BY MELISSA BROOKS
In 2015 Jason Brown, ’09, and Jasper Platz, ’09, launched Tally, a San Francisco–based fintech startup that aims to reduce the time and stress it takes to achieve your financial goals. Their app, which began as a way to manage credit-card debt, has since grown to offer an automated saving service. “Our vision is to be able to automate people’s entire financial lives,” Brown said. Brown and Platz first sowed the seeds of their powerful partnership as Booth students, when they co-ran the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Group. They went on to cofound the solar company Gen110, which was acquired before they launched Tally. Dividing company responsibilities means they spend a lot of time apart these days, but after a decade-long partnership, their workdays often mirror one another’s.
6 AM The first thing I do is check my Oura Ring score to see how well I slept. Then I read the news before some high-intensity cycling with the Zwift app—you race people from all over in virtual worlds.
8 AM I take my 4- and 7-year-old boys to school in my cargo bike. Usually my 7-year-old asks big life questions, such as, “Daddy, if the weatherman is wrong, does he still get paid?”
9 AM I’m most creative in the morning, so I’m heads down, focusing on something of long-term value. Today, I’m working on a leadership curriculum for Tally managers and executives.
I often eat with new hires and talk about our values: own the outcome, change shoes often, and don’t say nothing.
Noon I have the Costco shredded kale salad almost every day—I’m a bit of a health nut. I often eat with new hires and talk about our values: own the outcome, change shoes often, and don’t say nothing.
1 PM Talking to people gives me a lot of energy, so I do meetings all afternoon. We just raised $50 million in Series C funding from Andreessen Horowitz, so I’ve been interviewing a lot of executive candidates.
3 PM If there’s a gap in my schedule, I catch up on email. I only check it a couple times a week because I find it draining.
6 PM I head home to play with the boys. It involves a good amount of rough housing—diving, wrestling, launching kids in the air.
7:30 PM My wife and I read our kids Dog Man, a comic book series by Dav Pilkey.
8 PM I’m reading The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership. It’s related to the leadership program that I’m developing, but it’s also personal development.
8:30 PM I’m teaching myself piano, so I try to practice a little. Then my wife and I chat and get ready for bed, with lights out by 10.
6:45 AM My wife also works full time, so I do the morning shift with our 4- and 6-year-old boys. I pack their lunches—today it’s toast and honey—and I make breakfast. I’m a big breakfast guy.
8 AM I drive the kids to school before heading to work. On the way I listen to podcasts. A favorite is Acquired, hosted by Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal. It gives a lot of insight into startups that have seen significant success.
8:45 AM I love working from Stable Café for an hour or so. There are no distractions, so I can do a lot of creative work.
10 AM I have a great sync meeting with my design team. We review project updates and prioritization, and gauge how we’re doing against our goals.
11 AM Another sync meeting with the product team. The product manager summarizes a new app feature they want to build. We identify risks and make sure it’s a project we want to pursue.
I like to do walking meetings to recharge, especially for one-on-ones.
Noon I like going to different restaurants in the neighborhood. A favorite is Farmhouse Kitchen Thai Cuisine—they’re super quirky. If I have lunch alone, I catch up on industry news.
1 PM I try to pile up meetings in the afternoon because it’s when I’m less productive with creative work. I like to do walking meetings to recharge, especially for one-on-ones.
6:30 PM Once a week I play basketball. I played a lot when I was younger, and I joined a league again a couple years ago. It’s a ton of fun.
7:30 PM I grew up in Germany and we’re raising the kids to be bilingual, so I read them German storybooks. They’re often about how trains, planes, and other things work.
8 PM In the evenings I get a jolt of energy again. I usually try to knock out administrative work before winding down for the night.
Inspired by his father’s love of teaching, Shahram Hashemi-Nejad, ’04, is investing in education.
A Passion for Education
Stults reflects on seeing promising changes in the real-estate industry and building a business as an expat in Europe.
Book of Booth Interview with Van Stults, ’98
Chris Bordoni, ’12, channels life’s trials into a podcast that celebrates resilience and reinvention.
