The First Welcome in Silicon Valley: Aquibur Rahman, CEO of Mailmodo
Silicon Valley attracts founders from every corner of the world. They arrive with big dreams, fresh ideas, and the excitement of being at the heart of innovation. As part of eChai SF, I meet many of them, over coffees, at events, in conversations that stretch late into the night. What stays with me from these meetings is not just the talk of fundraising or partnerships, but the personal stories. Again and again, founders tell me about the people who made them feel at home. The first smile, the first coffee, the first friend who said, “You belong here.” That’s what I call the first welcome in Silicon Valley.
I started asking a few of my founder friends to share their own stories of the first welcome they received when they came here.
Aquibur is building Mailmodo, an email marketing platform that helps businesses get up to 3x higher conversions with interactive, app-like emails. With AMP-powered widgets like forms, surveys, scheduling, and quizzes inside the email, Mailmodo removes redirections and delivers a smoother experience. Backed by Y Combinator (S21) and Sequoia Surge, the company is simplifying email marketing and driving growth for a global customer base.
"Coming from India to sf was quite disappointing at first. In India, I am used to see people all around, often busy and sometime chaotic. In 2022, I landed in SF, took BART and came to market street to reach my hotel. And I was shocked. It was a foggy day with chill winds. I couldn’t find people on streets except a lot of homeless people. I didn’t imagine sf like that. I didn’t have any friends in sf then and couldn’t see sun for a few days. I was sad and questioning my decision to come.
Then I went to my first event. People were smiling at me and talking to me for no reason. That was a surprise too. I met Mariana. we talked for hours and became friends instantly. She invited me to meet her family and we brainstormed on our startups. Eventually she started working at Mailmodo in a year’s time. After a few events, I met Alan, who is a nice and kind soul. He invited me to stay at his place when he visited sf again while we were still strangers. Mariana and Alan are just two names but there are countless others who shared laughs, connection and ideas in the city. While the number of people less, each person is ambitious and working on something new. And most importantly they are open to help other people in their journey. That what makes sf so special."
Then I went to my first event. People were smiling at me and talking to me for no reason. That was a surprise too. I met Mariana. we talked for hours and became friends instantly. She invited me to meet her family and we brainstormed on our startups. Eventually she started working at Mailmodo in a year’s time. After a few events, I met Alan, who is a nice and kind soul. He invited me to stay at his place when he visited sf again while we were still strangers. Mariana and Alan are just two names but there are countless others who shared laughs, connection and ideas in the city. While the number of people less, each person is ambitious and working on something new. And most importantly they are open to help other people in their journey. That what makes sf so special."
Stories like Aquibur’s show what truly defines this place. It’s not just the technology or the capital, it’s the generosity. The first welcome turns a city into a community, and strangers into collaborators and friends.
So let me ask you, when you first came here, who welcomed you? What did they do, and how did it shape your path? And what stayed with you from that act of generosity?
