I started out writing FLIR displays for V-22 simulators at Raytheon when I was 15. It was by far the best video game I've played to date.
My first venture was in 1999. With a friend we launched file-vault.com, one of the first online file repositories offering free 5MB of storage. For two kids running a site off a home ISDN and a DEC Alpha, it was surprisingly well received.
I worked for the Department of Homeland Security for one month. This experience still has left an impact on me as how incredibly inefficient an organization can be. I have my DHS name badge on my desk today to remind me that no matter how frustrating the day is, it could always be worse.
I subsequently helped found or build SingleShop.com (defunct), eStara (acquired $48.3M), Transactis (raised $17.5M), Plaxo.com (aquired $175M), RollStream (acquired), Cocodot.com (raised $10M).
I'm currently co-founder and CTO of Zaarly.com, a local marketplace for anything. I can't imagine a better experience and I'm loving building something that helps people and facilitates local interactions.
I've lived in a number of fantastic cities in the US including Washington DC, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York City and now currently in San Francisco.