About Heri

Key facts

• Born in one of the world’s poorest countries, Madagascar. I get the “scarcity” mindset from this, but also memories of beautiful white sandy beaches
• Spent teenage years in Nairobi, Kenya, a regional center in East Africa. From having to learn English to meeting people from all over the world, I learnt diversity and its benefits. Diversity makes us richer and more resilient, making us more sensitive to forces we did not know and might otherwise overwhelm us
• Went through “Classes Préparatoires Aux Grandes Écoles” and Engineering school in France. Like the Concorde plane, TGV, Grandes Écoles is one of France’s highest achievements, mixing excellence, hard work and elitism
• Played with the Internet early on, with Emoticons.free.fr and evry.depeches.free.fr. One was hilarious photoshopped pictures of me, while the other was my adventures as a foreigner, with non-politically correct comments about the French. Both drew early attention. This taught me the power of the Internet and technology.
• Started MontrealTechWatch.com, a technology blog covering tech and startups in Montréal, one of the key drivers of the local startup community. At its peak, the blog attracted 10k daily readers. Also organized Montréal’s first ever hackathon (Blitzweekend), and then Montréal’s first StartupWeekend at Business School HEC.
• 2 photography exhibitions in Montréal, and as well as being the official photographer for Le Cypher X & Urban Science, one of Montréal’s top hip-hop group, and many other local events.
• Crowdfunded millions of dollars for Montréal artists and local projects with SeedingFactory. We made videos, worked on their social media, marketed, made friends. Also worked as VP of Marketing for MakeAChamp, a crowdfunding startup specialized in athletes
• Membrer of artist collective Howl Arts! with the launch of several albums, books, graphic novels while being an active part of the Montréal underground art community
• Lost father to cancer while I was still navigating Montréal. From this, I am probably more sensitive to healthcare and health issues than most
• Senior/Lead/Staff Engineer for VC-backed startups such as Sonder or Klue, but also for global companies like Nasdaq or Decathlon. Additionally Software Consultant for many projects, from Airbnb/Uber clones to crypto trading platforms. I do not count the years coding anymore, but still get excited for new technologies or new patterns every now and then
• Maintains and operates a chalet on Airbnb, deep in Québec countryside. I build docks and Adirondack chairs, chase away beavers and mice, and can tell you the minute differences between bedsheets from Costco or Ikea, or 7 reasons why Dawn is better.

So as you can see, I am comfortable in deep Quebec or France countryside, in a hacking space or in a neighorhood hip hop event. But due to my origins and history, I am somehow allergic to alcohol (or at least at the level they are consumed in Western countries), debt and social norms

Key lessons from life

• Hard work pays off, both financially and mentally. Do something consistenly for a few years, and you will be on top of 99% of other people. You don’t have to and should not work like a mad dog, but regularly choosing to do your boring homework while others are watching Netflix will pay off on the long term. If you have to “keep” only one lesson from me, this would be it.
• Best memories come from simple ideas, where you “just do it”, based on simple needs and simple solutions. If you think something makes sense, and can’t come up with solid reasons why you shouldn’t do it in 5 minutes, just do it, now. Do no wait for days or weeks dreaming about it or trying to perfect “the” idea.
• There is no single best thing. Other people will be eager to tell you about something else that is faster, richer, or better. All these do not matter. What matters is the solution that fits best your particular set of circumstances.
• Leverage your abilities and skills. If you are a good speaker, don’t join an organization because it looks good on a resume but rather because this organization rewards good speaking. Better yet, make sure you have unique abilities. If everyone is doing php, don’t present yourself as another php programmer. A 15-year old kid will pitch to do your job for free, just for giggles.
• Embrace change. Change helps you grow and keeps life interesting. Make sure to have solid foundations though.
• Make sure to exercise regularly. Exercise is anything that’s hard and where you wish you’d chill at home instead. Running is exercise. Running or lifting weights will make you sleep better and live longer. Diet is exercise. Diets make us appreciate more food and is a good reset for our body. Similary, financial diets where you pledge to not spend anything for a period of time is exercise. It will help you appreciate much more what you have and you will like being independant from the crazy world out there.