I don't share my personal story often, but we really get into it on this podcast. My story is one of being a forever outsider - 1. I moved to the US at 16 - not an easy age to try and learn English. But, my accent is daily reminder of how far I've come, and why setbacks shouldn't outweigh the benefits of a global team. 2. Got into MIT, but spent my entire 1st semester hospitalized after a bus accident. It's also what inspired me to get into robotics, building exoskeletons for the US military. 3. And eventually, the robotics experience led me to founding my first company. After school, I built & sold hardware company against all conventional odds. 4. Got into YC, just to pivot 3 times, get rejected by every VC fund in seed round, and have to raise from angels. Today? Deel is valued at $17.3b. 5. @Bouazizalex and I didn’t know anyone in Silicon Valley when we first arrived, but we turned our outsider status into an advantage. We just thought different than peers. We weren't insular and always believed global talent was worth exploration. That's how we tackled a decades-old system with a global-first mindset. 6. When the world changed, we changed the world. When the pandemic meant widespread chaos and business uncertainty, we jumped in to help companies hire global talent, unlock economic mobility, and navigate complex regulatory systems to take advantage of the changing work landscape. 7. Deel pioneered seamless global payroll, operating in 165+ countries, used by 37,000 businesses, and paying 1.5 million people every month.And that's just to date. We're always pushing ourselves to think outside of the box, because of who we are. Let's see where being different takes us now.