#22 - Yash Rathod: Dropping Out, Startups, and Religion

Yash Rathod is a Computer Science student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The purpose of the UIUC Talkshow has been to meet interesting people, and we would not have met Yash if we hadn't started this project. We accomplish our mission every time we meet people like Yash and on every episode we have. Yash is a striking individual who radiates a sense of soothing ambition. He shares excitement yet a sense of calmness as he shares his story of growing up in India, wanting to become a professional cricketer, and creating a startup. We sit down with Yash to hear about his journey, with many stops to talk about religion, being underestimated, India's educational system, and the magic conversations with his uncle. Yash shares the backstory of taking a gap year and pursuing his startup dream from the beginning to the end. A moving adventure with lots of uncertainty and enthusiasm. Yash indeed lives a life of zero "What ifs," and after he worked on his startup, he was now ready to come back and live the "college experience." This conversation was remarkable in many ways, from the simple start of "Tell us about your life" to the longest conversation we've ever had. Even a past guest (https://youtu.be/8dYmTFg7-do) joined us. This is the UIUC Talkshow: the most interesting people with the most interesting ideas. EPISODE LINKS: Yash Rathod's Website: https://linktr.ee/yrraadi Yash Rathod's LinkedIn: https://in.linkedin.com/in/yrraadi Yash Rathod's Twitter: https://twitter.com/yashrathod_75 Yash Rathod's IG: https://www.instagram.com/yashrathod_75/ OUTLINE: 0:00 - Introduction 2:39 - Childhood 4:50 - IIT or Startups 8:27 - Networking 11:55 - Hype and Theranos 14:34 - Public Speaking 16:38 - Being Underestimated 20:00 - Always be right or always prove something/someone wrong? 26:32 - Mom 28:18 - From Cricketers to Technologist 35:12 - IIT JEE and College Applications 38:45 - Longevity/Fasting Research 54:38 - Religion & God 1:09:58 - End of high school and Discovering Crypto 1:18:18 - Yash's Startup 1:32:55 - Dropping out and focusing on startup 1:38:10 - Bangalore and Startup Dream 1:42:05 - Yash's Daily Routine 1:51:10 - The FOMO of Crypto and Web 3 1:56:25 - Selling the company 1:59:35 - Coming back to UIUC 2:06:35 - Looking back on the UIUC experience 2:09:00 - Advice for Young People 2:13:42 - Yash's college experience 2:14:25 - Yash's Key Word: "Partnership" 2:19:00 - Yash's advice for the UIUC Talkshow 2:20:54 - Halloween Customs 🚥Overrated or Underrated Section 🚥 2:22:45 - 🌚 Tattoos 2:26:08 - 🔐 Cryptocurrency 2:28:30 - 🗣 LinkedIn 2:30:03 - 🧮 Super 30 & 🧪 Biology 2:34:29 - Closing Words SOCIAL: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uiuctalkshow Twitter: https://twitter.com/uiuctalkshow TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uiuctalkshow Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ezoc4xJa4DrGq7N4lhqQn Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-uiuc-talkshow/id1611427075 Full episodes playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1H9UJqXvJXr3qlx9c89Rv76c6IpnwGeC Clips playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1H9UJqXvJXqdyEq7fuyUz9cmpdfqN1Rb What is the UIUC Talkshow? Our goal with this show is to introduce you to the most interesting people with the most interesting ideas from the UIUC campus. Learn more about Juan David & Aaryaman: Aaryaman https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaryaman-patel-779437205/ Juan David Website: https://www.juandavidcampolargo.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jdcampolargo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdcampolargo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jdcampolargo/