Som Mohapatra

📍Manhattan, New York City | SEC Compliance Automated by AI

📝 Editor’s Note

As a father/husband, I’ve been learning a lot recently. I’ve learned there are certain times where you leave your jokes holstered. Some can’t be told to a two year old (ask me about my snowman joke) and some jokes shouldn’t be used when you show up an hour after you were supposed to be home.

While my comedic timing may need work, I am very proud of my ability to hit on icebreakers. I know some people would rather listen to a nails on a chalk board but I love ‘em. These are my two favorites:

1. First concert? [Dave Matthews Band]

2. AIM screen name? [uncboy49 later changed to uncguy49 to sound tougher]

Don’t judge me. I’ve worked remote for almost 4 years. I am at a breaking point whenever I get on a zoom early and we discuss the weather in North Carolina.

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Without further ado….

Why Som?

Som and I were introduced to one another by Michael Jarvis (thank you!). We both went to UVa, albeit several years a part. It’s refreshing to profile someone a bit younger to learn what they are into and doing professionally. Som is a Y-Combinator alum and an all-around impressive guy!

Follow Som on Twitter

Self-Description

Finance turned tech guy who's in love with history and is hyper focused on building a billion dollar "boring" startup

Som’s Recommendations

Written in his own words…

Content

History of Rome by Mike Duncan (Podcast)

This podcast was created back when the word "podcast" was just a few years old. Made by a fishmonger with a love for history, this has become *the* defining piece of popular media on Roman history in the 21st century, and is even historian approved. It re-awoke my love in history, which had gone dormant for years since school. And Mike is an amazing storyteller.

Digital Tools

Spark!

I do sales for my company, and outside of meetings, I spend 40% of my time on just email. I figured it was worth my time to find a tool that helped me email faster (shortcuts, user experience, etc). This tool does just that, and nothing more. The native Gmail/Outlook/Apple Mail systems feel clunky to me now.

I'd recommend using Spark 2 instead of Spark 3 though -- not happy with their newest UI, but the classic version is better than anything else out there

Brand

Fabletics Sweatpants

I move pretty often, so I've become the kind of guy that tracks the number of each item of clothing I carry with me. It has helped me be very intentional about what clothes I buy, what I keep, and what I wear. I have 5 pairs of sweatpants, and most of them are now Fabletics ones due to comfort, quality over time, and breathability. They're expensive, but one of those items that you're happy to pay for because you know you don't need to replace them for a while.

Well-Being

I found a recent stat that being in the top VO2Max and grip strength deciles in your age range is better for your longevity/health than almost literally anything else, potentially even non-smoking. I try to run a mile every day -- and I've never been a runner. Up until recently, my best mile times were in the 9/10 minute range.

Vice: I’m a fan of the idea that the real secret to avoiding vices isn't about willpower—it's about not giving temptation a chance. Simply don't stock up on junk food. That said, I’m currently not stocking up on Indian Cake Rusk, which is pretty much the best thing on earth to dip into a warm glass of milk. It’s definitely full of sugar and bad stuff, but tastes really darn good.

Watch

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

It's not one of the shows that spent time finding itself -- it went hard immediately from Season 1 and hasn't dropped in quality 16 seasons later. It's light, funny, and the characters are loveable in terms of how horrible they are -- it's sort of like Seinfeld.

Food and Drink

French Toast Milk Stout

I'm not a beer guy, but recently fell in love with French Toast Milk Stout by Left Hand Brewing. It tastes like the good parts of chocolate milk and the refreshing parts of a draft beer mixed together in perfect proportions.

Professional

Meditation (Article referencing Steve Jobs method)

Everyone wants to meditate but nobody really digs into what that means concretely and how to do it. There's an article about how Steve Jobs "trained his brain" that starts off a bit sensationalist but gets into the weeds quickly that I think about / practice whenever I meditate. I don't do it often, but usually when my mind feels frazzled or I feel like I need to get to sleep. It works wonders.

Gift

My sister sewed my company's logo onto a sweatshirt for Christmas and almost every person that's seen it has wanted to buy one. It's the best gift I've ever received, and I tell her that often!!

Music

MyKey

Very few people I've talked to have listened to MyKey. His music is a good combo of energetic indie and bedroom pop -- my favorite song of his is Was It Something I Said. Beautifully melancholy while still being a bop.

Travel

Bridgton, Maine

I've made it a goal to try to live in every state in the US for a small amount before I'm 35. One of my favorites so far has been Bridgton, Maine. Tiny, tiny town with a residency of below 5,000 in the winter. Lakefront is relatively inexpensive and the lake is still traversable in the months of October / November. I want to go back sometime soon.

Open

Learn to Code

I always try to recommend learning to code, with www.automatetheboringstuff.com. It's basic python to automate stuff like searching for text in a file or across multiple files, searching the Web to download online content, and sending reminder emails and text notifications.

Plug

Check out Som’s company Hadrius:

• Save 70%+ of your time each week with the all-in-one compliance platform.

• AI-powered SEC and FINRA compliance in one place.

• Cut 16hrs/week across marketing review, comms review, code of ethics, and more.

Want to get in touch with Som? Email him at som@hadrius.com

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P.S. I’m taking my wife on an overnight trip to Charleston, SC for her birthday. Therefore, I put together another FABRIC guide. I really appreciated those that jumped in and added comments about my choices for Austin. I think I made a few controversial choices on restaurants. [Charleston, SC | FABRIC Guide]

If you have any feedback on these travel guides, I’d love to hear from you.