After leaving Better.com, Erik was uncertain about starting a company and took time off during the pandemic.

“So, okay, you left before you had the idea for Modal, or you left and then you started idea-ing? I, I-- It's hard to say. I, I had a lot of random ideas when I left Better and, and, and I, I, I actually wasn't sure if I wanted to start a company. I was kind of just, you know, during the pandemic, I, I sort of almost took like a sabbatical. I had two kids.”

“I, I mean, I still [chuckles] have two kids, but, uh, I, I mean, at that time, they were, they were, I think two and four, and so I decided to hang out and took some time off and was kind of working like part-time, like hacking on certain things and wasn't sure.”