Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler Andre.
Tyler , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born and raised in Dudley, Massachusetts. While in high school, I was uninterested in going the traditional college route and working an office job. I wanted to do something exciting and different. I had grown up loving superheroes and found myself daydreaming about becoming one. In fact, that’s exactly what I wanted to be: A hero. So, at 18 years old, I joined the United States Navy in pursuit of that goal.
I was assigned as a computer network technician. After training, I attached to the USS Gridley in Everett, WA. The Gridley is a destroyer (DDG), which serves as an air defense ship as its primary role. I maintained the Aegis Weapon System (AWS), which was the display, computing, and networking system of the missiles and RADAR systems. This system is what would detect threats from afar, launch our missiles, and maintain the path of the missile to either defend against an enemy missile or to target an enemy contact.
I served in the Navy for six years. While I learned a lot and gained much experience, I also experienced tough times. Towards the end of my time, I hit the lowest point in my life as I struggled with identity and depression. I had grown disillusioned with the military and with the structure of everything, but I was forced to push on due to the six-year contract that I had signed at 18 years old. I didn’t feel like a hero.
When my contract ended at the close of 2021, I decided that I wanted to start over. I left Washington for sunny San Diego and arrived in January of 2022. I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I leaned into my technical background and started going to school for software engineering. While in school, I was able to get a job working for a defense contractor as a software developer. It was a great job that paid well, and the organization was run well. But even with all that going for me, I wasn’t happy. I was missing something.
At the same time, I had joined a Facebook group called “The Outsiders”, since I had no friends after the move. The group focused on outdoor activities, especially hiking and camping trips. I found some of my best friends in that group. I would spend more and more time going to events in the group, and less and less time focusing on school or work. I began to plan my own events in the group and became one of the primary organizers in SD. Our events were not only local, but took us to Sedona, Hawaii, Death Valley, Big Sur, Oregon, and across the country. We were are tight-knit community, constantly growing, and connecting with other chapters throughout.
A defining moment for me was when one of my friends in the group thanked me for organizing all the time. He told me that if it weren’t for me (and the other organizers), he wouldn’t have the family that he does now. That was when things started to click for me. I didn’t belong in tech or as an engineer. I felt fulfilled when I was creating and organizing community. This was my passion. I left that job and dropped out of school. My new plan was to start a professional event planning business that focused on growing communities for people who didn’t have one. While planning it all out and figuring out how to set it all up, I worked odd jobs, like a deckhand on sailboats and as temp event setup crew. I kept coming back to the same issue: What platform (or platforms) was I going to use to organize these communities and run the events? I am no fan of the current social media giants. They do not care about people — only advertisers. Plus, none of them offered a complete set of tools to organize a community. This lack of ethics, of a complete ecosystem, and of actual community investment led me to the idea I am working on now: To create the platform that actually cares about the people instead of advertisers, and that provides the perfect ecosystem for community. So…back to tech I went.
The first name of this platform was “Community”. With the idea coming from my experience in community organizing, I called my brother, who is a software developer, to see if he wanted to build it with me. We had thrown around the idea of building our own product many times, but this time it was real. He agreed on the spot and then brought in his friend, as well. We filed to create our business, Algentem LLC, almost immediately, in August of 2023.
While designing the platform, I decided that I wanted to get more involved in the San Diego Community. I joined San Diego 350, a climate action non-profit, and began volunteering on their events team and transportation team. It was like being in the Outsiders again: I was meeting amazing people and getting more and more involved. I learned a whole side of community through activism and advocacy. I saw the strength of these community organizations and nonprofits — how they fought for so much good. I also saw how much work it was, and how many people just had no idea (like me, previously). I realized that this was a huge part of community that was getting left behind. While they often use social media, these platforms cater to polarizing engagement instead of the intimate connection that we should all have with our neighbors.
Connexus, our final name for the platform, was shaped by all of these experiences. It is a community-building social media platform designed to bring local communities together while giving users full control over their privacy and content curation.
Connexus stands against the exploitation found in traditional social media and offers a true alternative. There is no doomscrolling, no algorithms to please, and no sponsored content flooding your feed. You will only see posts from the pages and communities you choose to join. We do not sell or share user data, and we believe that your online presence should belong to you. If you want to build your own community, Connexus gives you the freedom to create and customize your space however you see fit. You can also monetize it in ways that fit your goals, such as ticket sales, memberships, digital content, or physical product sales. Connexus is about bringing people together. Whether you are organizing a neighborhood cleanup, a dance night, or a climate rally, our event system makes it easy to rally your community. Built in activism, Connexus actively supports and collaborates with the people and organizations doing the work for a better San Diego. Through sponsorships, partnerships, events, and hosting opportunities, Connexus works to strengthen local connections and drive meaningful change.
We are currently in late development, expecting a Q1 2026 launch. While we are building, I continue to volunteer and lead in these community organizations as much as I can. Community is everything to me, and it is my passion to bring the people of San Diego together.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’m very lucky to have had the opportunities to get here and to have met people to help me along the way. That being said, the lessons learned did not come from an easy path. The Navy taught me a lot of hard lessons. I went through a divorce at such a young age (23) while working in a high-stress environment that I didn’t want to be a part of anymore. I lost myself in it all. I didn’t know who I was or who I wanted to be. If it weren’t for a couple of key friends, I don’t know if I’d still be around today. Starting over in San Diego took some time to adjust. It took me six months to finally find friends (The Outsiders), and I had been wondering if moving was a mistake. I wondered if all the problems that I told myself were the reasons for not being happy (being stuck in the Navy, being stuck in Washington, not having money, not having time…) were actually just me denying reality: I wasn’t capable of being happy. Happily, I can say that this was false.
Through my new friends in San Diego, I began to piece together who I wanted to be. I wanted to be someone people could trust, someone dependable, grounded, and genuine. I wanted to be a leader who truly listened and connected with others on a deeper level. I wanted to show people love, especially when they weren’t used to it or didn’t believe they deserved it. More than anything, I wanted to bring people together and show them what we are all capable of when we take care of each other. I made it my mission to find one positive trait in every person I met and to try to incorporate it into myself. That goal brought me more growth than anything else in my life. Over time, the struggle of figuring out who I wanted to be began to fade, because I realized I could see pieces of the person I wanted to become in everyone I connected with.
After my identity crisis ended, my next challenge was stepping into entrepreneurship. I had no business experience, but I knew it was what called to me. Working odd jobs while trying to piece together my business plan was unreliable, and I had left a promising career path with no guarantee of success. When my focus shifted from building an event planning business to becoming a tech CEO, I found myself venturing even deeper into the unknown. Three co-founders building a new social media platform to compete with industry giants was no small task. We faced the struggles of business formation, taxes, freelance work to pay the bills, payroll, and learning to navigate a world that few people could relate to. It has been a lot of work: a small team creating a complex product while trying to start a movement.
Another challenge has been finding support. Fortunately, I have connected with groups of entrepreneurs and programs that have helped along the way. If I have not said it enough, I will say it again: it is all about community. That is where my success comes from; it comes from the support of the people around me.
As you know, we’re big fans of Algentem LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Algentem LLC was founded in 2023 to build Connexus, a community-building platform designed to bring people together and give them more control over how they connect online. While we take on client projects, our main focus is developing Connexus and shaping it into a platform that empowers communities, supports organizers, and promotes meaningful connection both online and in person.
Connexus is a social platform built around authenticity, transparency, and local engagement. It gives users the tools to organize events, grow their communities, and share updates without the noise and manipulation of traditional social media. There are no algorithms to chase, no ads in your feed, and no selling or sharing of user data. Instead, Connexus provides a space where people can interact freely, rally others around shared goals, and strengthen their local networks.
What sets us apart is our mission-driven approach. We are not building technology just to keep people online longer; we are building tools that help people create real-world relationships and community resilience. Our team believes in ethical design, data transparency, and technology that uplifts rather than exploits. Our brand is in fighting for what’s right.
We are proud of the work we are doing with Connexus and the values it represents. Beyond development, we stay involved in the local community by supporting nonprofits, volunteering with advocacy organizations, and sponsoring causes that align with our mission. Algentem is about using technology to bring people closer together, and Connexus is the embodiment of that vision.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Networking is an essential part of building community. My advice for networking is to research where the people you want to connect with hang out, and then just start showing up. Then, keep showing up. Find ways to help and volunteer, but do it expecting nothing in return. I guarantee that people will notice you, appreciate you, and connect with you.
I also recommend being a “yes” person. Be a do-er. Go to new places, try new things, meet new people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.connexus.my
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/connexus_my
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575955267042
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tjdre
- Youtube: http://youtube.com/@Connexus_my
Image Credits
@TJMDSTUDIOS (for main photo)
