I grew up in Taichung, a city that sparked my curiosity about how things work and what lies beyond what I could see every day. That curiosity deepened when I watched Silicon Valley (2014–2019), a show that captured the mix of chaos and creativity in startup life. Watching it made me believe that with enough persistence and imagination—like Richard—I could also build something meaningful from an idea. That moment was when my interest in technology and startups really began.

While Silicon Valley represented the dream, I’ve always believed Taiwan has its own potential. Our hardware industry is world-class, but our software side still has room to grow. I wanted to help bridge that gap and be part of Taiwan’s own startup story. I knew it would take more than technical skills—it would take learning how to build real products that solve real problems. Since then, every step I’ve taken has been guided by that goal.

I earned my B.Eng. (2022) and M.Eng. (2024) in Electrical and Computer Engineering at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. Those years gave me a strong foundation in both hardware and software, but more importantly, they taught me how to keep learning and stay patient. I discovered that my biggest strength is debugging—slowing down, looking deeply, and making sense of messy problems. That mindset still guides how I work today.

During my internships at GallopWave and ITRI, I got my first chance to connect theory with real-world systems. I worked on projects that combined sensors, algorithms, and unpredictable data from real traffic. It was the first time I saw how ideas turn into working systems—and how good engineering is less about perfect theory and more about making things work reliably.

At InQuartik, a patent-intelligence SaaS company, I moved from robotics to software. It was the first time I worked on products that real users depended on. I learned about writing maintainable code, setting up CI/CD, and collaborating with product teams. I also saw how fast market needs can change what we build and how we build it. That experience helped me see software not just as code, but as a way to deliver value and adapt quickly.

After finishing my master’s, I joined Upbeat Technology—a venture team that bridges hardware and software. We design RISC-V SoCs with dedicated AI accelerators, and I focus on the low-level software that powers them. Since I joined, the team has grown quickly, the product has moved from R&D to production, and revenue has multiplied. Beyond the technical work, I’ve learned how a company grows—how different people and roles come together to build something real. It’s helped me see what it truly takes to turn an idea into a company.