The Origin of Helen's Foundry
Or "who the hell is Helen?"
My husband Conor—a former product manager with strong opinions—and I began imagining what it would be like to build a software startup that synthesized everything we’d learned from our experiences in tech. We reflected on what we’d do differently, the best practices we’d carry forward from inspiring leaders, and the missteps we’d strive to avoid. We wanted to create something meaningful, something that would help people and reshape the way work is done in ways we had longed for as builders and middle managers.
This idea sparked the birth of Helen’s Foundry.
Who is Helen?
I didn’t grow up with a fascination for Greek mythology; it wasn’t until a few years ago that I started discovering the complex, captivating stories of gods, goddesses, and mortals. My husband had studied the classics in college and suggested I name the company after the Greek word for “builder” (tektōn, or τέκτων) with the tagline, “the software that launched 1,000 startups.”
Though I’m no brand strategist, I was pretty sure an obscure ancient word might be hard for people to remember. And if the tagline was about launching 1,000 startups, why not name it after Helen, the one who was behind launching 1,000 ships?
I had recently come across the concept of the foundry model, used to build and scale products with a focus on efficiency and alignment. A foundry felt close to what we envisioned—a place where raw ideas, strategies, and visions could be shaped into finished, impactful software through a structured, repeatable process. And so, Helen’s Foundry came to life.
There’s a lot to say about our branding choices, but the most important point is that every part of this is intentional.
We didn’t want to blend in with countless SaaS companies that focus on “dark mode first” design, “move fast—break things” mindsets, or hyper-competitive slogans. Instead, we aimed to stand apart as outliers. Our approach is fundamentally different: we’re providing people with guardrails and asking them to think deeply about their goals and intentions right from the start. Rather than glossing over the challenges that founders and early-stage builders face, we’re laser-focused on solving one of the biggest: alignment.
Following a prescribed way of working does limit customizability, but it also cuts through the noise, helping teams focus on what really matters—not hype, not vanity metrics, but real value for end users. We’re here to solve real problems in a thoughtful, data-driven way.
We recognize that our approach won’t resonate with everyone, and that’s by design. It’s all intentional.