Wright: As a team, we hold ourselves to the standard of “if someone says to jump seven feet, we jump 700 feet.” With that in mind, we want to break down barriers and set standards for other people to get validation in the Valley. I’m happy and excited for that. Knowing that we face sexism, ageism, and racism on a daily basis is one of the reasons I’m out here kicking.
Fang: We also want to empower everydayinvestors. We’re in a new age of trading where viral stories like tweets and news headlines drive trends in the market — this is something economist Robert Schiller coined “narrative economics.” Everyday investors don’t have access to tools to protect themselves from volatility in the market and seize opportunities. We aim to level the playing field by giving easy-to-use trading tools to the everyday investor. With StrattyX, everyday users can create, test and automate their investment strategies.
Wright: I’m looking forward to seeing how different efforts within quantum computing are going to play out for us. We’re researching and reading through some interesting papers that underlie elements of our platform and platforms we’ve seen and considered collaborating with. It’s been interesting and very promising on that forefront. In terms of our own tech, we have a proprietary scripting language and I’m very interested in seeing what other applications we can push forward with that. It’s been our growing tool in the background that we decided to put up on this platform as our first big push, but we’re excited to see what other cool things we can explore and build.
Wright: Silicon Valley is a boy’s club, but that’s not always a bad thing. It’s so much easier to be different and to provide value, so try to use your differences as advantages. If you don’t fit the traditional Silicon Valley archetype, spend time figuring out where you do fit or even if you are not a fit at all and use that.
Fang: Be confident, stand your ground and know your worth. There will be a lot of people throughout your startup and entrepreneurial process that will doubt you, won’t believe in what you’re saying, will throw cynicism at you and won’t believe in your idea. But you have to believe in yourself while taking in feedback from other people and continuing to grow. It’s a very difficult process but I’ve learned how to have more confidence in myself and protect the people I care about, as well as our ideas and core mission. In line with what Auriel was alluding to, find your own network in this space. Create a community where you can really thrive, contribute and learn from others.
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