Two Information Technology Management grads make their mark in Silicon Valley
Two Ted Rogers School of Management Information Technology Management grads are making waves in Silicon Valley with the log management company they co-founded, LogDNA. Graduates Chris Nguyen and Lee Liu credit the connection they made and the skills they learned at our business school with helping them succeed.
Started in 2016, LogDNA (external link, opens in new window) provides detailed insights into the production environment. It enables engineering and DevOps professionals to easily and quickly gather all systems and application logs into one intuitive platform so they can focus on building great products. Nguyen (BComm, 2005) is the CEO of the San Francisco-based company, while Liu (BComm, 2006) serves as its Chief Technology Officer.
By mid-2019, LogDNA had already seen 300% year-over-year revenue growth, and by September of that year, the company was named one of Forbes’ Cloud 100 Rising Stars. The company recently got named to the 2020 Enterprise Tech 30 List in the Early-Stage Category as well. This list is determined by an institutional research process with 96 prominent venture capital investors representing 72 firms in the sector.
This is not the first time Nguyen and Liu have teamed up to create a business together. Prior to LogDNA, they founded two other companies: TeamSave, a joint venture with eBay Classified Group, and JobLoft (featured on Dragons’ Den), which was acquired by onTargetjobs/Warburg Pincus Portfolio.
The pair met as undergraduates at the Ted Rogers School nearly 20 years ago in their first year Information Technology Management class. It was a unique program at the time, combining computer programming and business. Nguyen’s computer code would never work and it was Liu who helped him out. They didn’t know it then, but that moment was the catalyst for becoming business partners.
Here is what Nguyen and Liu had to say about their time at the Ted Rogers School, their move to Silicon Valley and advice they have for current students:
How did what you learned at the Ted Rogers School prepare you for the business(es) you started? Is there anyone who made a difference for you at the school?
Chris: Some of the best courses I took to help with my business where Human Resources – Change Management, Finance, Accounting and Marketing. These courses set up the business foundation and understanding to help me scale my start-up.
The Dean of ITM at the time, James Norrie, was very instrumental in convincing Lee and I that entrepreneurship was a viable path. We started and sold our first business (JobLoft) with four Ryerson alumni as co-founders.
Is this what you envisioned doing after graduating?
Chris: When I first started Ryerson, my dream job was to be an analyst at Telus/Rogers. It wasn’t until my fourth year of university that I was inspired to create a technology company during a time (circa 2006) when it wasn’t cool to start a tech company, let alone with friends and in Toronto. Now, all I know is technology and starting disrupted companies with my co-founder Lee.
Lee: My dream job was to be a software architect. My co-op placement was with a gaming company NVIDIA and I was excited to join them full-time until Chris approached me with a business idea (JobLoft) to help students find jobs back in 2006. I love the challenge of building a company and am constantly learning new technologies and ideas that can make a huge impact on the business world.
Why did you move to Silicon Valley? What has your experience been like there?
Lee: We moved to Silicon Valley to be surrounded by the best and brightest entrepreneurs. We were lucky to be accepted to a world renowned accelerator called Y Combinator. The opportunity to learn in this environment was priceless as many great global companies graduated from this accelerator (ie- AirBNB, DropBox, Reddit, PagerDuty and Instacart).
It’s been an amazing experience as our company grew from a team of two to a team of 100 employees in a short period of time. To learn from the greatest (mentors, investors, leaders) and represent Canada and Ryerson is a huge honour.
How do you remain connected to the Ryerson and the Ted Rogers School community?
Chris: I try to give my time to the Digital Media Zone and any opportunity to talk about entrepreneurship. I look forward to hiring Ryerson Co-op students as it’s a great way to provide career opportunities for the future leaders of tomorrow.
Do you have any advice for current students about starting their own business?
Chris: If you have an idea, the only thing stopping you is you. If you really want your business to succeed, you’ll figure out a way to accomplish your goal. If you plan to start a tech business, you need to find someone who can lead business initiatives and another who can code the technology.
Lee: Take risks, don’t be afraid to fail and end of the day, and do it with people who you trust and have fun with.