On the TechVancouver stage ×1
First seen on the TechVancouver stage in 2017. Every talk is searchable — ask the archive about Dan ↗
In their words
if you build it they do not necessarily come
I just found that if I built something if I built a product that I had to use every day even if I didn't know what product management was it inevitably made sure that it turned into a great product
Around the web ×3
Quick answers
What does Dan Zitting do now?
He has been CEO of Nitrogen, the wealth-management software company formerly called Riskalyze, since December 2023. He previously served as Diligent's Chief Product and Strategy Officer and briefly as President and COO of MikMak.
How did he get into software?
He was an Ernst & Young auditor who disliked the audit software he was given, so he taught himself Ruby over about two and a half months and built what he described on stage as Basecamp for auditors. That became Workpapers.com.
What did he argue at TechVancouver?
That an early acquisition can be a legitimate alternative to venture capital. He pushed back on the fixation with raising capital, saying joining ACL let him take a basement product to global scale, and that getting acquired does not necessarily have to suck.