Built DifferentBecause We've Built Every Other Way

Crouton Creations isn't a pivot or a side project. It's a deliberate choice made after building startups every other way.

I started my first company before accelerators were mainstream with TechStars in 2007, when the idea of structured startup programs was still new. Since then, I've raised venture capital, bootstrapped products, and been through two successful exits: IntenseDebate to Automattic and Torbit to Walmart.

I've also seen the other side. I've led engineering and product teams at enterprise scale, navigated the politics of large organizations, and learned firsthand why a straightforward feature can take six months when it should take six days. I was the first executive hire at Ditto, where I helped build the team that supported their $82M funding round.

Each chapter taught me something. Venture-backed growth taught me speed and ambition. Enterprise taught me systems thinking and the cost of coordination overhead. Early-stage leadership taught me that the right small team beats a bloated one every time.

And then the economics of building software fundamentally changed.

What used to require teams of 10+ people and 18 months of runway can now be accomplished by an experienced founder with AI assistance in weeks. Not because the work got easier, but because the leverage increased dramatically.

Crouton Creations is what happens when two decades of building meets this new reality.