At EdgeBeam, we’re not just brilliant professionals defining the very future of the telecom industry – we’re also regular humans. In this premiere of our employee spotlight series, we talked to Monica Vought, Head of Office and Culture, and covered how she came to EdgeBeam, how she went from sandblasting boats to helping build a startup, and the Ramones song that says it all.
You’ve had, by your own admission, kind of a wild professional path. Walk us through some of the highlights.
Honestly, it’s been quite the ride. I did childcare and ran summer camps for six years. I became a photolithography equipment technician in the semiconductor industry. I bartended and did office management. My husband and I bought a sandblasting business, where we stripped bottom paint off boats. I drove a giant truck with a trailer and never really learned how to park it. It was hard, a little messy, and I learned a lot.
How did that winding road lead to EdgeBeam?
I worked in the volatile semiconductor industry and every other year the company was getting bought or sold. Eventually I grew tired of the instability, so a friend brought me into a telecom company. I spent twenty plus years working in technology which eventually led me to Editshare, which is where I met [EdgeBeam CEO] Conrad.
I started there and five weeks later we were in COVID lockdown. I left in 2022, but the professional relationship had been established. In 2025, only a month into creating EdgeBeam, Conrad reached out. He told me he was building something fun and that he wanted to know if I’d be interested in hopping on board. I said yes, and became employee number two.
What does your day-to-day look like?
I think of it as filling gaps, creating processes, and making sure the office runs. Hiring and onboarding are a big piece of it, but so is culture and building the team, which is honestly the fun part for me.
Is there something you’ve done at EdgeBeam you’re especially proud of?
Standing up the whole business from zero. I hired our MSP provider and set up our HR platform. It all happened very quickly and just getting all of that working from nothing is a pretty big accomplishment.
Is there a tool, process, or person you lean on every day?
This might sound corny, but the team. Conrad’s great about helping me level up and grow, and calling me out when I need it. Joe, our VP of Product, is incredible with AI and I can go to him for anything. I use the team as a resource more than any single tool for HR questions, technology questions, whatever it is. Claude is second, but it doesn’t come close to the human intelligence here.
What advice would you give someone doing a role like yours?
Be willing to take chances and just jump in: not everything will go as planned, but you keep moving and it works itself out.
Also, use your team and don’t be afraid to say “no” or “I need help.” In this kind of role, everything that isn’t someone else’s specialty rolls downhill to you, and you have to be able to prioritize.
Last one: You get to choose any song as your theme music. What plays as you enter the room?
When things get crazy, which they sometimes do, the Ramones song “I Wanna be Sedated” pops into my head!
