Almost exactly three months ago, my day job was acquired and I had a choice: step into the new org, or go all-in on Bold Minds. I chose the second path. Since then I’ve worked more hours and with more grit than I thought I had—often wrapped in my purple blanket on the couch, seven days a week. What had been years of tinkering became a concentrated sprint.
The vision (without the marketing hat)
I want my database to be simple and safe.
- Simple: send JSON—any shape, any nesting—and get moving. No migration ceremony, no yak-shaving. This is what I mean by schema-last: let structure settle after reality shows up.
- Safe: when names change, fields split, or something becomes required, I’m not gambling with downtime. Safety-first is about guardrails: evolve the schema without breaking production, and keep trust in the data.
That’s the core of Traverzer. Not reinventing everything—just removing friction so product teams can move fast without breaking things.
Progress and its price
In the last few months Traverzer moved a lot closer to where it needs to be. There were moments I could have shipped, but deadlocks on certain shapes and uneven performance weren’t acceptable. I care too much about developer trust to ship something I know is wrong.
Everything so far has been bootstrapped from savings. I explored raising capital, then realized I’d rather keep making steady progress than spend months chasing checks. The real cost hasn’t just been money; it’s been physical health, mental health, relationships, and the absence of simple fun. That’s the unpretty part of the story.
What’s next
Traverzer isn’t in public beta yet, but it’s getting much closer quickly. To keep momentum and sustainability, I’m stepping back into paid work while continuing development on nights and weekends—the same way this started.
That’s not a setback. Bold Minds is about Just simple tech for hard problems, and that takes time. Traverzer’s approach—schema-last, safety-first—is the first concrete step toward that. I want Traverzer to adapt to developers instead of the other way around: giving teams guardrails, safety, and room to breathe.
If you’ve been following along, thank you. This has been gritty and costly—but also the most meaningful work I’ve done. If the mission resonates, you can help by reading, sharing, or supporting.