“Local transit gives you the broadest recruiting reach”: Father-son colleagues and the perks of headquartering new startup in Downtown San Francisco at the “crux of all transit lines”
Tyler and Raja Singh pictured commuting together on BART.
This past summer, Raja and Tyler Singh did something they’d never done before; they worked together. They also traveled to their Downtown San Francisco office on BART with each other in what they described as a relaxing bonding experience.
Tyler is Raja’s son. A second year at Santa Clara University, Tyler also worked as Raja’s intern over summer break doing quality assurance at his dad’s new enterprise software company, Revolear. Raja deliberately headquartered the company in Downtown San Francisco, in the building directly above Montgomery Street Station, at the “crux of all transit lines.”
Every morning the two would head to the office, sitting or standing side-by-side on the train, for the three in-office days Raja and his cofounder required of employees. Tyler would drive the five-minute ride to Lafayette Station while Raja “slumped over in the passenger seat." Tyler said they timed their exiting of the house thoughtfully, referencing the official BART app, which displays real-time train arrivals and departures.
In addition to making sure he leaves on time, Raja said he’s loved taking his son behind the curtain of his working life – an experience most children never have. The workday, for many kids, is a black box from which their parents come and go.
“It’s super fun to have Tyler at the office and seeing what I do every day when I’m not home,” Raja said.
Before setting out on his own, Raja worked at various software companies. Since 2011, he’s taken BART to various offices in San Francisco. He said he’s long understood the importance of a relaxed, reliable commute – one that wouldn’t require sitting in miles of traffic to travel from his home in Lafayette.
When starting his own business, Raja realized that transit would serve his employees’ well-being and morale. It also, as an added bonus, would serve his own interests and priorities as the head honcho.
"People perceive going into the office as somewhat of a burden, and I thought it was important to make it as easy as possible for folks,” he said. “It’s more relaxing to get on BART and zone out or work than it is to navigate a tunnel and bridge then find parking downtown.” Raja would know – he's been commuting by BART for well over a decade.
Employee Tyler agreed: "BART is faster and more consistent. You can’t drive to the city in a half hour. Definitely not.”
Raja also cited the recruitment benefits of headquartering his company by transit. They can enter the office, at 44 Montgomery Street, directly from the station, without having to step foot outside. Raja said nine of his employees live in the Bay Area and all of them commute by transit – seven take BART and two travel by Muni from their homes in the city.
“Because we’re located at a transit hub, we can recruit from the East Bay, the South Bay, the Peninsula, and the city all at once, and it’s equally easy to get there,” he said “There's nowhere else in the Bay where you can say that. It gives you the broadest recruiting reach.”
Raja has witnessed the ups and downs of Downtown San Francisco since the start of the pandemic. He said he himself got back on BART two years after the onset of the lockdown. But he has faith that the area will spring back to its former vibrant self. He expects rents to adjust to make Downtown SF once again attractive to companies.
There is, he added, nowhere quite like San Francisco. It remains an attractive destination for enticing potential customers for corporate visits, an integral part of the sales process.
“It’s stunningly beautiful, it has great fancy restaurants, and it remains a destination for people,” Raja said. “There’s nowhere like San Francisco. People want to visit!”