Friends

I wouldn't be here without my friends.

Every big moment in my life started with someone who believed in me before I believed in myself. For me, that person was Kasey.

Kasey was the one who first introduced me to entrepreneurship - and the reason I came to Northeastern. He showed me what it meant to build, to take ownership, and to chase ideas that didn't make sense yet. Without him, none of this journey - IDEA, Disrupt, Delphi - would've even started.

At Northeastern, I met Sean, Andre, and Youssef, who pulled me into the venture side of things. We weren't just attending events - we were running them. Panels, pitch nights, networking sessions - you name it. We wanted to make Boston's startup community feel alive. And through all of it, we learned that building community is its own kind of startup.

Through IDEA, E-Club, and Disrupt, I found my tribe. These weren't classmates - they were people who shared the same hunger. We weren't chasing grades; we were chasing progress. When FinHacks hit its first hundred signups, it felt like a shared win for everyone who stayed up late sending sponsor emails or moving tables the night before.

Then I met Henry and Jef - two people who scaled my venture ability more than anyone else. They always looked out for me. They sharpened how I thought about investing, founders, and the kind of person I wanted to be in this space. I wouldn't have the lens I have today without them.

Then came San Francisco - a new coast, same heartbeat. The residency house with Daniel reminded me of the early IDEA days, just with more chaos and sunlight. I still remember crashing in Daniel's room one night, telling him I'd help him close his round - and meaning it.

The OpenAI interns I met in the city showed me what real curiosity looks like. The ThirdLayer crew literally let me crash on their couch when I didn't have a place to stay. And the TreeHacks team welcomed me like I'd been there all along.

I wasn't "building" yet back then. I was becoming. Learning how to show up, how to help others, and how to be useful.

Looking back, my story isn't about luck - it's about people. The ones who believed when it was just an idea. The ones who opened their doors, their couches, and their hearts. The ones who made me feel like I belonged, even when I didn't know what I was building.

Friendship is the real accelerator. Not the kind that gives you funding - the kind that gives you fuel.

You can go fast alone. But you only go far with friends.