then lost touch after school as we went off to work. Travis was at Deloitte (a massive consulting company) and I was at a five person startup in Palo Alto. We reconnected after being out in the “real world” for a year and were both upset by the idea that we might spend 40 years sitting behind computers and that the best “tool” we’d have to be thoughtful and intentional about our time was going to be Google or Outlook Calendar.
From the beginning, we’ve felt that helping ourselves (and our customers) be mindful with how they spend their time was the most important question we could work on.
What motivates you?
Building products that make people a better version of themselves.
What do you like to do in your free time away from Sunsama?
On a regular basis I like to play pickup basketball, rollerblade, take walks in the forest, cook new foods, improve my coffee brewing process, try new coffees and play outside. On a less regular basis I also like visiting museums and historical sites.
What are the most important traits for an entrepreneur?
Optimism. Patience and perseverance.
Besides your own, what other startup (any time period) do you wish you could have founded/been CEO of and why?
Project Wren inspires me. If I wasn’t working on Sunsama, I’d want to work to improve the earth for future generations.
Ashutosh Priyadarshy is the founder of Sunsama, an invite-only daily task manager for the top 5% of knowledge workers.
