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.

I decided to start an internet company in 1995 instead of pursuing a PhD at Stanford because I wanted to be part of the technological advancements happening at that time.

I started my first company out of my dorm room at Stanford, aiming to help students get jobs at banks and consulting firms, but it ultimately didn't work out because no one was using LinkedIn at the time.

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 was inspired to leave my teaching job for a startup because I realized that I could reach a much larger audience and influence science education on a national scale.

After selling my company, I was invited to be the first healthcare and biotech partner at Y Combinator, where I could share my story and help other founders.

I left Stanford in 2014 to co-found Sidewire, a platform for political experts to discuss news, aiming to create a focused conversation without the noise of social media.

An unexpected health scare motivated me to start my own company, which I eventually sold to Boston Scientific for $275 million.

I worked as an engineer at Abbott Vascular and a smaller startup, but I felt an urge to start my own company at 24, driven by my past health experiences.