The Dean's Executive Speaker Series

Josh Hug

Chief Operating Officer, Remitly

Josh Hug joined Remitly after initially acting as a mentor for the company in the TechStars program. With members of his family living abroad, Hug has experienced firsthand the challenge of sending money across borders. He has a history of creating beautiful products, most recently as co-founder and CEO of Shelfari, a virtual bookshelf that was acquired by Amazon.com in 2008. He earned a B.S. in computer science and math from Whitworth in 2000, and he now serves as a volunteer in Kenya for Heroes of the Nation, which supports about 500 orphans.

Tips for success:

• Invest your time in what you want to do.
• Surround yourself with others who are smarter than you are.
• The ceiling can be determined early in your career.
• Exercise.
• Seek out challenges and problems. Solve problems and you will be recognized.
• Learn from others' mistakes.
• Understand your market.
• Cash is king.
• Revenue is life.
• Relationships matter for both fundraising and acquisitions.
• Get strategic investors.
• Pick good lawyers.
• Company culture is critical.
• Leading a startup is emotionally taxing.
• Share your fears with someone.
• Losing employees is difficult.
• Selling a company that doesn't make money is difficult.
• Don't be afraid to fail. Fear of failure limits success.
• Do what God created you to do.
• Someone did it for the first time. Why can't you?
• Trust God and act decisively.
• Be ready to seize opportunities when they present themselves.