Kailan Robinson
Headline builds
Beyond the builds
About
Hi, I’m Kailan. I’m 19, from Marin.
You find me in the middle of what most people would call a non-traditional path. Here’s how I got here.
School
I graduated from Marin Academy in 2025, and what I loved most about it was how I learned there: hands-on, in projects, and with other people. I was honored to receive the Head’s Cup, given to the graduating student who best embodies the school’s values.
“Driven by curiosity and a hunger to learn, he constantly pushes himself, not for grades but to expand his own abilities, often diving into projects outside the classroom just for the challenge.”
Then I went straight into mechanical engineering at Cal Poly, in the honors program. After my first quarter, I had the realization that the school’s priorities weren’t the same as mine as a student. I was being built into an employable engineer, which is a perfectly fine goal, just not what I wanted out of it. For me, school is a way to really develop my thinking and figure out what I actually care about.
Going with the wind
So I took a leave of absence and went with the wind.
I kept building Tasty Mangoes, the company I started with my dad at the end of high school. My aunt had just started working in Nepal, so I went to see her for a month.
While I was there, we went on a field trip with the UN, meeting with communities and municipalities, young business leaders, and kids trying to start companies in their own communities. It was eye-opening. It didn’t matter what these people did or didn’t have. A lot of them were working within systems that weren’t built for what they were trying to do, up against their socioeconomic background and, for some, caste, taking care of their families, and pushing past a world that didn’t always see them as capable.
They went after their dreams anyway. There was always a way through, even when it wasn’t clear what it was. That was magic.
What I’m working toward
Somewhere in all of that, I started to understand what I’m working toward. It comes down to a fascination with people: how we think, and what happens when someone feels genuinely cared for.
I think if you show someone you care (and actually mean it), the dividends are huge. I believe it’s true for products, and it’s just as true for people, relationships and the little things.
For now, it’s a hypothesis. Figuring it out is how I spend a lot of my time, and honestly, it’s pretty fun. It’s also the basis for my next big project!
What drives me
I’m not a flashy person. I’d rather let my work speak for itself. What drives me isn’t only the result, or making someone happy (I do love both of those things!). It’s that, plus waking up every morning, asking myself “what if I could go do that?”, and then actually spending my time on it.
It probably goes without saying, but I believe just about anything is possible. The people I’ve met along the way who see the world that way too have changed how I think and made me a better person. I’m always looking for more of them.
When I’m not building
When I’m not down a startup rabbit hole, I’m flying (I have my private pilot’s license), wingfoiling, skiing, taking photos, exploring, or just hanging out with my friends. I’m always trying to learn something new and push myself somewhere unfamiliar, whether that’s a whole new field or a very ambitious recipe. Whatever it is, I give it 110%. I love finding the bridges between things, and becoming as capable as I can possibly be.
By every definition in the book, it’s a strange path. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Kailan Robinson