Startups

At heart, I am an entrepreneur. I discovered this part of myself through UW and my journey inward. I seized every chance at discovery—innovating at Elementrailer(a UW-award-winning electric truck startup, ENTRE-443), developing custom PCBs at Dolori(a wearable utilizing ML and EMG to neutralize period pain, ENTRE-445), and currently working with Valid8 to launch a cybersecurity product that outperforms competitors by 15%(ENTRE-472/3).

While some teams disbanded and others evolved, these experiences taught me that successful products aren't defined by the 'what'—the code, the circuits, the sensors —but by the 'why'.

My deep-rooted "why" is a company I formed called Mentat. My girlfriend, who sat with me on that bench in front of Drumheller, had fought through thyroid cancer and was in recovery. My mother had also developed thyroid disease while growing older. It is a disease that tears at life, taking away energy and dreams. These two role models in my life have fought like hell to overcome and live authentically. I was taught to care deeply about improving the world and every step of how someone is affected. Ideas that catch fire change the world, and it is our duty to change it for the better.

In response, my now-wife and I co-founded Mentat, securing $10,000 in pre-seed funding to design a med-tech device for continuous hormone regulation and clinics providing near-free cancer screening. We, as planned, paused operations facing the decade-long FDA-Class-III pathway and required funds, but the mission remains my North Star. I discovered that true innovation is the relentless pursuit of turning empathy into impact.