Founders Society

Sam Ramji '94

Just as office software makes office workers more productive, Sam Ramji ’94 envisions making software engineers more productive through innovative AI operations software. His new startup Sailplane is poised to produce an AI autopilot for software operations, managing the types of troubleshooting for bugs and system errors that often result in emergency calls to engineers. 

Sam’s path to Sailplane originated at UC San Diego, where a journey of curiosity and intellectual experimentation across disciplines eventually took him to Microsoft and Google. As a member of the Triton Founders’ Society, he’s come back full circle. 

“Since graduation, I’ve learned a lot about UC San Diego. I can see how much foundational modern research has been done at the campus. At my new startup we're starting to do some directed research with UC San Diego’s leading faculty in order for us to get an edge as an AI company. Hopefully, a few years from now, we'll be one of many companies that traces its lineage to UC San Diego not just from distant alums, but from opportunities to collaborate with the campus directly.”

Pelin Thorogood

Pelin Thorogood recognizes the incredible potential in modern medicine. But she also sees where it falls short –  much focus on treating acute illnesses but not enough on promoting personalized health and wellness. A pioneer in advancing big data for precision marketing, Pelin joined forces with a medical doctor to launch Radicle Science, an AI-driven healthtech company.

“We’re on a mission to democratize access to clinical trials for non-pharmaceutical interventions to create a future of proven, personalized treatments accessible for all.”

It was through UC San Diego’s top-ranked health system that Pelin got to know our campus. The ensuing relationship has been beneficial on both sides, with Pelin now serving on the UC San Diego Foundation Board of Trustees.

Public benefit matters a great deal to Pelin. Radicle Science is formally registered as a B-corporation, which means serving the common good is part of its official DNA. When asked what moved her to sign the Founders’ Pledge, Pelin cites this commitment:

“It’s about impact, but also action that inspires others – always walking the walk. If you do the right thing and embody the change you want to see, others will take heart to be their best selves.”

Sergey Sikora, MBA ’06 

As a member of the Rady School of Management’s inaugural class, Sergey Sikora, MBA ’06 understands how fundamental entrepreneurship is to the school’s character and identity. 

“I chose the Rady School because it was all about entrepreneurship. Our founding dean would say that it’s a school for entrepreneurs in high tech and biotech,” said Sergey.  

After enrolling at the Rady School while working as a post-doctoral fellow at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, Sergey learned to pivot from his origins in bioinformatics to a series of leadership roles and entrepreneurial successes in biotech. His latest endeavor, MyoArete, offers new hope for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Describing his philanthropy, Sergey demonstrates how entrepreneurs can contribute early on. 

“I always wanted to give, but as an entrepreneur, you always have your money tied up in the company. You get shares, and you reinvest many back -- it's always tied up. If an entrepreneur wants to give something back to the school, the best way is to give the stock or pledge the proceeds of the stock. In this case it’s quite remarkable, because the Rady School was founded for entrepreneurs.”