CS Alum Bediako George on Tech, Startups and Staying Focused

Hands-on experience often determines the difference between a theory and a practice, especially in the world of startups. While classrooms provide the foundation, it’s real-world trial and error that informs how to build a product, serve customers and weather uncertainty. Bediako George (B.S. '03, computer science), a computer science alum of the University of Maryland’s Department of Computer Science, took that lesson to heart. After years in technology consulting, he launched Georgetown Software House in Washington, D.C., in 2017. The company now supports major financial institutions through its cloud-based spreadsheet engine, Pebble Stream.

In a recent conversation, George discussed his path into technology and entrepreneurship, the lessons he’s learned as a founder and his advice for students and alumni interested in launching their own ventures.

Can you start by sharing your background and what led you to study computer science at UMD?

I was born in Washington, D.C., and spent much of my childhood in the area before moving to South America at age 10. I went to high school in Guyana, and we also lived in Dominica for a time. I followed the science stream there and learned physics, chemistry, biology, and applied math. I won a physics prize and initially wanted to become a physicist.

When I returned to the U.S. at 19, I didn’t have much financial support, so I started asking what fields would allow me to earn a decent living. An advisor mentioned several engineering disciplines. I dismissed electrical engineering because I thought it was just wiring buildings. I didn’t care for chemistry, so chemical engineering was out. Then we got to computer science. I didn’t have any computer experience, but I liked math, so I gave it a try. This was the late ’80s, and starting salaries were around $20,000, which sounded like a lot to me at the time.

Were there any experiences or mentors during your time at UMD that sparked your interest in building software or solving technical challenges?

Yes, absolutely. I had great professors at Maryland. One who stood out was Professor John Gannon. There’s a room named after him in the computer science department now, and rightfully so. I remember going into his office with programming problems. This was back when we were writing in C, and he told me, “Bediako, you have a tendency not to initialize your variables.” That stuck with me and became something I’ve passed down to my own son as he’s learning programming.

I also had an uncle, Dr. Keith Martin, who holds a Ph.D. in computer science. He’s not a UMD alum, but he was the one who helped me land my first job in tech. At the time, getting programming jobs wasn’t easy, especially if you didn’t have practical experience. Open-source wasn’t what it is today, so it was tough to build a portfolio. His recommendation helped me get a foot in the door.

What was the initial idea behind Georgetown Software House?

I had been working with a former colleague, David Hodge, and we co-founded a consulting company called Lucid Technics. That company focused on custom software consulting. But I always wanted to build a product, and eventually we went our separate ways. That desire to create something of my own led me to form Georgetown Software House.

While we started as a consultancy to generate revenue, the long-term goal was always to identify and build a scalable product. The consultancy allowed us to work closely with clients, which helped us discover real problems worth solving.

How did you approach the challenge of translating a technical solution into a scalable platform?

We spent a lot of time converting spreadsheet-based models, particularly in Excel, into high-performance cloud applications. These models included everything from financial and accounting logic to customer management systems. Excel is a powerful prototyping tool, but it doesn't scale well.

Over time, I realized the core problem wasn’t the spreadsheet format itself, but the fact that Excel is tied to the desktop. So, I thought: what if we built a spreadsheet engine that ran in the cloud, compatible with Excel, but able to scale? That’s what led to Pebble Stream. It allows companies to move Excel models to the cloud much more quickly and reliably. It came directly from seeing the same problem repeatedly and thinking, “There has to be a better way.”

As a programmer turned founder, how has your perspective on leadership changed over time?

As a founder, especially of a small company, you wear many hats. You’re responsible for setting the vision, maintaining morale and making sure you don’t run out of money. Compare that to being an employee, where your main goal is to do good work and get paid for it. Those are fundamentally different perspectives.

Employees aren’t always thinking about profitability or long-term sustainability in the same way founders are. That shift in mindset was a learning process. I had to go from executing someone else’s vision to creating and sustaining my own. That includes thinking about not just what we build, but why we build it, who it’s for and how it sustains the business.

Looking back, was there a moment that tested your vision as a founder?

There have been many. I’ve had clients come to me saying they need to cut spending and are reducing their budget for our project by half. That’s a tough call to get. But I’ve also had clients call with major new projects. The important thing I’ve learned is that both the setbacks and the wins are usually temporary.

It’s important to stay even-keeled. When things go wrong, you adjust and keep moving. When things go well, that’s not the time to relax; it’s often the time to double down. I’m not claiming enormous success, but the business is stable and doing better than if I had stayed a salaried employee. The key has been consistency and keeping things in perspective.

What’s next for Georgetown Software House?

We’re focused on expanding our reach in the accounting and financial services sectors. Excel is widely used in those industries, but it’s often seen as a risk because of version control issues, lack of audit trails and scalability concerns.

Our goal is to show decision-makers at firms and banks how Pebble Stream can address those issues by offering a cloud-based, scalable spreadsheet engine. Microsoft shares our view, they’ve brought us on as a partner and opened up some of their sales channels to us. So our focus right now is growth, especially through sales. We’re aiming to double our customer base this year and again next year.

Finally, for students or recent alumni interested in launching their own ventures, what practical advice would you share?

I’d reiterate the importance of staying even-keeled, especially through setbacks. But I’d also emphasize two things. First, be mindful of your time. Live near where you work. Don’t let long commutes or unnecessary travel eat up time that could be spent developing your product.

Second, be relentless about product-market fit. Talk to users. Listen to feedback. Make sure your product is something people actually need and want. If you’re not going to sleep thinking about your product and waking up with new ideas, you may not be as invested as you need to be. Focus and feedback are everything early on.

—Story by Samuel Malede Zewdu, CS Communications