Since a little kid I have always had a penchant towards technology and science. It was not too uncommon seeing me walking around with a full backpack of electronic gadgets, most of which didn’t work and were torn apart in what I call “science experiments”. Don’t confuse me with those spoiled kids who were regularly gifted ton of toys just to have them. Growing up in a traditional Chinese household I had to break ten just to get one new, all expenses paid with red envelopes given to me during Chinese New Year. I earned my strap.

Like most of the kids I grew up with, I’ve always had a creative ability and a fascination with how things work. And particularly, I was, and still am most interested in Electrical and Computer Engineering. As cliche as it sounds, I enjoy the challenge of solving practical problems inherent in the field of Engineering. Plus, I’ve always found it exciting to integrate new technologies into existing applications, and develop practical skills from it. This passion carried me through my education at Columbia. Here there were more resources available to me than I ever could have imagined as a kid. I studied integrated circuits, VLSI systems, distributed systems, all with the same fascination that drove me as a kid. And it was Columbia that I learned truly how much more there was to learn.

A college degree helped me land a job in the heart of the Silicon Valley as a software engineer, in addition to becoming the family’s handyman. My task list includes a variety of things, broken laptops, broken bulbs, even broken toilets. I was convinced I would be wearing the “handyman hat” forever after being told by my wife one day that I might not be the tallest, but I was the most handy. Now, as a happily married husband providing for his family, I can honestly recommend pursuing an Engineering major with a minor in handyman training.

The passion for technology remains with me in the industry. I fell into the Blockchain rabbit hole a couple of years back and decided to stay. Dealing with blockchain has helped me reconnect with my love for software engineering, and made me realize that blockchain technology, as a disruptive innovation, is poised to revolutionize the commerce world across every industry. Today, I am the CTO at Edduus working on making education accessible, affordable, relevant and personal. At night I am the founder of Cypher Core delivering infallible opportunities for investors and consumers alike in the #DeFi community. Both pursuits keep me up at night, a never ending thirst to do meaningful things for the world.

Skills/Interests: Golang, Rust, JavaScript, Blockchain, Cloud, SaaS, Networking, Security Academic: Integrated Circuits, VLSI Systems, Database Systems, Distributed Systems