Tatum

Today's blockchain world is so technically complex and fragmented that just because a programmer can program for ETH does not automatically mean he can program for other blockchains. Each protocol has completely different specifics that require study and a lot of experience. We solve this problem by allowing developers to program for all supported blockchains directly through our API, without needing to know the language in which the blockchain communicates.

Tatum is an intermediate layer that simplifies the complexity of the blockchain world, allowing developers to focus only on developing their applications.

Many people inadvertently confuse blockchain with cryptocurrencies, but blockchain has many more uses. It can find applications ranging from banking to the small shop down the end of your street. There is no limit to the potential of blockchain technology. We believe it won't be long before we find ourselves in a time when every business in the world uses some application or tool built on blockchain whether it will be a small coffee shop whose cash register will accept crypto payments or a large hospital identifying incoming patients thanks to a digital identity stored in the blockchain.

We feel that we have great success in front of us, which drives us forward. We've grown 2500 times in the last year! For some, it would be a dream come true, but we are humbled to see it as just the beginning. We know that "the sky is the limit" because we have essentially created a new market. Plus, we are surrounded by a community of tens of thousands of developers who provide us with valuable feedback. We have a drive, determination, passion, and the most excellent blockchain experts on our global team. Now is the right time to be at Tatum because we are starting something special. We are getting great investors, working with the most prominent players on the global market, and we are the first Czech startup to get into the SkyDeck accelerator.

People who are passionate and doing everything at their best. We neither give up when it's overwhelming nor when we can't find the right direction for a while. We are united by our desire to create, build and be part of the action. Our enthusiasm for results drives us forward, which, at this stage of the company and product development, are visible de facto immediately. The basic principle of our collaboration is autonomy and personal responsibility. We know what we are working on and what result is expected of us, but how we achieve it is up to each of us.

Everyone is doing their best for the success of Tatum, so we don't need to control each other in any way. We are internally set on development, looking for the most effective methods and constantly evaluating whether our actions can be done better, faster, and more efficiently. We respect each other, support each other, and believe in the purpose of what we want to achieve. 

This is an opportunity to join a new industry at its beginning. An industry in which nothing is yet firmly defined and which is a bit like the Wild West. First come, first served. It's an opportunity to be among the first who understand the rules and learn how it works. Plus, by doing what we do, we have the chance to define how it works. It's an opportunity to learn a tremendous amount. To learn something that hasn't been taught in any school or workshop. It's an opportunity to get a head start. This experience and knowledge will be of great value in a few years. We're the ones who make shovels and picks for the gold miners. Others will start in this market while we have years of experience. Blockchain is a technology that will change many aspects of our lives. It is not whether it will happen but how fast the change will happen.

We can make decisions quickly, even though everything has to be supported by data and arguments. We don't spend time preparing analyses or presentations. We get the data. We evaluate, we make a decision, and the execution is underway. It takes courage to take responsibility for a quick decision because it is not always the right decision, but it is more valuable for us to try something rather than to leave a path unexplored. Even when something goes wrong, we always learn something new from our mistakes, and at the same time, we understand that the given direction is not the way to go, which we perceive as moving forward. Things happen here, and you don't wait for someone to decide for you.

When we released the Tatum framework to the world, we believed it was great. Yet we were surprised by the interest it generated among developers. We couldn't prepare for such a whirlwind, so we feel like flying into infinity and beyond with a jetpack on our backs. We're zigzagging to keep up. It must be apparent to those who understand this that many things are not yet perfect. Imperfection is a tax on the speed at which we grow. But it also means that any of us can take responsibility for a particular area, map it out, set ground rules, build a team around it, and then continuously improve it. Today we influence Tatum for the future. This is how we create leaders. The right leader leads by example. His hands are as dirty as his team. He is defined by a job well done and the ability to pull others in the right direction.

Our domain is incredibly heavy and new. Without previous experience and knowledge, joining and keeping up with our development speed is almost impossible. We are looking for developers who enjoy problem-solving, have a high level of abstraction, and can conjecture how their design will work in an exponential world. It makes a critical difference whether the proposed algorithm is used by one company or developers worldwide.

It is not necessary to know blockchain and have experience with it. It's not complicated in itself, and we'll explain it quickly. We value more experience developing backend systems that store vast amounts of data, contain complex algorithms, or have rich APIs. Tatum includes all of this. At first glance, it may seem like a superficial, intermediate layer, but blockchain generates a massive amount of data that we need to handle efficiently. Moreover, to cover all protocols, our API today has more than 500 endpoints that we take care of. 

Tatum is made up of people from all over the world. Working remotely is our DNA. It's important to us that even remotely, we build a shared culture, a welcoming atmosphere, and an online environment that makes us feel comfortable. We want to be one team around the world in which we know each other not only through code but also as people. We want to be able to joke around with each other and talk about family. Many people don't realize this dimension, but building an international virtual environment where we all feel comfortable requires particular attention.

Remote collaboration is sometimes more demanding on motivation, discipline, and communication. Sometimes we work when the rest of our team is no longer working because they are in a different time zone. We communicate a lot in writing and take that into account. The remote-first approach has taught us that it is better to write a few more lines to ensure a colleague understands how we view an issue.

We are all one click away from Slack. Just write, call, and we'll be in touch in a second. You need to be fearless and feel free to call even with a colleague you haven't seen before. It's the same as when you first meet in the hallway. We also have a water cooler channel where we write news about our lives to learn about ourselves outside of work. 

You should keep a full-time schedule, but it's up to you how you schedule it. You can work more hours one day, less the next. You can work from home one day, from the office the next, and travel the world the third. All that matters is feeling good about it and accomplishing what you need. If you put on your calendar that you can't work tomorrow, no one is wondering why or asking you for three pieces of paper with a round stamp.

We respect that you have that. We are each our own boss and are more comfortable living a life that doesn't have to be divided into work and personal. 

For Jirka and Sam, one of the most important principles is openness. They communicate transparently about everything that happens in the company. At the all-hands meetings, we learn how we are doing, what we have achieved, and what is ahead of us in the next period. Their approach has worked its way through us. We communicate directly with each other about everything and don't play games. If something goes wrong or we disagree with something, we know how to write it down or say it politely. As Steve Jobs said, "It's not about the person, it's about the nature of the problem," and we stick to that. The important thing is to be able to defend our position. Whatever happens, positive or negative, the key is to talk about it openly and not hide anything.

Tatum is a highly complex product containing many abstract structures and interconnections. The level of complexity is high, and, especially for non-technical people, it can be challenging to get to grips with it at the beginning. The assumption is that if you don't understand something, you will try to figure it out on your own. We're at a stage where we're investing all our time in product and company development. Things are rapidly changing as we look for the best path. That's why we don't have time to write detailed internal documentation or tune a buddy program. But that doesn't mean you're on your own. You need to be proactive and ask questions; the whole company can be at your disposal immediately. Maybe the fact that things aren't perfectly worked out makes us more attentive to each other.

As a result, we cover all time zones of our customers. From the beginning, we knew we wanted to be global, and we wanted everyone to be able to work when it was natural for them and not have to get up in the middle of the night for our customers. Sales is primarily located in the US, where we have our largest clients. Development, marketing, and back office in Europe. The support team is spread around the world. Our headquarters is in Brno, where we have office. In Prague, London and Miami, we can work together in co-working spaces.