I am now reminiscing from @tcdisrupt 2010. A few other things:
1. We had been under the radar up until that point + took this competition very seriously. We had been using a beta homepage with “Wouldn’t it be cool if your website were protected by ninjas?” Our beta grew to 1K

2. As we got ready for the pitch competition, we had a long list of things to do. We had a shared Google Sheet and everyone was working furiously to knock them out the three weeks leading up. We were working so hard. Nothing motivates a team like a deadline you can’t move.

3. On Sept 27, 2010, @eastdakota and I stepped on stage to introduce @Cloudflare to the world. The rest of the team was in the audience, still grinding down the Google Sheet list of things to do!

4. As @eastdakota and I walked on stage, our new homepage went live to this one. In retrospect, switching to a new homepage while we were pitching live, was risky. We took the competition rules very seriously.

5. We did well in the pitch competition making it to the finals. It was a big deal for us - no one knew us! I remember sitting backstage at @tcdisrupt and seeing all these famous tech leaders. @arrington, @marissamayer, @DavidSacks. I was in awe.

6. @eastdakota + I had arrived in SF the summer prior. I drove my Jetta across the Bay Bridge w/ @sutherlandjamie (we had driven it from Vancouver) wondering what the future would hold. One year later, I was in the same room as tech giants that I read about in @TechCrunch!

7. We ended up coming in second. What’s the word for when you are both immensely proud and disappointed that we didn’t win? This is the original eight founding team members of @Cloudflare, on stage, in front of a big crowd, waiting for the results. I loved that we were all there.

8. We lost to Qwiki.

9. We decided to declare it a victory nonetheless and sent out a press release the next day!

10. We have come a long way over the last decade. I am still inspired that three people can show up in the Bay Area with an idea, some smarts, lots of heart, and some guts, and make their dream come true.