TheBridge profile: Shannon Goggin
Name: Shannon Goggin
Current city: San Francisco, CA
Current job: CEO & Co-Founder of Noyo
Past job: Product Manager, Zenefits
Q. Favorite spot for a coffee meeting? A sunny park on a spring day
Q. Describe how a skill you learned in a previous job helped you in your current job. Clear and concise communication is an invaluable tool in any role. I sharpened this skill first as a management consultant and then as a product manager - being able to understand each person's specific needs and how it applies to the matter at hand can save long cycles and lets you cut right to the core of an issue to find the best solution.
Q. Job advice in three words? Do what matters.
Q. How are you (or your company, org, nonprofit) currently bridging the gap between politics and tech / innovation and regulation? Noyo is building technology to modernize health insurance behind the scenes by digitizing paper and manual processes and making it possible for people to understand what's going on with their insurance coverage. Solving problems at this scale require thoughtful collaboration between policy-makers, technologists, industry leaders, and consumers themselves. Noyo collaborates across those parties to create solutions for everyone.
Q. What can innovators learn from policymakers? Well-designed policy considers all the downstream impacts, and is created to ensure the desired outcomes don't come with unintentional adverse effects. As innovators roll out their products at scale, there is a lot to learn about looking ahead at what adverse outcomes might follow and adapting as needed.
Q. What can policymakers learn from innovators? Innovators are constantly iterating to improve things. When they find something that works, they double down, and when something that doesn't work, they make an update to adapt quickly. This allows for rapid improvement and constant testing.
Q. Favorite book/podcast/long-form article you recommend? E.B. White's "Here Is New York" is a beautiful essay I revisit often.
Q. If you had to live in another city, which would it be? Cape Town, South Africa
Q. Looking back, what advice would you give yourself in the beginning of your career? Don't wait for someone to give you permission to try something. Create your own momentum.
Q. How do you unwind after work? A sunset run in San Francisco is a great way to end the day.
Q. What's one piece of advice you are still trying to master? Don't sweat the small stuff.
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