<p><table class="image-container float_right" width="200"><tr><td><div class="image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/51688516ecad047f6800002b-400-297/ramona-pierson.jpg" border="0" alt="ramona pierson" /></div><p class="source"><a href="http://www.piersonlabs.com/#team">Pierson Labs</a></p><p class="caption">Ramona Pierson</p></td></tr></table>Everybody has a story but few are as painful and triumphant as <keyword id="1747872" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ramona-Pierson">Ramona Pierson</keyword>'s.</p>
<p>Pierson is the CEO of a stealth startup, Pierson Labs.</p>
<p>She is also, quite possibly, the most inspiring tech founder in the Valley today. And that's saying something.</p>
<p>Business Insider recently met with her and her cofounder Nelson González at the startup's Palo Alto headquarters.</p>
<p>Pierson is lucky to be alive. She's also lucky to be walking, talking and thinking, much less be leading her second startup, developing big-data education software.</p>
<p>In 1984, when she was 22 years old, she went out jogging with her dog and was hit by a drunk driver. The car crushed her face, throat, heart lungs and legs. At the hospital, she fell into an 18-month coma. And then she had a heart attack.</p>
<p>Instead of killing her, the heart attack woke her up. She came to weighing 64 pounds, blind and unable to walk, talk, eat.</p>
<p>Doctors rebuilt her through more than 50 surgeries: a plastic nose, a new eye, lots of titanium used as bones and some bones taken from cadavers, too.</p>
<p>"Eventually, I started to look human," she says in her <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pTy6NeX1E4">stirring 2011 Ted Talk</a> about the ordeal.</p>
<p>Today, she looks more than human. She looks like the attractive, fit, ex-Marine that she is. But it was a long road to recovery involving having to relearn everything.</p>
<p>In the marines, Pierson learned to code. Her experience lead to an interest in neuroscience so during her military service she wrote algorithms to diagnose brain injuries from the battlefield.</p>
<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pTy6NeX1E4"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/516882b4ecad04da5f000043-620-465/pierson-ramona-nelson.jpg" border="0" alt="Pierson Ramona Nelson Gonzalez" width="400" height="300" /></a></div><p class="source">Business Insider/Julie Bort</p><p class="caption">Nelson González, Ramona Pierson, and Tanqueray Pierson</p></div>That lead to an interest in how people learn and a job as director of technology for Seattle Public Schools. There she created a social network for students and teachers called "The Source."</p>
<p>And that lead to her first startup, SynapticMash, an education software company sold to Promethean World for $10 million in 2010.</p>
<p>But her injuries still plagued her. The cadaver bone in her leg randomly broke while she was running and needed to be replaced. Just last year, her toes needed to be fixed.</p>
<p>She became so good at living through surgeries that she actually negotiated the sale of SynapticMash from the hospital recovery room 15 minutes after an operation. She refused the pain medicine and instead popped open her laptop, hopped onto Skype and sold her company, she told Business Insider.</p>
<p>Despite her history, Pierson is a cheerful, hopeful, driven person with a big sense of humor and an enormous amount of charisma. A screenwriter for Moneyball is even writing screenplay about her life.</p>
<p>Her new company is likely to be more successful than the last one. Pierson Labs will exit stealth next month and the company already has some big customers, we've heard, and a partner at venture capital firm <span class="st">Khosla</span> is her personal advisor.</p>
<p>The company is home to about 20 employees who are building a big-data platform called Declara. It's a combo analytics/social networking platform to help teachers create more personalized lessons for students. It can also be used by enterprises for training, González told us.</p>
<p>Plus the company is working on other interesting projects. For instance, Hall of Famer 49er's football player Ronnie Lott is an investor, Pierson says. He wants to make football safer and is looking at Pierson's tech for that.  By attaching sensors to player's bodies, the platform can analyze bio-mechanic data and assess injuries.</p>
<p>Pierson is also half of a Valley power couple. Her partner Debra Chrapaty, Zynga's former CIO, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/debra-chrapaty-zynga-nirvanix-2013-3">just became CEO for Khosla-backed cloud-storage startup Nirvanix</a>.</p>

Startup Founder Ramona Pierson Has Survived Worse Things Than Most People Can Imagine

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55c39fef2acae710008bde6a-2070-1552/s.jpg" alt="duolingo demo day" data-mce-source="Andrew Harnik/AP" /><p class="source"><span>Andrew Harnik/AP</span></p><p class="caption">President Barack Obama meets with Duolingo's Gina Gotthilf and Luis von Ahn.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>When language-learning service <a href="https://www.duolingo.com">Duolingo</a> got an invite from the White House to Tuesday's inaugural <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/demo-day">Demo Day</a> celebration of American entrepreneurs, Duolingo leaders expected to meet fellow founders and catch a closing speech from President Barack Obama.</p><p>Instead, cofounder Luis von Ahn and VP of marketing and international development Gina Gotthilf were asked to pitch their company directly to <span>Obama,</span> as if he were a potential investor.</p><p>"He is extremely intimidating," Gotthilf said. "But as a human being, he's very warm and inviting. He was doing everything he could to make the situation as comfortable as possible."</p><p>And while the president was there to promote the efforts of the approximately 30 entrepreneurs who were invited to Demo Day, he moved beyond surface questions and had Gotthilf and von Ahn explain their strategy for making their language-learning software profitable.</p><p>The event was held to inspire diversity in America's startup culture. <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/30/female-founders-fare-much-better-in-2014/#.m9zig7:b4DG">According to TechCrunch</a>, only about 10% of venture-backed companies in the US have at least one female founder, and according to the White House, only 1% have a black founder.</p><p>The entrepreneurs who were invited to Demo Day represented a much more diverse demographic. "The next Steve Jobs might be named Stephanie or Esteban," Obama said in a speech.</p><p>"There will always be challenges in starting your own business, but the institutional support is at an all-time high; that will only further motivate entrepreneurs from all sectors of industry," said "Shark Tank" investor Daymond John, who was one of the event's moderators and was also recently named by the White House a presidential ambassador for global entrepreneurship.</p><p>John said that he found the collection of entrepreneurs from all walks of life to be both personally inspiring and a hopeful sign of a growing entrepreneur culture.</p><p>Jason Crain, cofounder of manufacturing part database app <a href="http://partpic.com/">Partpic</a>, said he and his cofounder Jewel Burks were initially incredibly nervous about the prospect of meeting with the president, a hero of theirs, but relaxed after they began speaking with him.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55c2391c371d22c6178bbaf3-1800-1200/demo.jpg" alt="demo day white house" data-mce-source="Andrew Harnik/AP" data-mce-caption="Partpic cofounder Jason Crain demonstrates his app to President Barack Obama." /><p class="source"><span>Andrew Harnik/AP</span></p><p class="caption">Partpic cofounder Jason Crain demonstrates his app to President Barack Obama.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>"He's the man!" Crain said. "I mean seriously, he is in the middle of pitching a nuclear deal to Congress, addressing local terrorism and hate attacks, and celebrating his birthday [he turned 54 Tuesday], but took time out of his day to push the agenda of technology equality and understand Partpic's business model.</p><p>"He didn't have to do that. We would have been happy with hearing him address the audience or just shaking his hand. His actions show that he cares about small businesses and diversity."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55c3a0932acae78b0e8bdb31-1600-1200/ttt.jpg" alt="declara demo day" data-mce-source="Andrew Harnik/AP" /><p class="source"><span>Andrew Harnik/AP</span></p><p class="caption">Obama meets with Declara cofounder Ramona Pierson.</p></div><p></p></div></div>In his closing speech, Obama mentioned the story of Ramona Pierson, a former Marine who was hit by a drunk driver at 22 and woke up from a coma 18 months later, blind. She went on to help found the learning platform <a href="https://declara.com/">Declara</a> and was able to regain confidence and sight in her left eye after years of surgeries. Her company has raised $32.5 million and she has become a <a href="http://startout.org/ramona-pierson">mentor for fellow LGBT entrepreneurs</a>.</p><p>Pierson said that pitching her company to Obama was a pleasure, since he engaged her on an emotional level. "The difference between President Obama and most investors is that he is listening with a view to improve the world rather than to simply advance portfolio value," she said.</p><p><span>Pierson</span> added that the president's skillset reminded her of some of Declara's investors, including Silicon Valley power player Peter Thiel. She thinks the president could make a good VC someday.</p><p>"Perhaps President Obama should consider working for a firm like one of these after his term to help guide funding and decision-making to solve real world problems," she said.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-pitches-shark-tank-small-business-2015-6">This is what 'Shark Tank' investor Mark Cuban looks for in the perfect pitch</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="N4bm5ndTouTuBRcrhCmkPSA31ZBO0mZE" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'N4bm5ndTouTuBRcrhCmkPSA31ZBO0mZE',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

What it's like to pitch your startup to President Obama

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right click-to-enlarge"><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Pierson Labs" title_caption="Ramona Pierson, CEO of Declara" class="zoomin" href="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/51688516ecad047f6800002b-960/ramona-pierson.jpg"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/51688516ecad047f6800002b-400-297/ramona-pierson.jpg?maxX=480" border="0" alt="ramona pierson" width="480" /></a><p class="source"><a href="http://www.piersonlabs.com/#team">Pierson Labs</a></p><p class="caption">Ramona Pierson, CEO of Declara</p></div><p></p></div>The <keyword id="6358815" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="tech">tech</keyword> world has created a long list of industry celebrities. Most people know of Larry Page, Jack Dorsey, David Karp, or <span class="st">Kevin Systrom</span>. We recognize their names. We know their stories.</p>
<p>But more often than not, a big success (or even a string of them) doesn't lead to tech stardom.</p>
<p>This list of people all have great success stories. Some of them sold their first startups a very young age. Some sold their companies for huge sums money, $1 billion or more. Others are known as role models in their local tech communities, outside of the Valley.</p>
<p>But do you know who they are?</p>

14 Of The Most Successful People In Tech You've Probably Never Heard Of

<div style="width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/511d40976bb3f7be2200000f-194-124/.png" border="0" alt="Cap One" title="Cap One" width="90" style="float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 3px;" /><span style="color: #000000; text-decoration: none; font-size: 13px; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><em>This is the first post in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/small-business-news">"10 Things You Need To Know In Small Business Right Now,"</a> a six-part series sponsored by Capital One Spark.</em></span></div><div class="adn ads">
<div class="gs">
<div id=":246" class="ii gt m13e0edfe3e3276f0 adP adO">
<div id=":249">
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/516da61169bedd902f000008-569-427/facebook-hq-cafeteria-epic-cafe-3.jpg?maxX=400&amp;maxY=300" border="0" alt="facebook hq cafeteria epic cafe" width="400" height="300" /></div><p class="source"><a href="http://www.fastcodesign.com/1671447/facebook-s-cafeteria-by-the-masters-behind-the-ace-hotel">Fast Company</a></p></div>Here's what you need to know in <keyword id="6359222" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="small-business">small business</keyword> today: <br /></span></p>
<ul>
<li>President Obama's budget could <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/on-small-business/heres-everything-small-business-owners-need-to-know-about-obamas-new-budget/2013/04/10/e07378b6-a174-11e2-9c03-6952ff305f35_story.html">have a big impact</a> on small businesses, including potential tax increases for those who pay <span>pass-through taxes on their business income and a higher minimum wage. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Free lunches, a popular tech company and startup perk, <a href="http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Tech-Companies-Free-Lunches-Draw-IRSs-Attention-201989811.html">are getting attention from the IRS</a> because they may be taxable "fringe benefits." </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span></span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tips-on-negotiation-2013-4">Negotiation advice</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> from Cleveland Indians president Mark Shapiro </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">— don't get caught up in emotions or momentum.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span></span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The Securities and Exchange commission (SEC) has been </span><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-11/sec-s-crowdfunding-delay-faulted-for-stunting-businesses-growth.html">slow to create rules</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> around crowdfunding, which could be keeping small business owners from new sources of capital and growth. <br /></span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">How Brooklyn based countertop manufacturer IceStone </span><a href="http://images.businessweek.com/photos/2013-04-12/a-flooded-manufacturer-rebounds-after-hurricane-sandy#slide1">is rebounding from flooding</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> during Hurricane Sandy.</span></li>
<li>While not every small business can afford Google style perks, <a href="http://www.inc.com/suzanne-lucas/10-perks-your-small-business-can-afford.html">here's a list of ten</a> that anyone can try. </li>
<li>A <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-09/small-business-optimism-in-u-s-falls-as-job-creation-plans-wane.html">survey from the National Federation of Independent Businesses</a> found that small businesses confidence declined in March, and that most don't plan to expand in the near future. </li>
<li>Venture Capitalist Ben Horowitz <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/through-the-looking-glass-hiring-sales-people-2013-4">on hiring great sales people</a>: <span style="color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">"Applying engineering hiring techniques to a sales organization is like eating poison ivy to get more green vegetables. You will get the opposite of what you want."</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ramona-pierson-the-most-inspiring-person-2013-4">The inspiring story</a> of Ramona Pierson, who nearly died at 22 after being hit by a drunk driver, then went on to learn to code and build a successful startup.  </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Small businesses were supposed to have a choice of health care plans in online exchanges for their workers under the Affordable Care Act. </span><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-12/insurer-feedback-delays-small-business-health-plan.html">Due to insurer feedback</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">, that's been delayed, and business owners will have to pick just one plan for every employee. </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

A Favorite Startup Perk May Soon Be Taxable 

<h1>A</h1>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#1-brian-acton-jan-koum-100" target="_blank">Brian Acton, Jan Koum</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#58-makinde-adeagbo-43" target="_blank">Makinde Adeagbo </a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#47-angela-ahrendts-denise-young-smith-54" target="_blank">Angela Ahrendts, Denise Young Smith</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#31-brian-armstrong-70" target="_blank">Brian Armstrong</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#91-alexander-asseily-hosain-rahman-matt-hunter-10" target="_blank">Alexander Asseily, Hosain Rahman, Matt Hunter</a></p>
<h1>B</h1>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#4-noam-bardin-97" target="_blank">Noam Bardin</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#44-marc-benioff-57" target="_blank">Marc Benioff</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#65-james-beshara-36" target="_blank">James Beshara</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#14-sergey-brin-astro-teller-87" target="_blank">Sergey Brin, Astro Teller</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#87-rose-broome-zac-witte-14">Rose Broome, Zac Witte</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#19-nathan-blecharczyk-brian-chesky-joe-gebbia-82" target="_blank">Nathan Blecharczyk, Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#76-david-mark-byttow-chrys-bader-25" target="_blank">David Mark Byttow, Chrys Bader</a></p>
<h1>C</h1>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#28-john-collison-patrick-collison-73" target="_blank">John Collison, Patrick Collison</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#57-ron-conway-44" target="_blank">Ron Conway</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#8-tim-cook-jony-ive-craig-federighi-93" target="_blank">Tim Cook, Jony Ive, Craig Federighi</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#9-dick-costolo-adam-bain-ali-rowghani-kevin-weil-94" target="_blank">Dick Costolo, Adam Bain, Ali Rowghani, Kevin Weil</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#73-chris-cox-28" target="_blank">Chris Cox</a></p>
<h1>D</h1>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#30-nick-daloisio-71" target="_blank">Nick D'Aloisio</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#77-frederic-della-faille-melvyn-hills-24">Frederic della Faille, Melvyn Hills </a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#96-mike-del-ponte-5" target="_blank">Mike Del Ponte</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#20-dave-dewalt-ashar-aziz-81" target="_blank">Dave DeWalt, Ashar Aziz</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#2-jack-dorsey-99">Jack Dorsey</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#86-david-drummond-15" target="_blank">David Drummond</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#37-greg-duffy-aamir-virani-64" target="_blank">Greg Duffy, Aamir Virani </a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#27-lucas-duplan-74" target="_blank">Lucas Duplan </a></p>
<h1>F</h1>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#42-peter-fenton-yuri-milner-59">Peter Fenton, Yuri Milner</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#22-joe-fernandez-79" target="_blank">Joe Fernandez</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#95-taro-fukuyama-ilya-tokhner-6" target="_blank">Taro Fukuyama, Ilya Tokhner</a></p>
<h1>G</h1>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#94-grace-garey-netta-marshall-chase-adam-jesse-cook-7" target="_blank">Grace Garey, Netta Marshall, Chase Adam, Jesse Cook</a> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#6-jim-goetz-95" target="_parent">Jim Goetz</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#32-paul-graham-sam-altman-69" target="_blank">Paul Graham, Sam Altman</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#70-chris-griffin-31" target="_blank">Chris Griffin</a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#31-paul-graham-70" target="_blank"></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#80-diane-greene-21" target="_blank">Diane Greene</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#23-bill-gurley-78" target="_blank">Bill Gurley</a></p>
<h1>H</h1>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#26-reed-hastings-75" target="_blank">Reed Hastings</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#72-kevin-and-julia-hartz-29" target="_blank">Kevin and Julia Hartz</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#97-heather-hiles-4" target="_blank">Heather Hiles </a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#49-ben-horowitz-marc-andreessen-jeff-jordan-chris-dixon-52">Ben Horowitz, Marc Andreessen, Jeff Jordan, Chris Dixon </a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#17-drew-houston-arash-ferdowsi-ilya-fushman-84" target="_blank">Drew Houston, Arash Ferdowsi, Ilya Fushman</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#88-charles-hudson-13" target="_blank">Charles Hudson</a> </p>
<h1>J</h1>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#98-naveen-jain-dr-reid-rubsamen-3" target="_blank">Naveen Jain, Dr. Reid Rubsamen<br /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#60-jason-johnson-yves-behar-41" target="_blank">Jason Johnson, Yves Behar</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#100-mike-judge-alec-berg-1" target="_blank">Mike Judge, Alec Berg</a> </p>
<h1>K</h1>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#11-travis-kalanick-90" target="_blank">Travis Kalanick</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#24-alexander-karp-77" target="_blank">Alexander Karp</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#71-simon-khalaf-30" target="_blank">Simon Khalaf</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#50-edwin-khodabakchian-cyril-moutran-51" target="_blank">Edwin Khodabakchian, Cyril Moutran</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#69-brian-krzanich-32" target="_blank">Brian Krzanich</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#36-ray-kurzweil-65" target="_blank">Ray Kurzweil</a></p>
<h1>L</h1>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#83-david-lawee-18" target="_blank">David Lawee</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#51-tom-x-lee-50" target="_blank">Tom X. Lee</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#66-jessica-lessin-35" target="_blank">Jessica Lessin</a> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#85-max-levchin-16" target="_blank">Max Levchin</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#18-aaron-levie-83" target="_blank">Aaron Levie</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#46-phil-libin-55" target="_blank">Phil Libin </a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#33-jeremy-liew-68" target="_blank">Jeremy Liew</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#82-rob-lloyd-19" target="_blank">Rob Lloyd</a></p>
<h1>M</h1>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#48-doug-mack-ali-pincus-susan-feldman-53" target="_blank">Doug Mack, Ali Pincus, Susan Feldman</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#90-paul-maritz-11" target="_blank">Paul Maritz</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#35-don-mattrick-66" target="_blank">Don Mattrick </a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#16-marissa-mayer-85" target="_blank">Marissa Mayer</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#53-brian-mcandrews-48" target="_blank">Brian McAndrews</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#81-dave-mcclure-20" target="_blank">Dave McClure</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#56-mike-mccue-45" target="_blank">Mike McCue </a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#43-eric-migicovsky-58" target="_blank">Eric Migicovsky</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#63-ann-miura-ko-38" target="_blank">Ann Miura-Ko</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#67-brit-morin-34" target="_blank">Brit Morin</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#5-elon-musk-96" target="_blank">Elon Musk</a></p>
<h1>P</h1>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#15-larry-page-86" target="_blank">Larry Page</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#34-james-park-67" target="_blank">James Park</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#75-sundar-pichai-26" target="_blank">Sundar Pichai</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#89-ramona-pierson-12" target="_blank">Ramona Pierson</a> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#74-tom-preston-werner-chris-wanstrath-pj-hyett-27" target="_blank">Tom Preston-Werner, Chris Wanstrath, PJ Hyett</a></p>
<h1>R</h1>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#99-aarthi-ramamurthy-2" target="_blank">Aarthi Ramamurthy</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#3-matt-rogers-tony-fadell-98" target="_blank">Matt Rogers, Tony Fadell</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#59-dan-rose-42" target="_blank">Dan Rose </a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#40-andy-rubin-61" target="_blank">Andy Rubin</a></p>
<h1>S</h1>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#62-caesar-sengupta-39" target="_blank">Caesar Sengupta</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#39-sam-shank-62" target="_blank">Sam Shank </a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#41-mg-siegler-60" target="_blank">MG Siegler</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#52-ben-silbermann-evan-sharp-49" target="_blank">Ben Silbermann, Evan Sharp</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#78-balaji-srinivasan-23" target="_blank">Balaji Srinivasan</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#12-biz-stone-ben-finkel-89" target="_blank">Biz Stone, Ben Finkel <br /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#92-wayne-sutton-9" target="_blank">Wayne Sutton</a> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#54-kevin-systrom-mike-krieger-47" target="_blank">Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger</a> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#61-kara-swisher-walt-mossberg-40" target="_blank">Kara Swisher, Walt Mossberg </a></p>
<h1>T</h1>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#38-bret-taylor-kevin-gibbs-63" target="_blank">Bret Taylor, Kevin Gibbs</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#93-erin-teague-8" target="_blank">Erin Teague</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#68-peter-thiel-33" target="_blank">Peter Thiel</a></p>
<h1>U</h1>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#21-gentry-underwood-scott-cannon-80" target="_blank">Gentry Underwood, Scott Cannon </a></p>
<h1>W</h1>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#45-hunter-walk-satya-patel-56" target="_blank">Hunter Walk, Satya Patel</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#79-tristan-walker-22" target="_blank">Tristan Walker</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#84-jeff-weiner-17" target="_blank">Jeff Weiner</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#64-meg-whitman-37" target="_blank">Meg Whitman</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#9-ev-williams-92" target="_blank">Ev Williams </a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#55-anne-wojcicki-46" target="_blank">Anne Wojcicki</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#25-susan-wojcicki-76" target="_blank">Susan Wojcicki</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#13-nick-woodman-88" target="_blank">Nick Woodman </a></p>
<h1>Z</h1>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#29-john-zimmer-logan-green-72" target="_blank">John Zimmer, Logan Green </a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2014-2014-1#10-mark-zuckerberg-sheryl-sandberg-david-ebersman-91" target="_blank">Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg, David Ebersman</a></p>

Silicon Valley 100 2014: A-Z

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:395px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/4e1342f6cadcbb05620f0000-398-302/debchrapaty_big.jpg?maxX=395&amp;maxY=300" border="0" alt="Debra Chrapaty Zynga CIO" width="395" height="300" /></div><p class="source">Microsoft</p></div><keyword id="1753411" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Debra-Chrapaty">Debra Chrapaty</keyword> just announced that she's leaving <keyword id="188699" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Zynga">Zynga</keyword> to become the CEO of <keyword id="1753412" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Nirvanix">Nirvanix</keyword>, a well-funded <keyword id="6356323" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Enterprise">enterprise</keyword> startup backed by Square investor <keyword id="130474" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Khosla-Ventures">Khosla Ventures</keyword>.</p>
<p>She was happy at Zynga, she told Business Insider, but left for two reasons. First, before she became CIO of Zynga in 2011, she had the career goal of becoming a CEO. And second, renowned venture capitalist <keyword id="76921" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Vinod-Khosla">Vinod Khosla</keyword>, an old friend, called her and personally recruited her for Nirvanix.</p>
<p>Khosla had been wanting her to become Nirvanix's CEO since November. That's when she agreed to join the company as its chairman. The CEO role seemed to be custom-made for Chrapaty. Nirvanix is a cloud-computing service provider for enterprises. It's claim to fame is storage, providing things like backups and archives. </p>
<p>Chrapaty has a long history building out cloud-computing services, first at Microsoft and then at Zynga.</p>
<p>She's actually been a powerhouse tech executive since the late 1990s when she was CIO of E*Trade. She also spent about 18 months at Cisco, running its multibillion-dollar Collaboration business unit.</p>
<p>Here's an edited transcript of our conversation.</p>
<p><strong>BUSINESS INSIDER: You're known these day for your role at Zynga but you spent far more time Microsoft, seven years. How did you get that job?</strong></p>
<p><strong>DEBRA CHRAPATY: </strong>I got a call from Gia Scinto, still a good friend, who was a recruiter at Microsoft and is now a recruiter for Andreessen Horowitz. She said, "Sometimes at Microsoft we have great jobs and find great executives. Sometimes we find great executives and find great jobs for them. You're a great executive and I'm going to find you a great job at Microsoft." And she did.</p>
<p>I was there seven years and I ran all their data centers and networks, billion of dollars of infrastructure at mass scale. I loved it but my partner <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/ramona-pierson/4/627/197">[Ramona Pierson]</a> had created a startup. Her board wanted her in the Bay Area and we were really sick of the rain.</p>
<p><strong>BI: So you moved to Cisco, right when it was having one of its roughest years ever? What was that like?</strong></p>
<p><strong>DC: </strong>Microsoft was definitely a technically-lead culture, unlike Cisco which is a sales driven culture. I enjoyed my time at Cisco. Chambers is a wonderful person and I really felt like when I joined Cisco I was part of a connected culture.</p>
<p>It was just a tough inflection point for the company at the time. I think that John needed to retrench and he did. When he did, I didn't feel I was right for the business. No hard feelings. </p>
<p>I got the phone call saying, "Do I want to be CIO of Zynga?" and I did.  I loved every minute of it.</p>
<p><strong><strong>BI: </strong>So why did you leave Zynga?</strong></p>
<p><strong>DC: </strong>Prior to Zynga, after Cisco, I thought that my next job should be CEO. But when I got the call for Zynga I thought, why would I want to miss that phenomenon? So I took the job.</p>
<p>I wasn't looking for a job. I knew [Vinod] Khosla for many years. He came back a few months ago and thought Nirvanix could use my leadership. I wasn't ready to make a change, so I took the job as chairman of the board. This is about personal growth. It's time for me to be CEO.</p>
<p><strong><strong>BI: </strong>You joined Zynga when it was super hot. It's been troubled since then. What can you tell us about that?</strong></p>
<p><strong>DC: </strong>People see Zynga as a mature company, now that it's public, but it's still a really young company, not quite six years old. Young companies have fits and starts. It's still really a startup. It had a dramatic rise, scaled up very quickly. Like at Cisco, it's retrenching.</p>
<p>We forget when companies are at $200, $300 a share that many companies go through these ups and downs. Great companies. Zynga is in that phase. We remember when Amazon was at $10 a share and now look at it.</p>
<p>I think that Zynga has great leadership and they'll figure it out.</p>

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