I quit college at 21 to run my AI company. Sacrifices like working up to 80-hour weeks while I had cancer were worth it.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with 26-year-old David Kobrosky, the founder of Intros AI, from Brooklyn. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

When I went to college in 2017, I already knew I wanted to work in startups and make a difference in the world.

After my freshman year at the University of Michigan, I switched majors from business to computer science, which I felt would be more useful for running an early-stage company.

But in late 2018, at age 19, I dropped out of college for a full-time job. Although I returned to college in late 2019, I dropped out again in late 2020, at the age of 21, to start my company, Intros AI.

Despite being diagnosed with cancer in early 2024 and having six months of chemotherapy, I pushed myself to work on the business. It was acquired in July 2025, setting me up financially after years of hard work.

I don't regret leaving college to pursue my own venture, even though there were trade-offs along the way.

I couldn't resist an opportunity to work for Gary Vaynerchuk

In 2018, after my freshman year, I started a product management internship at a company called Roll, where I focused on community engagement.

In November 2018, roughly three months after the internship ended, I was offered the opportunity to work full-time for Gary Vaynerchuk, the businessman and social media personality, at his company VaynerX.

I knew I'd have to drop out of college to take this on, and decided it wouldn't be too risky. If things didn't work out, I could always go back to school.

I dropped out of college a second time to start my AI company

I had a passion for building tools for online communities and connecting people through software. While I worked at VaynerX, I built my own side projects: AI assistants focused on bringing people together.

In late 2019, after working at VaynerX for roughly eight months, I went back to college to gain more technical computer science skills, and worked on my side projects in my free time.

Even back then, I felt AI would play a huge role in how we interact. I experimented with AI assistants that could help you manage existing friendships or meet new people. One assistant, called "MeetSunday," would introduce you to a new person via text, and book a time to meet.

I felt there was a bigger opportunity in this space and wanted to build software that helps communities connect their members. For example, if AI could send a personalized invitation to connect with someone within a big Slack or Facebook group, based on its knowledge of your shared interests and goals.

In late 2020, I dropped out of college again to focus on this idea full-time. I wanted to keep learning at school, but my main concern was timing. COVID had just hit, there was a new market for digital connection, and I was itching to get going with my company.

Kobrosky left college in late 2020 to launch Intros AI Courtesy of Intros AI

I was diagnosed with stage four cancer while building Intros AI

After eight months of bootstrapping, I began raising money from investors. Siriam Krishnan, who's now a senior White House policy advisor on artificial intelligence, was one of our early backers.

Our seed round started in late 2023. For eight or nine months, I'd been struggling with symptoms like itching, and in early 2024, I was diagnosed with stage four blood cancer.

Kobrosky was diagnosed with stage four lymphoma in early 2024. Courtesy of Intros AI

My diagnosis taught me that time is scarce and I need to act urgently and intentionally. I was still working between 60 and 80 hours a week during my six months of chemotherapy. I felt like I didn't have a choice. We had great investors, and I'd put my whole life into this idea. I wanted to follow through on my commitment.

Prior to my diagnosis, I worked seven days a week, sometimes taking a half-day off. Afterward, I started taking most of my Saturdays off to rest, a habit I've kept.

Kobrosky said he continued to work between 60 to 80 weeks during his six months of chemotherapy. Courtesy of Intros AI

Selling my company has set me up well financially

I was told I was in remission in November 2024. In July 2025, Intros AI was acquired by a software company called Bevy.

We connected with Bevy at a conference in 2023, and by early 2025, we were considering a partnership. Along the way, they suggested acquiring us instead, and we closed a deal after six to seven months of negotiation.

Today, companies use our product within Bevy to connect their most active customers to each other to create a meaningful space for knowledge-sharing and networking, helping to boost the company's customer retention.

In 2024, I was the CEO of Intros AI and, for that year, paid myself a salary of around $100,000. After the acquisition, I became an AI product manager at Bevy, and I'm now earning a higher base salary than I was, with the opportunity to boost my earnings through bonuses. Financially, it's been a big deal for me, having invested a lot in my company over the years.

I don't regret the trade-offs I made

I think starting and selling a company sets me up for the future in a way that a more traditional path wouldn't have.

Undoubtedly, I had to make trade-offs. Working long hours seven days a week meant saying no to many meaningful moments in my early 20s, like seeing friends.

But if you're going to make a dent in the world, there will absolutely be trade-offs along the way.