Founder Spotlight: Patrick Utz (Abstract)
Company name: Abstract
Company blurb: All-in-one workspace for government affairs
Company website: https://www.abstract.us/
Company headquarters: Los Angeles, CA
CEO’s hometown: Walnut, CA
CEO fun fact: I love to ski & surf, hike & shoot photos, and play the saxophone :)
Why did you decide to start a company? My family immigrated from Argentina, so growing up there was always a constant dialogue around government and politics. They left their country to seek out a less corrupt, and more efficient system, in pursuit of the “American Dream”. In the past four years, I feel that we reached a turning point in history. It has become evident that the middle class is dwindling at a rapid pace, and the American Dream is not what it once used to be. A key reason behind this is the ever-changing policy that is put in place by the U.S. government. Eager to understand how government affects every business and individual, I started trying to understand bills like the Green New Deal and realized that a) bills/regulations are the core way that laws are changed, and b) despite being so important to how society functions, bills/regulations are difficult to track and understand as they move through various political committees, and go through multiple revisions. Thus, I set out to build a “gateway” to understanding government: a platform that makes sense of all this messy government data, and allows users to collaborate and influence government in a more transparent and democratic way.
What is one thing that you want people to know about your company? Our core mission is to increase government transparency and cultivate a more connected, empowered democratic society through the use of modern technology.
When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up? Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur? For the longest time, I wanted to be a film producer (I’ve been shooting and editing film since elementary school). Somehow, I ended up getting a degree in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, and am now leading out biz-dev at a government tech startup… I always knew I wanted to start my own business, but never aspired to do so right off the bat. I was more focused on pursuing a career in a specific field, and then figuring out how I’d start my own venture in that industry. Life is anything but linear :)
What is one piece of advice you’d like to pass on to new founders? Never underestimate the importance of bringing on formal advisors that know more than you when it comes to building a business and/or understanding your industry. I also highly recommend finding a lawyer that specializes in early-stage startups. They will understand that your legal needs are different than most other businesses, and will oftentimes have connections to early-stage VCs in your area.
