I'm Ashish Jagtiani, a founder, engineer, and systems thinker. I've spent the last two decades building, from semiconductor R&D at IBM to launching Chronus Health, a medtech startup focused on point-of-care diagnostics.

I was the CTO and co-founder of Chronus Health. I left the company in December. It was one of the hardest decisions I've made, because it wasn't just a company, it was something I helped build from scratch, something deeply personal. Walking away felt like stepping back from something I had raised for over twenty years (8 years building the company).

It was hard and deeply painful, not because of lost equity or missed future gains, but because of broken promises. This experience comes from real challenges, not theory. Our company didn't make it. But that doesn't make the lessons any less valuable. If anything, it makes them sharper.

If I had to do it again, I'd be more deliberate about timing that transition, from fast to right, from discovery to delivery. I'm sharing this in case it helps someone else navigate that same blurry middle.

Today, I run Twenty Seven Labs, where I work with early-stage deeptech and diagnostics startups to bring hard technologies to life. I believe in simplifying the complex, building with intent, and designing for scale from day one. If you're a founder navigating that blurry middle between building fast and building right, I'd love to hear your story.