"when did you get here?"
"i can't remember, but I think it was before the sun came up"
"why so early?"
"why do you ask?"
"no reason. but there is correlation between early arrival and seasonal affective disorder"
"you don't say? i wish i would've known that"
"many don't. come here."

a work in progress.

Recollective

There is a misperception in the technology industry that startups can emerge from nowhere and achieve overnight success. While that can happen, it’s definitely the exception. It’s more common for success to emerge after a long period that is defined by setbacks and challenges.

Alfred Jay’s entrepreneurial journey began back in 1998, the early days of the dot-com craze. Although early products such as CommunityZero attracted millions of users, Jay and his co-founder Philippe Dame came to the conclusion that a pivot was necessary. It was 2008, the financial crisis was taking hold and the co-founders believed their business model was flawed.

That was the start of today’s Recollective, a qualitative online research platform that is used by some of the world’s most recognizable companies, including Mattel, Nikon, RBC and Michaels.

The reset has paid off. Recollective revenues are up 400% in the past five years, headcount has increased from 24 employees in 2019 to 110 employees and the company boasts more than 2,000 customers.

In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran talks with Jay about this quarter century working in local tech. Also, Jay talks about why Recollective is finding such traction with its customers these days and what artificial intelligence might mean to market research in years to come.

Techopia Live: Alfred Jay recollects the big pivot

Having recently made a soundwalk recording through the city one Friday evening, the absence of the once familiar GPO clock tower bell ringing the quarter hours and hours was subtly and curiously striking. It has been silent for some years. No doubt, its silence is permanent. Even the tower clock stopped years ago. And having happened to have made a recording of the GPO clock tower bell striking 11:45 am and 12 noon on Friday 30th March 2018, it seemed quite appropriate to post an abridged version of that recording alongside the soundwalk recording made on Friday 25th October 2024.

Track photo: The GPO building illuminated at night, c. 1920.

Recorded respectfully on the land of the Kaurna people, a favoured dwelling-place known to them as Tárndanya.

2018.03.30 GPO Clock Tower Bell at 11:45 AM and 12:00 Noon. Early Autumn.

BPM: 130-250
https://youtu.be/q0WqEg3AKsI
character design: https://bsky.app/profile/talimai.bsky.social

空鳥

𝔈𝔵𝔭𝔩𝔬𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔤 ℌ𝔢𝔞𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔤, 𝔱𝔥𝔢 ℌ𝔢𝔞𝔯𝔞𝔟𝔩𝔢, 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔢 ℌ𝔢𝔞𝔯𝔢𝔯, 𝔞𝔰 𝔞𝔫 𝔈𝔳𝔢𝔫𝔱, 𝔞 𝔐𝔬𝔡𝔢, 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔞 𝔇𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔫𝔰𝔦𝔬𝔫 𝔬𝔣 𝔅𝔢𝔦𝔫𝔤.

in the era of liquid modernity. 
certainties dissolve. transient flows. 

liquid modern. music that defies boundaries. 
synth. vapor. electronic. city. pop. 
sometimes vocal. sometimes instrumental. solo or duo. 

always changing. always fluid. 

embrace impermanence. the allure of the ephemeral.

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New tracks tagged #Recollective