Jimmy E. Chan

I’m an entrepreneur, product builder, and computer engineer.

I'm on X and LinkedIn.

About me

Grew up in Ecuador. I speak Spanish
Moved to Montreal, Canada at 17
Studied computer engineering at McGill University; thesis on natural language understanding
Went to business school at the University of Toronto
YC W20 alumni
Co-Founder & CEO of Castodia and Dropbase
Live in San Francisco
Enjoy spicy food, board games, soccer, hike in forest trails, playing guitar
I have a lion 🦁

The future is not what we predict; it’s what we build
Great storytellers craft visions of the future and compel it into existence
Good judgement = fast and deep nth order thinking
Extra preparation partially compensate for inexperience
We don't spend enough time in deep, quiet reflection
It's inspiring to work with people who have >=1 superpower you admire
The key to starting anything is to blindly take a small step towards it
Working smart and working hard are necessary to achieve goals. Do both, in that order
Great design is simple, delightful, and keeps users in a state of flow
Craft and excellence matter; mediocrity leads to failure
There is no true love without personal sacrifice; to love is to willingly make them
Love seems to be all that matters in the end. Care, kindness, and fairness closely compete for second place

I cognitively frame most thoughts as a tree (a rooted out-tree, to be precise). Trees help me structure and solve problems, learn and explain concepts, communicate clearly, and understand the world better

Avoid unexamined ideas or narratives. Be highly critical of them: most do not deserve room in your head
Smart people can have poor judgement. Avoid people with poor judgement