I grew up in San Jose, California and earned a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from San Jose State University. My father owns a sheet metal shop and I learned most of my manufacturing and design knowledge by working with him and making sheet metal parts for customers. Most of my experience after college has been in the semiconductor industry designing parts for silicon wafer deposition and etch machines. After being laid off in 2009, I got rid of my car to save money. The difficulties of transitioning from a car to a bicycle led me to start Solarcycle and design USB solar charging devices that keep smart phones alive.