#StartupsEverywhere Profile: Rob Galankis, Co-Founder, Lithic Technology
This profile is part of #StartupsEverywhere, an ongoing series highlighting startup leaders in ecosystems across the country. This interview has been edited for length, content, and clarity.
Building better software and supporting product launches
Founded in Portland, Oregon, Lithic Tech builds software for startups, non-profits, and other teams, and assists clients in launching new products with a strong foundation. We talked to Co-Founder Rob Galankis about his programming background, the importance of business incubators in smaller tech hubs, and how policymakers can craft reasonable patent laws and financial programs that enable innovators from all backgrounds to have the flexibility they need to take risks and grow.
Tell us about your background. What led you to create Lithic Tech, and what services do you all currently provide?
I wasn't exposed to technology as a possible career until around the end of college, when I realized how much I enjoy programming. After graduating with my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, I started out as a video game developer, but over a number of years I was able to position myself to focus on web development. By 2014, I had begun working with various software startups in different industries, as CTO and sometimes co-founder. Through that work, I realized I prefer working with startups rather than tying myself to one company’s mission.
That's what led me to start Lithic Tech in 2019. Lithic is a software development consultancy focused on building high-quality, custom software for clients, including startups. This year we also launched a B2B SaaS product for simplifying API integrations. That is still in nascent stages and we are in a good situation where we can afford to bootstrap funding to create this product, instead of having to fundraise from venture capital. That has been interesting for me, because the types of concerns you have are very different when you have to focus on fundraising versus when you are focused on building something.
Lithic Tech has totally changed my relationship with technology, because we focus on building technology that is supportive, community driven, and helps lift people up. Simply put, I was getting burned out working for others and contributing to tech ventures that were controlling and extractive. But with my programming skills, there's a lot of positive contributions I can make.
You recently joined a letter to the new PTO Director, Kathi Vidal, asking her to prioritize the needs of high-tech, growth-oriented startups. What do you think PTO leadership, or other patent policymakers, need to keep top of mind when it comes to supporting startups and small business innovators?
All the work that Engine is doing around patents is great. I have never filed for a patent, but intellectual property (IP) comes up often in the type of work we're doing with custom software development. This is not the same as patents, but I think about IP ownership often, and we'd be living in a very different world if we had more reasonable patent laws and if they were used as originally intended—not used to stifle innovation, but to encourage it.
What goes on with IP ownership and patents seems unhealthy. Startups have to do what they have to do to protect themselves. But now we are seeing silly things, for example, in how open source software development works. The line between patentable and not, is so arbitrary. Lithic works with clients that allow us to make open source contributions, but we are not in a position to apply for patents just so we can open source them and protect our ideas, the way some billionaires can. That is something I have to think about, strategically, at times—how to keep our work open source and make sure no one can go in and obtain IP covering what we are doing, which would also mean we and our clients could no longer use it.
We noticed you’re a mentor at the Portland Incubator Experiment (PIE). Can you tell us about your experience there and any thoughts you have on the value of business incubators and accelerators to the startup ecosystem?
Organizations like PIE are extremely valuable. The support they provide founders is largely self evident when you talk to them, but they are also important networking hubs. One of the companies from our last PIE cohort has a platform where residential spaces could be rented out for the day and used by businesses to host events or for co-working. I met them, and other community members, for the first time in-person the other week. But I met them at first over Slack—PIE has a Slackbot that sets people up with random meetings and then you can meet face-to-face. Without PIE facilitating networking opportunities, we probably never would have met. Portland's a medium-sized tech town, and especially with the onset of COVID-19 and people now working from home, it's been vital to have communities like PIE that provide a hub.
Community-based organizations and nonprofits like PIE provide education and training to teach people how to run and grow a business. At the end of these cohorts, founders have learned about themselves and are able to make connections to their community and deeply understand its problems. Some of the startups continue on and raise money and some of them continue as a side hustle, or more, for the founder. I'm a huge fan of the community-based relationship building approach that PIE has, compared to venture-based accelerators. As a mentor, I'm really happy and privileged to be in a position where people actually want to hear my opinions about their ideas. So I love being a PIE mentor and working with that community.
Are there any local, state, or federal startup issues that you think should receive more attention from policymakers, to better support organizations like PIE?
That is largely outside my expertise, but I have heard PIE’s leadership talk about it. I think PIE does pretty well with public-private partnership models and corporate sponsorship. But that depends highly on having well-connected leaders. The success of organizations like PIE is highly contextual. This is understandable, but it’s still an unfair burden and when these leaders burn out, there is an awful hole in the community.
I’d also like to see government support for entrepreneurs in the form of health insurance. The landscape would be different if founders did not have to worry about this. I had Obamacare when I first started Lithic Tech, and I don't want to have to worry about employees leaving the company becoming ineligible for insurance. My family has been without insurance before, and going back to that seems terrifying. I know a lot of entrepreneurs have the same problem. My premiums were $20,000 for my family last year, but I'm lucky that we can afford that through our business now, because when I was first starting out we had no income.
Have any state or local programs aided you in your journey to becoming a founder?
When Lithic was still in early stages, we got a grant from a local organization called Emerging Leaders. They partner with schools and pair students of color and aspiring professionals with companies for internships and mentorships. We couldn't have paid for that ourselves during our first year of business. We’ve had other interns since then, and some have already gone on to successful careers in programming. As a country, if we want to make investments in STEM, move towards justice, and build wealth for marginalized communities, having business apprentices, mentorships, and internships is vital. I know more small businesses would do it if it cost less. I’ve observed that many interns who are not in the white, middle to upper middle class demographic are more likely to burn out of their tech path, especially if they're not at the top of their class or field. So additional support for students as they grow in fields dominated by people who don’t look like them is important. State and local governments should look into grants to provide interns for small companies, so interns aren’t going to just the big ones.
Additionally, right when I started Lithic, I used a program in Oregon called Self Employment Assistance. Normally, when you apply for unemployment, you have to apply for jobs. But I knew I wanted to start my own business. This program allowed me to get the max unemployment benefit, and in exchange, I had to work at least 40 hours a week on my own business. It wasn't a huge amount of money, especially compared to what I was making before, but I would have had to shut down the business without it. When I talked to other startup founders about it, a number of them said that this was an extremely important program for them, as well.
What are your goals for Lithic Tech moving forward?
We will continue to work with our clients, and see how our new SaaS product grows. I also plan to continue to take on interns, if we have enough high margin clients to support it. We’re getting more selective with the work we do, taking on projects that make a positive difference, working more closely with companies whose work align with my values. I see these companies struggle with technical execution; they have subject matter expertise and great ideas, but it's hard to find competent programmers who can execute at high quality. We’ll work more with those companies, get them into a sustainable state, and accelerate towards solving the problems.
All of the information in this profile was accurate at the date and time of publication.
Engine works to ensure that policymakers look for insight from the startup ecosystem when they are considering programs and legislation that affect entrepreneurs. Together, our voice is louder and more effective. Many of our lawmakers do not have first-hand experience with the country's thriving startup ecosystem, so it’s our job to amplify that perspective. To nominate a person, company, or organization to be featured in our #StartupsEverywhere series, email advocacy@engine.is.
