- Feedback, references
- Original Google Doc
- Brent Baumgartner, founder of Refract, March 2025
Hello,
As the founder & CEO of Refract (an AI Companion for Internal Family Systems therapy) I had the pleasure of working with Alex over the period of about a year. During that year we launched a product, ran a cohort-based course, built a team, reached product-market fit in a notoriously-difficult market to crack, and consequently had a deep impact on a number of our users. Alex was an instrumental part; I don’t say “I couldn’t have done this all without him” lightly.
Alex joined Refract pre-launch and was helpful from the first week. In typical Alex fashion, I received a 3 page proposal on exactly how he could be an asset to Refract (an indie/solopreneur business at the time). At the end of our one-month trial I remember telling my founder friends, “I feel like I found a right-hand guy - I feel force-amplified.” His demeanor (almost always content and well-regulated) and way of listening (attuned, and detail oriented) meant I could focus on what I was good at (setting vision and building product) and trust the rest of the company’s operations would be well-handled. I feel myself relaxing thinking about the effect Alex had on the company as I write this!
Alex’s strengths (as I experienced them) lie in three areas:
- High-agency skill-transfer. Alex has thoroughly “learned how to learn” and it felt great to know he could handle pretty much anything I would throw at him. I watched him transfer his intuitions and expertise to new areas. Then, like clockwork, every 1-2 months he’d send a high quality proposal on how he could upskill or apply his existing skills to new areas. I felt welcome to provide feedback at any point, knowing he wouldn’t take it personally.
- Setting up systems. Our CRM, knowledge base, and company rhythms were all Alex-inspired and Alex-maintained. Alex has a talent for operations!
- Building and maintaining relationships. As an early stage consumer startup, the magnitude of our success was directly correlated with the volume and quality of customer feedback we sourced. Alex maintained 50+ close customer relationships over WhatsApp - driving retention, referrals, and high quality feedback.
I could write a much longer letter than this - I haven’t even touched on his wonderful diagrams, attuned coaching skillset, hilarious youtube videos, or audacity.
I met Alex in a period of transition for both Refract and himself. He was a huge asset to our company in that period, and it was personally inspiring to watch him meaning-making and discovering his zone of genius. I believe he would be a uniquely great asset in any rapidly-shifting, operations-focused context.Â
Please feel welcome to contact me at brent@refract.space or +17034243926 for any further information.Â
Brent Baumgartner