ASTRO HQ Q&A
MESA sat down with Matt Ronge, CEO of Astro HQ,
to ask him about his experience working with MESA.
Tell us a bit about your background, your career history, and your business. What prompted you to get involved with MESA?
My cofounder and I have extensive experience in software development at companies such as Apple and Garmin. We met at Apple 10 years ago as software engineering interns, and now run Astro HQ, our first joint venture, where we make tools for creative professionals.
What was your biggest business challenge before working with MESA? Has MESA able to help you work through it, and if not, what happened instead?
We started with a software product that was selling well, but we lacked a team to make it sustainable. MESA mentorship has given us confidence to scale our team from the original two founders to a team of five in just six months, and we are continuing to grow!
What, specifically, is your favorite part about working with MESA, and why?
MESA provides a unique perspective that we don’t get elsewhere. We have experience doing product development but not in operating and running a business. Our MESA mentors provide us with the operational guidance we need.
If you were going to recommend MESA to a colleague, what would you say?
If you’re someone like us, who has experience with software development but doesn’t have experience in running or managing a business, you owe it to yourself to get involved with MESA. MESA has provided us with invaluable advice at each and every meeting.
What three words would you use to describe your experience with MESA?
Growth, perspective, challenge
Anything else you want us to know about your experience with MESA?
We signed up for MESA because we wanted to learn how to be business leaders and we are getting exactly that. Each time I go to a meeting, I come away with new ideas to further develop our business.
