Check Out Samuel Andrews’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samuel Andrews.

Hi Samuel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Sam Andrews, and I am an inventor. I use this term both literally and loosely.

At 25 years old, I have:

– Produced and patented my own technology.
– Broken records as a student leader.
– Founded a company approaching sale/exit.
– Served as the president of a non-profit.
– Organized multiple successful advocacy efforts.

I am now planning to start my largest project by far.

The unifying trait behind these efforts is my deep desire to creatively solve problems. This is why I consider myself an inventor: I believe invention is the process of bringing ideas together to find a new solution to any existing problem and then committing to producing that solution in reality. While I could instead classify myself as an organizer, an advocate or a founder, these titles don’t truly encompass who I am or how I’ve built my life.

I’ve built my life on this desire to create important new things. My journey to successfully do so began only when I differentiated inventing as problem-solving from creating for the sake of creating as art from creating for the sake of recognition as self-medication. This isn’t to diminish the value of any of these forms, but to note where I find my fulfillment.

When I was little, I often felt small. To combat this, I created fairy tales about myself and exaggerated stories about my experiences, attempting to convince my world that I was capable of grand-scale things. This method of creation as self-medication for my anxieties evolved as I grew and adapted to my changing insecurities, until I began attending the Watershed School in Boulder. At Watershed, I felt safe to change this part of me. The instructors treated me as capable, expected me to act as such, and consistently offered me opportunities for extraordinary experiences. This directed me to a part of my life where I joyfully self-led for the sake of creating experiences. I consider this kind of creation to be artistic in many senses, but not where I find my greatest fulfillment. For me to create at my maximum level required my initiative in full independence, a network of like-minded people, and a limitless pool of challenges to create solutions limitlessly for. I found this in college at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo.

Once I began college, my success truly came from starting things and sticking with them. In my first year, I joined student government and co-founded my startup company. In my second year, I started working on sustainability advocacy and learned how to invent and patent a product. In my third year, I joined leadership for a student led non-profit. From there, I just kept pushing myself forward in each of my interests until I reached top-level leadership in those areas. By my final year, this meant I was nearing success with my company, acting as the student body president at my university, serving in local government positions, and acting as a student advocate at the state level.

Now, after graduating last year, I’ve been finishing my work on my current company, completing the founding of a youth leadership group with the San Luis Obispo Sierra Club, and establishing a career in sustainability management. Looking forward, I plan to found a new company in Colorado before beginning graduate school this upcoming Fall in a joint program between Georgetown and The Paris School of Advanced Business Studies.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not. The basis of invention is problem-solving, and that requires problems. Facing them can be difficult, but challenges are part of the game of invention, not the struggle itself. The real enemy is exhaustion.

Exhaustion, for a problem solver, can appear in many forms and arrive in many packages. In the past, I’ve faced it from signing on for too much, being ambushed by surprise crises, failing repeatedly, losing motivation for important projects, facing multiple deadlines simultaneously, or losing opportunities due to factors beyond my control, among other things. I’ve felt exhausted with and without support, on teams and individually, by surprise and with fair warning.

The trick I’ve found in loving this lifestyle and continuing to invent despite exhaustion is to keep inventing things to look forward to. Certainly, this fatigue can be managed or prevented to a degree. By maintaining a healthy work-life balance, taking care of yourself, and setting boundaries, you can reduce creative fatigue. However, if you find fulfillment in facing problems, you will inevitably face enough problems to meet exhaustion eventually. If you’re constantly brainstorming new ideas and finding things you want to do next, when burnout hits, you can remind yourself that something exciting is waiting for you once you finish your to-do list. It’s like leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for your future self.

I remember a specific time last year that was probably the most draining period I’ve ever faced. Near the end of the year, as I was preparing to give my college graduation speech, an unexpected cost at my startup required me to raise $20,000 in just a few days. Simultaneously, the non-profit I was leading had to finalize its annual budget and review comprehensive bylaw revisions submitted by an ad hoc committee we formed. Final exams were looming, and I had to address a significant conflict with my roommates, partly caused by how busy I was. I remember not sleeping for nights and becoming physically sick, panicked at the feeling that I couldn’t do everything, yet unwilling to fail anywhere. I got through this successfully in every area by inventing creative solutions, asking for help where I couldn’t, and reminding myself that I had a list of exciting things I could finally try after I finished.

When I completed all of these things, I rested. If I could face that time again knowing the unexpected challenges that would arise, I would do everything in my power to circumvent that level of overwork. I want to be clear that my commentary here is not an endorsement of overwork. It is simply my method of surviving overwork in a lifestyle that invites it.

If you find your fulfillment in creating solutions to problems, you need to create a way to be fulfilled even when you have more problems than solutions.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I believe that what sets me apart in my work at this point is simply the number of projects I have completed at my age.

In the past, advocacy has likely been my central effort.

I began my advocacy work in student government. In the early stages, I focused on campus-level initiatives. During this time, I set the all-time record as President of Cal Poly’s Residential Student Government for most legislation written by a single individual, most legislation written by an administration, and most legislation accepted by campus bodies.
Some of the projects I worked on in this role or similar positions included: introducing free condom dispensers in university housing, which correlated with a significant decrease in campus STI rates; promoting the creation of campus waste management training; introducing food insecurity resources to dorm kitchens; negotiating an agreement among campus entities to source used cooking oil from dining facilities for conversion to biodiesel for research and class use; launching a campus thrifting system; authoring several resolutions on campus actions; organizing 40+ events; and more.

This work eventually led to my role as Student Body President and, simultaneously, as President of a 501(c)(3) non-profit called Associated Students, Inc., which serves student rights and life. ASI manages $18 million in annual funds across seven facilities and approximately 650 employees. In that role, my team and I reintroduced several defunct programs, completed a five-year strategic plan, conducted full corporate bylaw revisions, tripled organizational engagement rates, and increased recruitment pools by 70%. I also developed $250,000 for an endowment to ensure financial accessibility for students participating in leadership roles, and I presented in-person to a cumulative audience of more than 85,000 people.

This work opened the door to city- and state-level roles. As Chair of a municipal body called the Student Community Liaison Committee, I helped coordinate relationships among the County, City, Mayor’s Office, Police Department, Neighborhood Organizations, University, and Community College. I successfully co-drafted and introduced the first complete MOU revisions for this group since the mid-1980s to address ongoing conflict between neighborhood organizations and university stakeholders. As a member of the California State Student Association, I advocated for a legislative agenda on behalf of nearly 500,000 students to state legislators, the CSU Chancellor’s Office, and the Governor’s Office. I also participated in negotiations to reduce the pace of tuition growth in the CSU system and argued to introduce a recurring student review period.

As I balanced all of this work, along with my academics and other volunteer activities, I also built a business.

Intego Technology is a footwear company seeking to license a manufacturing technology we developed, which is designed to both simplify footwear production and massively increase product durability. As COO, I co-founded and incorporated the company as a C-Corporation, invented and patented the core product technology, raised $150,000 in debt-free investment funds, established various international manufacturing partnerships, and completed sample product manufacturing. Right now, we’re running a final round of production and testing to meet the expectations of interested partners before pursuing licensing agreements.

Now, while I’m finishing up this work and a few other projects, I’m laying the foundation for my next company. While my previous work has either been local in scope or focused on a niche part of international industry, I believe my next idea has the potential to create global impact. Based on some early experiments, I believe I can develop an affordable roof-mounted system for homes that can entirely prevent externally originating fire damage—even from catastrophic wildfires. I fully intend to pursue this idea and plan to headquarter the company in Denver.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I think it’s pretty clear at this point that AI will profoundly impact how we create and invent. While this isn’t a new argument, and I’m by no means an expert, I do believe that the morality of tools is established by their use. Just as a hammer can be used to drive a nail or to crack a skull, AI can be used to solve problems and significantly aid invention, or it can devalue creators and foster harmful dependence.

A more interesting point for me to consider is the philosophical and directional aspect of innovation within AI. Earlier in this interview I differentiated between creating for recognition, creating for the sake of creation, and creating to solve problems/produce solutions. I believe that how our AI developers choose between these methods/motivations could determine our future.

Creation for recognition generates attention, which can be valuable for meeting personal or group needs. It achieves its goal. However, it can also be distracting and cause harm if pursued carelessly. AI developed with this goal might come at significant cost with little benefit. AI operating to achieve this could pull our attention away from more meaningful things.

Creation for the sake of creation can improve skills, express ideas, and affirm our humanity. Yet, it doesn’t always differentiate between impacts because it’s not always intended to have a specific impact. It’s imperative that humanity retains the ability to engage in this type of creation for the very purpose of evoking our humanity. If implemented, AI created in this manner could accidentally cause procedurally repeating harm. AI designed to do this might build dependence and diminish the enjoyment of creation via the dilution of creating.

Invention for the sake of problem-solving doesn’t inherently fulfill personal needs or invoke our humanity. Instead, it improves the conditions of our shared world by addressing specific challenges. AI produced with this aim is inherently designed to achieve a specific task, making its impact more predictable. AI created in this way has the potential to change our world for the better.

Specific problem-solving must be the focus of AI development if we are to use it as a positive tool for creation.

Contact Info:

• Other: sam.sterling.andrews@gmail.com

Image Credits
Makayla Khan