They say every Silicon Valley startup begins in a garage.
Ours didn’t — but it still feels like one. Fast, messy, ambitious.
I’m the receptionist here, though that title barely covers it. Some days I’m the unofficial culture ambassador. Other days I’m IT support, event planner, therapist, and security checkpoint rolled into one.
My desk faces the entrance, but my real job is reading energy.
When a venture capitalist walks in, I can sense it before they even say their name — polished shoes, quick handshake, scanning the room like they’re already calculating risk. When a nervous candidate arrives for an interview, I make small talk that isn’t small at all. A relaxed conversation can shift someone’s entire performance upstairs.
This isn’t a quiet corporate lobby. It’s controlled chaos. Engineers rushing in late with AirPods still in. Founders whispering about runway and burn rate. Product managers debating features over cold brew. Slack notifications echo from every corner.
And me? I’m the steady pulse.
I manage calendars that change every ten minutes. Board meetings get moved. Demo days get rescheduled. Journalists show up unannounced. A delivery of branded hoodies arrives at the worst possible time. I handle it before it becomes a “thing.”
But the most interesting part is watching growth in real time.
I’ve seen us go from 15 employees to 120. From folding chairs to ergonomic everything. From “We might raise” to “We just closed Series B.” I remember when candidates had to be convinced to join. Now they line up hoping for an offer.
Being at the front desk means I witness the before and after of everything. The nervous handshake before a big pitch. The exhausted celebration after a product launch. The quiet tension when numbers don’t look great.
I’m not writing code. I’m not pitching investors.
But I’m protecting the atmosphere.
In a startup chasing scale, culture can slip through the cracks. A warm welcome. A calm tone. A lobby that feels organized even when the backend isn’t — those details matter more than people realize.
In Silicon Valley, everyone wants to build the future.
I just make sure it feels human when you walk through the door.