My journey after losing my wife of 41 years in April took a different path but I reached a similar conclusion. I wasn’t prepared to return to the strategy we were pursuing at veloGraf Systems before I stopped to care full-time for Kathy in her final months. I also felt compelled to examine other options for the professional side of my life.

We both share a passion for software technology early-stage companies while recognizing that conventional startups (and I have been involved in many of them over the last 30 years) are lacking in two key areas–life balance and social values. The lack of life balance reflects both the commitment of the entrepreneurs and the simple fact that the limited financial resources of the vast majority of startups demand this limitation be overcome by the founders and key players committing more time. Work weeks of 60+ hours are a fact of life for most startups. Not a problem if you are a single 20-something but Dave has a young family and I’m entering my “third act” where my success metrics have changed significantly. In terms of social values, VC-funded startups have a very simple performance objective–a financially rewarding exit for investors. Lip service can be paid to incorporating other values into the startup mission but, in the end, when decisions are made on application of limited resources, the personal social values of the entrepreneurs inevitably fall by the wayside. And that’s OK. I love VC-funded startups where you commit yourself 150% and strive for a big win. It’s a vital part of our economy that makes the U.S. unique but it’s not for everybody all the time.

So, Dave and I decided to toss aside the conventional goals of most early-stage companies and restart veloGraf as a social enterprise. Our plan is to build a collection of products and services with a primary objective to deliver social good yet develop a foundation for a sustainable business that offers reasonable livelihoods for our small team that we hope to grow over the next few years. Quite simply, to use the popular phrase, we want to “do good while doing well”. It’s unlikely anybody is going to get rich but, at the end of the day, we will be able pay our bills and give something back. And spend time with family and friends that make our lives so rich. Life can be simple but fulfilling.