Co-Founder & CEO of SE.AI

Ph.D., Condensed Matter Physics, 2020

What role do you play in the entrepreneurial ecosystem?

I am a co-founder of an AI software startup. In this sense, I am a business builder, with the responsibility to turn a vision for a new company that did not yet exist into a reality by rallying the resources needed to build it from scratch. I am also the CEO of this startup, serving as the face of the corporation to customers, investors, and to my team. It is my responsibility as the CEO to ensure financial security for the company and to build, inspire and guide a team capable of executing the vision of the founders. 

What are some of your best memories of your time at Clemson?

My best memories of my time at Clemson are representative of the two major achievement milestones in my life. The first memory is the passing of my physics qualifying exam upon my first attempt at doing so. I studied for hundreds of hours for this week-long test, knowing that I was not necessarily the "smartest" person in my cohort at the time. I knew I would need to work harder than I thought I could to ensure success. I can remember exactly where I was when my advisor called me to tell me I had passed -- I was on an old John boat at Murrells Inlet fishing for flounder with my husband. I was so happy I cried. My second favorite memory was about one year later when I gave birth to my first child, my son Hank. It was physically the most challenging thing I had ever accomplished and grounded my thinking in a way that is difficult to explain in words. These two memories, both core experiences during my time at Clemson, changed my outlook on what was possible for me to achieve and solidified my strong sense that anything could be within my grasp if I reached far enough for long enough. 

What were the key inflection points in your career after you left Clemson?

The first key inflection point was beginning my first startup job at a precision medicine company in Greenville. I had looked for a job for months, knowing that I did not want to move away as my husband had a career in the Upstate and we had a family and a house. I finally found a position I was excited about, but it was in a field I had no experience in. Thankfully, the Chief Scientific Officer at that company saw something in me and gave me a chance and this experience went on to shape me into the first iterations of the leader I am pulled to become. The birth of my second child, my daughter Maggie, was another key inflection point, doubling the duties at home and forcing me to attempt to rebalance my stress tolerance and expectations for myself. As I got deeper in "startup life," it was probably Maggie that convinced me that Unicorns are real, bringing me to the third inflection point of breaking out on my own with my co-founder and starting a new company dedicated to serving the startups I was leaving behind. And now I am full time trying to make this company into a Unicorn, which is a blast!

What are your personal and professional dreams?

Personally, I want to build a homestead with my family surrounded by nature. I would love to take more time to bake and to garden. I would love to spend more time watching my children play at the beach, and I cannot wait to take them to far to reach places like my parents did for me. I believe I will achieve these simple but fulfilling goals in time. 

Professionally, I aim to create a thriving empire of a company, which will allow for medical technology to more rapidly become available to the public without sacrificing key safety and efficacy milestones. I want this company to be among the best places to work, and I aim to be the type of boss that enables dedicated and visionary people to achieve their potential. 

What would you recommend students do to maximize their remaining time at Clemson?

Learn to harness stress as a motivator. Don't let it make you afraid. Force it to turn you into a warrior. 



What else should we know about you?

I love to bake cookies.