A Reflection on My Time in San Francisco
the city where i met the strongest (and happiest) version of me <3
2024 altogether was a really busy year. I found myself doing my best to stay consistent for the first time — across school, fitness, relationships. This was the same year I was committed to landing the Cali co-op and the offer couldn’t have come at a better time than in the middle of my sister’s big fat Indian wedding. I wasn’t particularly hesitant about accepting the offer but there were doubts like…
“Is it a bad idea to take a startup offer and be paying for flights + housing out of pocket? Am I even capable of living a five hour flight away from my family? (keep in mind, I’ve been a sheltered GTA kid for what has felt like an eternity.) Everyone in SF seems so smart, how am I going to fit in?”
If there’s anything I could give my younger self from seven months ago, it would be a hug and the reassurance that you’re capable of so much more than you can imagine at any given moment in time.
i. On Gamma — because thank you for setting the bar so high for all of my future work experiences.
My internship at Gamma rewired my definition of meaningful work and take on startups. I remember mentioning in my interview with the CPO that I was seeking a product role that helps me brush up on technical knowledge/skillset as well.
Learning TypeScript and taking on the challenge of redefining our internal LLM as a judge workflow definitely scratched that itch.
The startup’s 100% employee retention made sense once I saw their formula of hiring relentlessly intentional talent, obsessing over customers’ needs, and giving employees the freedom to own their work and most importantly, be creative with it. Watching Gamma double its user base (20M to 40M+) in four months? That’s the kind of growth I can’t un-see.
Sure, the protein drink stocked office fridge, all-paid offsite to Disneyland, and farewell lunch at RH San Francisco were perks, but the real gift was realizing I don’t want to coast at big tech. I want to build something like Gamma someday.
ii. Discovering a passion for venture
I’ve always loved connecting people, whether that was leading clubs or bridging product teams. I was at a point where I wanted to learn more and I observed a common pipeline of talented engineers/product managers → scouting/angel investing on the side. A small proportion go on to be partners but obviously, that’s much later on in their career. I enjoyed running experiments and now that I had spent some type working with startups, I wanted to evaluate my ability to identify upcoming promising startups and founders. That’s when I decided to just go for it and ask Grant, Gamma’s CEO, to connect me with Afore Capital, a firm that was an investor in Gamma and one of the co-founding partners also happens to be a Waterloo alum. (plot twist: sometimes you can just ask for it because now, I’m so glad I did)
I spent January ‘25 chatting with experienced scouts and investors at Afore and other venture firms, absorbing their journeys and advice, and recently picked up reading Secrets of Sand Hill Road (which is apparently the holy grail of venture??). I also set a weekly goal of meeting two new founders—or just people I find creative and successful. I spent my first two years at Waterloo being an introvert, but venture has completely changed the way I see this university; I’m immensely grateful to be surrounded by some of the brightest minds in the world, and through scouting, I want to foster those connections as they go on to achieve incredible milestones.
btw if you’re in Waterloo, I’m hosting an Afore info night sometime during the week of March 17th — feel free to reach out for an invite :)
iii. At Waterloo, I’ve felt a culture of people feeling like success is scarce. In SF, abundance is unlimited.
Discovering an environment where people win and love to help each other win too was a game-changer. I went to a Lenny’s meetup and I was surprised at how insightful people were despite me being much younger than many of them. Encouragement fuels momentum, creating a ripple effect of success and growth.
And the best part is everyone is obsessed with learning from each other.
iv. Yes, I can do it all together.
It’s a common misconception, especially in university, that you can only juggle 3 or 4 out of the 5: health, school or work, relationships, sleep, and adventure. There’s nothing wrong with giving it your all and still feeling like you’re falling short in a couple of areas. But what is harmful is believing that if 60-75% of your life is going well, something has to fall apart—almost as if balance is a myth and self-sabotage is inevitable. I used to think that way too, until I realized the power of breaking big goals into smaller, manageable chunks.
Living alone for the first time tested that commitment in ways I hadn’t anticipated. There were moments of low motivation, often stemming from a deeper loneliness after being away from my family and closest friends for the longest time yet. But the best gift living in SF gave me was proof that I can do it all. And now, when I hit a slump, I don’t spiral —I reset. Because if I’ve done it before, I can do it again, and this time, probably even better. Instead of sprinting from 0 → 100 and burning out, I’ve learned to pace myself 0 → 20 → 40 … → 100.
v. But it’s also important to take breaks, reflect, and re-evaluate what I want out of life.
Being mentally and financially independent came with its own set of challenges. I was paying SF rent out of pocket as an intern, and for most of the term, sticking to a strict budget of no more than $40 a day.
At the same time, I wanted to experience everything. But I had to ask myself: Do I actually want to do all of this, or am I just afraid of losing momentum? Was I chasing experiences I genuinely cared about, or was I just worried that taking a step back would make me seem like I had "fallen off"? That was a horrible mentality to be stuck in. Recently, I’ve started being more intentional with what I actually want for myself, removing other people and social expectations from the equation.
To conclude, I think everyone should visit SF at least once during undergrad, to feel more inspired than ever. Obviously, the food and gorgeous views are just the cherry on top. :)