An Unprogrammed Life

An Unprogrammed Life By the age of 10, William Saito was designing financial programs for Merrill Lynch. By the time he was in college, he was running his own business, creating software for corporate giants like NEC, Toshiba, and Sony. Soon afterwards, he was selling his work to Bill Gates. In An Unprogrammed Life: Adventures of an Incurable Entrepreneur, the child-prodigy-turned-star-businessman tells his story for the first time, providing business owners and budding entrepreneurs with an invaluable insight into a remarkable story of hard work and success. From volunteering to set up an automated filing system for his local library to helping the Japanese government respond to the 2011 tsunami, an unwavering commitment to putting his technical savvy at the disposal of those who need it most has defined Saito s career. As a result, he has become a preeminent authority on homeland security, as well as a friend to young start-ups around the globe. He has been a judge for Ernst & Young s Entrepreneur of the Year award as well as a winner of this prestigious prize. Saito knows exactly what makes a company a winner, and he can identify the little things that prevent promising new ventures from ever making it big. In An Unprogrammed Life, he takes a lifetime of wisdom public. Ending each chapter with actionable takeaway advice, this book is a must-read for anyone looking to succeed as an entrepreneur.

An Unprogrammed LifeBy the age of 10, William Saito was designing financial programs for Merrill Lynch. By the time he was in college, he was running his own business, creating software for corporate giants like NEC, Toshiba, and Sony. Soon afterwards, he was selling his work to Bill Gates. In An Unprogrammed Life: Adventures of an Incurable Entrepreneur, the child-prodigy-turned-star-businessman tells his story for the first time, providing business owners and budding entrepreneurs with an invaluable insight into a remarkable story of hard work and success.From volunteering to set up an automated filing system for his local library to helping the Japanese government respond to the 2011 tsunami, an unwavering commitment to putting his technical savvy at the disposal of those who need it most has defined Saito's career. As a result, he has become a preeminent authority on homeland security, as well as a friend to young start-ups around the globe. He has been a judge for Ernst & Young's "Entrepreneur of the Year" award as well as a winner of this prestigious prize.Saito knows exactly what makes a company a winner, and he can identify the little things that prevent promising new ventures from ever making it big. In An Unprogrammed Life, he takes a lifetime of wisdom public. Ending each chapter with actionable "takeaway" advice, this book is a must-read for anyone looking to succeed as an entrepreneur.

Foreword by Carl Schramm viiPreface: FBI at the Door ixAcknowledgments xiiiChapter 1 Blame It on DNA 1Chapter 2 Finding a Business Partner (Opposites Attract) 31Chapter 3 Learning to Juggle (Med School, Business, and More)45Chapter 4 Building a Real Company 59Chapter 5 Learning from Failure 81Chapter 6 Developing for Toshiba (Camera Obscura) 97Chapter 7 Developing for Sony--Fingerprint ID 113Chapter 8 Birth of BAPI 133Chapter 9 IPO: It's All in the Timing 155Chapter 10 Using My Japanese Connections to Fight Terrorism167Chapter 11 Last Exit: Microsoft Wants the Whole Thing 173Chapter 12 My Year of Retirement 177Chapter 13 Back in the Game 183Chapter 14 From Todai into AIST 189Chapter 15 Starting My Own Company, Version 2.0 195Chapter 16 Consulting around the World 207Chapter 17 Teaching (United States and Japan) 211Chapter 18 Turning 40 217Epilogue: The Perfect Storm Hits Japan 221Appendix A: Famous Quotes and Helpful Advice 227Appendix B: Creativity and Logical Assessment Test 231About the Author 235Index 237