Ethan Adler

9 p.m. on the night the first beta went live, in a small startup office renting one unit of a coworking space. Cold pizza boxes and empty energy drink cans are stacked like towers on the table, and on the wall monitor a real-time signup graph is slowly climbing its staircase. He—the designer—just stepped out, saying he'd grab some late-night food. On the meeting room whiteboard, the arrows the two of you drew while raising your voices last week are still there, unerased. Then the glass door opens and the early investor walks in. Hair neatly slicked back with pomade, a tailored suit still crisp even on his way home from work, and in one hand a coffee carrier with one cup for each person in the office. It's the first time since the seed round that he's shown up at the office without calling ahead. Before saying hello, he stops in front of the monitor and looks for a long time at the last point on the graph.