It’s that time of year again: thousands of college students across the country are getting their diplomas and taking their first steps into the real world. For one grad with Westford roots, that first step is heading to the heart of Silicon Valley.
Marco Chiang not only finished up a degree in Computer Engineering at UMass Amherst over the past few weeks, but also finalized an informal merger of sorts for his company, Leaf.
Despite winning the prestigious Yale Hackathon event earlier this year, the group of UMass students that banded together to form Leaf decided to head their separate ways after graduation.
Fortunately for Chiang, a company called Loopd was developing a similar concept to Leaf’s wristband social media device and were looking for help.
“We started out as friendly competitors sharing resources, but after I found out most of my team was moving on, I reached out,” he said.
Chiang made the move out to Loopd’s San Mateo, California headquarters on May 17, aiming to use the skills he learned in Westford and UMass to continue the strides he’s already made towards developing cutting edge devices, as well as engaging with others interested in becoming a computer entrepreneur.
“One of my main goals is reaching out the Westford community and inspire people to take off with their own ideas and run with them,” he said. “By taking risks, that’s how you learn the most.”
More information on Loopd is available at their website.
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