After a long thinking process, I have decided to step down from my day-to-day operating role as Chief Scientist. I will be checking in on the team every now and then, and I will continue to serve Aster on the board of directors, where we shape the strategic direction of the company and products.

Aster is now in a new phase, when maximal focus on product delivery and responding to customers’ every need is taking center stage. We have a fantastic product that is growing quickly and is being deployed at many, many customer sites. The level of product focus in our team is astounding. Yes, my friends, the garage days are now officially over! … And I’m delighted we’ve come this far.

One should always invest their energy in those activities that most benefit from that energy. Aster is a grown-up now and is solidly set on a path with great momentum toward executing our “big data” vision. At the same time, I have a budding team of incredibly bright students back in my lab at EPFL, who are hungry for my help and scientific direction.  For me, it’s time for the next “garage project.”

As you might imagine, this is not an easy decision for a founder. Perhaps this is how parents feel when sending their kid to college away from home… but time does not stand still.

It has been a thrill to start Aster with Mayank and Tasso, see her emerge from 5 PCs cooled by a portable fan in my living room, and then working for her all these years. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved so far, both in terms of product and market impact, as well as our published research papers. At a future stage in Aster’s growth, it may make sense for me to resume my role in leading the company’s long-term research. Until then, I look forward to helping the company from behind the scenes and to watch Aster grow and develop the best data management platform in the market.

Carpe datum!