With more and more communication happening via text message, there is a high probability you have experienced text regret.
Maci Peterson, co-founder and CEO of On Second Thought, had the unpleasant experience of sending a text message she immediately regretted.The bad news? The message reached the recipient.
The good news? The experience gave her an idea for a mobile app designed to allow users to take back messages after they hit "Send" and before they get to the other person.
Thus, On Second Thought was born. A few months later, Maci beat out 20 other companies during a pitch competition at the 2014 #StartupOasis at South by Southwest in Austin.
Once Maci realized her idea was viable, she paired up with Stewart Voit (co-founder and COO) and got to work. Nine months later, On Second Thought released the app's beta version for Google Play. Since then, the app has been downloaded in 190 countries.
In 2015, On Second Thought's technology received a patent for the delay and recall of mobile communications. Once wireless carriers realized the app's potential power to take back anythingtransferred via mobile devices (i.e. social media posts, peer-to-peer money transfers), the company began talking licensing deals.
Meet RocketSpace Campus Member and "Texting Savior" Maci Peterson
Since being dubbed "The Texting Savior" by AT&T, Maci and Stewart are now on a mission to make fixing embarrassing mistakes standard on every phone. Judging from On Second Thought's reviews, its users fully support this mission:
"As an impulsive individual with little to no filter, this application has the ability to save me from countless headaches misunderstandings and disagreements. A+ On Second Thought is saving the world one delayed SMS at a time!" — Jason Montague, Jul 26, 2017
As a RocketSpace San Francisco tech campus member, we wanted to learn more about Maci's typical day, and what it's like working from RocketSpace.
Looking for more insider info on what it's like to work at RocketSpace's tech campus? Grab our coworking kit:
A Day in the Life: RocketSpace Sits Down With Campus Member Maci Peterson, CEO of On Second Thought
RocketSpace: It seems like you were able to launch On Second Thought fairly quickly, from idea to market. What is your background?
Maci: In college, I started a digital magazine for women of the African Diaspora ages 18 to 24, but I got my start working in product placement at 20th Century Fox. After that, I served a short stint as a junior publicist in Hollywood, and was involved on the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Businesses and Entrepreneurship. I then went on to run the marketing department of The Root, a subsidiary of The Washington Post, before working as a global brand manager for Marriott International. It was during the time between WaPo and Marriott that I came up with the idea for On Second Thought.
RocketSpace: What is your current role at On Second Thought?
Maci: I'm the CEO and cofounder of the company. I'm involved in everything from fundraising to sales to marketing; essentially, everything that has to do with the money side of the business.
RocketSpace: How many people are on the team?
Maci: Currently, we're a team of eight, but we're in the process of expanding our team.
RocketSpace: Why did you choose to bring your team to RocketSpace?
Maci: We decided to join RocketSpace upon relocating the company from D.C. to San Francisco. Since we were completely new to the Bay Area, we wanted a community that would make it easier to matriculate and get connected to fellow entrepreneurs and other startups.
RocketSpace: What has been the biggest benefit you have experienced in working at RocketSpace?
Maci: The RocketSpace team has been very helpful to us — with everything from advice on raising money to hiring teammates. It's one of those environments where you get out of it what you put into it, and because I've developed a strong relationship with the team, I have gotten a lot out of it.
Even Duncan (RocketSpace's founder) — I can email him about anything — he's extremely responsive. I also appreciate the fact that I don't have to worry about office admin like making sure the lights are on, having a phone connection, having office supplies, and stuff like that.
RocketSpace: Would you mind walking us through your typical day?
Maci: *Laughs* no day is the same! What I do varies from one day to the next, but I will have a go at it.
7:30 a.m. Wake up, do my daily devotional, pray, and answer emails on my iPhone.
8:30 a.m. Glance at the clock and realize I still haven't showered!
9:15 a.m. Finally get out of the house, and walk to a nearby meeting with a client or investor.
10:30 a.m. Many of my meetings are close to RocketSpace, so once I'm done I can usually walk over — which is super convenient.
10:35 a.m. Get to my desk, respond to any unanswered emails, and start working on a new proposal.
11:30 a.m. Head into a reserved phone booth for a virtual meeting with a potential partner.
1:30 p.m. Break for lunch, and go downstairs to a RocketSpace "Lunch and Learn." My favorite one to date was a roundtable discussion on process, strategy, and pricing.
2:30 p.m. Hop on the phone with a media outlet for an interview.
4 p.m. Head to one of the RocketSpace lounges to meet with a potential new team member for an interview.
6 p.m. Walk over to a nearby restaurant to meet with investors for a partner dinner.
8 p.m. Head back to RocketSpace to finish the proposal design I started earlier.
12 a.m. Finish up, head home, go to sleep, and repeat!
Thanks for giving us a glimpse into your routine Maci!
Meet More Entrepreneurs Like Maci at RocketSpace Tech Campus
At RocketSpace, we pride ourselves on curating an inspiring mix of tech entrepreneurs working tirelessly toward disrupting the status quo. Over the past six years, we have hosted 18 "unicorns," raising more than $21 billion in funding.
Whether you need warm introductions, educational resources, or just a great work environment, RocketSpace is here to support you. If you are a Seed to Series C funded startup founder, with a proven MVP, we invite you to come check us out.
