THE PARAGON

Chapter 2: TWO GENIUSES. ONE GOAL

2008. Paris.

On a cold December evening, Travis stood in the midst of sharp, chilly breezes howling over the Parisian streets, sniffing the faint smell of Gauloises cigarettes and wet cobblestones. Amid the crowded halls of LeWeb; the annual congregation of tech entrepreneurs and industry leaders, his mind was elsewhere. Still perplexed by the doubts and absurdities of his former company, he was coupling the risk with a hunger to do more than ever!

Suddenly, he felt a mild pat on his back without warning. To his surprise, a man with a calm and reserved demeanor stood beside him, his face glowing with a peculiar smile. Travis returned with an awkward smirk, unsure what to do next.

"I'm Garrett Camp! Co-founder of StumbleUpon."

"Travis!"

They shook hands, as Camp approached to take a seat next to him.

"Actually, I'm an ex-founder. I just sold my company, ha-ha!" Garett said with a mild grin.

Startled by the fact, Travis took a short pause and hastily replied, "What a coincidence! I sold mine too, just a year ago!"

"No Kidding!" Garett's eyes widened in disbelief. It felt as though the Universe was hinting at something, binding them through similar circumstances, guiding them toward the same destiny.

They talked for hours. Dazzled by how similar their paths had been, the spark between them grew brighter and brighter, each vividly fascinated by the other's entrepreneurial odyssey.

Garett was from Canada, who had built StumbleUpon; a website and mobile app that functioned like a search engine. It featured a "Stumble" button, which on pressing, opened random websites or videos, tailored to users' preferences.

As they were mutually exchanging their experiences, Garett shared his frustration with the inconvenient and expensive taxi services in San Francisco. He recalled one New Year's Eve, when he had to pay nearly $800, just to hire a private driver. Travis listened in awe, as the price sounded outrageous for such a brief convenience.

"What if there's a way to summon a car by just pressing a button? A private driver for everyone, not just the filthy rich?" Garett leaned forward, his voice dropping with quiet intensity.

Travis raised his eyebrows, paying closer attention. He had heard pitches before, but this one was different. What Garett was referring to wasn't just convenience and ease: he was waging war against all the traditional taxi empires, and the sophisticated black car services that had ruled the streets for decades.

But, what if it could be accomplished for real?

Their eyes locked. Neither had realized at that very moment, that they had planted the most rebellious seed of revolution; a seed that would eventually change how the rest of the world moved.