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Running a Venture Capital Fund During Graduate School


Name: Tyler Benster (he/him)

PhD: Neurosciences, Stanford University, 2024



What was your main area of research?

I built silent speech interfaces for humans (non-invasive BCI) and holographic optogenetics for zebrafish (read/write small groups of neurons).



What is your current job?

I am the CEO of Reflex in San Francisco, California.


My job entails all things necessary to run a pre-seed startup backed by Khosla and Greylock.


The best part is having the resources to scale my dreams while working with great folks.



How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now? 

I created it!


consultant/conference chair ➡️ started VC fund ➡️ grad school ➡️ founder



Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia? 

There were a few reasons. I felt burned by my initial PhD advisor. I also disliked the gatekeepers for grants/publishing/jobs and the power structures of academia are messed up.



What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?

  1. Use the time in your PhD to explore. It is a great launchpad.

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