When did you graduate from N.C. State? I started in 1993, and then I left my junior year and moved to New York and worked at a small investment bank. I worked as a stock broker and investment banker, and came back in 1999. I finished up my course work, switched to Finance in Business from physics. That one year of physics we were doing a lot of optical components, wireless communications, principals and foundations you learn early on in physics. It let me have a layman’s understanding of these complex technologies, come back and say yes this technology works or no it doesn’t, it gives a nice way to start up conversation in business.
How did you continue your education? A lot of the work I do, there is a Chinese angle, whether its manufacturing or design. I took a Mandarin class — 5 weeks at Stanford and then 4 weeks in Beijing. I’m 32 now, and there were some doctoral students and I just couldn’t absorb the language as fast as the younger people. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be, I was expecting it to be much harder — I’m still trying to work on it diligently. What are you doing now? I got out of direct venture capital, with direct investment. I started working directly with start up companies, broadly business development, everything from the initial points of raising capital. I did that for about a year and a half, working and figuring out that I really wanted to focus. I got working with Covad doing strategic business development. I tend to not like big companies when the bureaucracy begins to set in, its not as flexible as a small venture start up. Why did you go into venture? Two things: I’m kind of gadget geek — I like technology, but I also like to look at a lot of different things; I like general rather then specialist. I get to look at lot of different things from a high level, and I work with entry level companies early on and looking 10 years out, it’s all about servicing those types of entrepreneurs.
How did State help you? For me, I was on the wrestling team and my grades started slipping and I had to become very entrepreneurial to pay for everything. Being responsible for my little start up which was myself. There was no real class that prepared me, but I did find that when I left and came back I had a completely different perspective on school. Before it was get by and get the credits, but when I came back my grades became straight As and I had a different perspective on everything. At N.C. State there is a lot of diversity, and that prepared me for Silicon Valley. That diversity you’re exposed to is pretty amazing, probably one of the only schools in N.C. that is going to prepare you for what the real world is going to be like.
What do you think about the EEP? I can’t speak highly enough for the experiences the students get on this program. I would have given anything for this opportunity when I was at State. On Wednesday, going into Kleiner Perkins, the No. 1 venture capitalists in the world — they supported Google, AOL, Amazon — the fact that the students are getting to experience these true company builders is amazing. I can’t speak highly enough of Dr. Miller getting students access to that and seeing companies like Tesla Motors and Danger. When I first got here I was blown away — and Google is the wizard of Oz.
