2020: Unique on All Counts / January 1, 2021 by Aanarav Sareen

In early January, my wife and I were stepping back into JFK airport - after spending nearly 10 days in the Swiss Alps. We had a chance to explore incredible little towns, sleep in some unique accommodations and had a blast with friends and family.

Little did we know that it would be our last international trip for a very long time.

When March arrived and the news of the pandemic accelerated, New York and New Jersey were one of the first few states to implement strict measures - including curfews and a ban on non-essential businesses. Being naive, I thought that the pandemic would be over by the summer and that we’d be able to travel and explore the world.

As of this writing - that seems like a lifetime away.

But, it’s inevitable. We’ll return to the basics - the ability to go to a bar to grab a drink, the ability to gather with friends and family, the safety of celebrating milestones - big and and small. And most importantly - the ability to live in a world that has been rocked by this pandemic.

We take a lot of things for granted - shaking hands, hugging friends, meeting new people, etc. None of that has happened in the last few months - but through pure force and drive - we’ve been able to maintain relationships. We’ve been able to see people grow, friendships evolve, and businesses give it their all to make an impact.

The things we used to take for granted - commuting to work, conference calls, package deliveries, medical personnel and even food delivery - will always and forever change because of this. It’s a shift unlike any other.

But, change is good.

I was able to earn three FAA licenses, focus on building a kick-ass team and most importantly - bring a baby boy into this world.

Yes, it has been challenging. Yes, the world has suffered. Yes, the mental pressure is absolutely insane. But, we’ll get through this. Because years like this - hopefully - only happen once in a lifetime.

On 2015 / January 4, 2015 by Aanarav Sareen

As another year rolls around, I look at the calendar, pack up my laptop, iPad and various accessories that have scattered around my apartment over the past 2 weeks. It feels like the end of a school vacation.

The end of the year is always interesting. While a lot of people take time off, startup life doesn’t really stop. It keeps plugging away. Day after day, week after week and then suddenly, 3 years later, you look back to see what you’ve accomplished.

Running PaLaCart has been my biggest privilege. We’ve gone through so many ups and downs and if I was in any other job - I would have quit to work at another company.

PaLaCart has also been the longest job of my career. It has been greatly rewarding, extremely challenging and truly humbling. I couldn’t have done it without the support of friends and family.

Over the past year, I’ve also joined Genome. It is a start-up incubator and service provider. While my involvement on the service side is just starting to ramp up, looking at startups from a critical eye and then from a compassionate heart is really interesting.

2015 is going to be the year of a lot of big decisions. No resolutions at this point, but time to get things moving.

Onwards and upwards.