Week 5 Update: How the Audios founder went from the streets to Silicon Valley
Audios Co-Founder and CEO Erik Young is featured on the successful podcast, The Color of Success hosted Dr. Stephanie J. Wong. It discusses the intersection between mental health and entrepreneurship. Dr. Wong’s digs deep into Young's past to discover what motivates him and how growing up in the Parramore neighborhood of West Orlando, one of America’s Most Dangerous Cities,’ Forbes 2009, affects who he is today. Mental toughness doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of Young’s state of mind.
How does someone go from being a street kid in the West Orlando neighborhood of Parramore, where commonplace were murders, robberies, and drug deals, to earning a college degree, multiple patents and the support of uber-successful tech founders and investors?
How did discrimination and racism play a role in Young’s journey to become a successful Silicon Valley CEO?
His story begins with this quote, “I don’t match the typical Silicon Valley profile. I grew up in a neighborhood where people were going in the wrong direction. My hero wasn’t Michael Jordan. I wanted to be like my neighborhood hero, Skeet.”
Tune in to The Color of Success to listen to Young’s story and discover what it took for him to rise above poverty, rise above a life of crime, and focus on creating a better life for himself.