After college, I worked at a biotech firm but felt the slow career progression pushed me to pursue entrepreneurship, especially after a roommate suggested we start a company together.

During my childhood, I didn't engage in much entrepreneurial activity, but I learned to use a computer early on and made money fixing computers for friends and family.

Despite my art background, I followed my passion into the startup world, even though I initially felt unqualified and struggled with self-doubt.

After graduating from college, I struggled to find my path, working various jobs until I met Paul Graham, which led to our partnership in founding Y Combinator.

I found Y Combinator because I was on Reddit during graduate school, where I discovered Paul Graham's essays that inspired me to pursue starting a company, despite the prevailing belief that the web was over after the dot-com crash.

I applied to Y Combinator on a long shot, not expecting to get in, but after interviewing in Palo Alto, I was accepted and dropped out of graduate school to pursue my startup.

I dropped out of my PhD program in machine learning to join a startup, which was a high-risk decision that ultimately paid off.

I moved to Silicon Valley right after graduate school, not knowing anyone, and faced terrible market timing as the internet bubble was collapsing.

I started programming at a young age, which built my confidence and set me on a path to entrepreneurship, showing that early experiences can be crucial for future success.