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Meet the Astronaut: Matt, Cofounder & CEO

A sunsets over a forest and river

Our small team is stacked with talent. As a remote-first team, we’re spread across many timezones and regions. Curious about who works behind the scenes at Astropad? Here’s a glimpse at what we are all about, one staff interview at a time.

Matt, our cofounder, sits on a swing in the office.

Matt Ronge

  • Location: Minneapolis, MN
  • Zodiac Sign: Virgo
  • Coffee or Tea: Coffee, but I enjoy tea too, especially in the afternoon
  • Truth or Dare: Dare!

Tell us a bit about your role.

My primary job is to support the team and help wherever they need it. That means I dabble in everything, which I enjoy. That includes engineering, marketing, product, support, finance, and operations.

What’s your favorite thing about the work you do?

I love working with others to build stuff, be it a company, marketing plan, piece of software, video, article. I love to make stuff!

A canoe sits on the banks of a clear water river.
Boundary Waters camping trip

What’s the most interesting project you’ve worked on at Astropad?

Writing the first version of our LIQUID codec. It was really challenging and fun!

Walk us through your daily routine…

I usually get up around 6:00 am, feed my dogs and get my 2 yr old son ready. I drop him off at daycare at 7:30 am and then I’m at work around 8 am (home or the office depending on that day). At work, I have meeting days on Monday and Wednesday while the other days are for ad hoc meetings or focused work.

During the day if I start to feel low energy I might go for a run, walk or even take a nap. I work somewhere till 4:30 or 5 pm. I head home and in the summer on nice nights, me, my wife, son and 2 dogs go for a walk. I help get my son in bed and spend about an hour or so reading or messing around on the internet before going to bed.

Matt's workstation including a computer, plenty of books, and pictures on the wall.
Matt’s home office

What’s your workspace like?

Usually pretty messy with a stack of books. I ❤️reading so there are always books near me (they are still the best way to learn).

What tools do you use to stay productive?

The main tools I use are Chrome, Notion, Slack, Excel, Zoom, Agenda, Keynote, and Gmail via the browser. I also like to use Chrome extensions like 1Password and Grammarly.

Canoeing at Boundary Waters
Canoeing at Boundary Waters

Tell us about your pets!

I have two dogs, Belle and Bear.

What are your hobbies outside of work?

I’m an avid reader, of course ?! I also like to garden and camp (the more remote the better). In the winter months, I like to fire up my Xbox where I play RPGs, Fallout 4 being my favorite.

Matt's green garden
Matt’s garden

Want to work for Astropad? Check out our current job openings or send us an email and tell us about yourself.