Idea Maze or Insanity? with Anjan Katta, Founder of Daylight

I had never met Anjan Katta before entering his apartment a few months back. 

It was some combination of office, shrine, and looney bin plucked from the Charlie Conspiracy episode of Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Despite the absolute chaos surrounding us, the vibe was calm and the energy was high. Clearly this was a founder who had seen some things and had returned to share the lessons gathered through his journey. 

There’s talk of startups navigating the idea maze but here I was, literally sitting in it. Thousands of post-it notes on walls, posters, and even kitchen cabinets. Hundreds of hand drawn diagrams expressing ideas mid-formation and processes being captured mid-design.

Mid-conversation, Anjan belted out:

“A real idea maze looks like insanity and feels like shit while you’re in it!”

Sitting in a physical version of what the idea maze for bringing Daylight Computer to life looked like was a powerful moment in understanding Anjan’s experience as an often frustrated and overlooked founder. 

Over seven years ago, Anjan began a journey to reimagine the relationship we have with our screens. In doing so, his aim was to slow or stop the emerging health crises of time on screen and its impact on users emotional and physical health. 

Spurned by investors, he turned to over 100 angels to fund the company’s progress to date. With a device now in production and shipping (when they’re not sold out), there are lessons for every founder in this one. Particularly, chasing an idea and mission even when it’s out for favor with VCs — maybe even especially those ideas. 

I hope you enjoy listening to this one as much as we enjoyed recording. If there’s anything in hear that resonates with you, leave us a comment or share a clip. 

As always, thank you for your ongoing support of all we’re doing at INDIE.

— Bryce