Founder of Operon invests $80,000 in startup and plans not to return to university
Anderson Chen, 22, founder and CEO of Operon, plans not to return to university and will focus on his industrial AI startup after investing approximately $80,000 in it.
Chen is currently taking his second academic leave from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, where he studies chemical engineering and business. He used his first leave to launch Operon—a San Francisco-based startup that automates tasks in manufacturing, the oil and gas industry, and construction.
According to Chen, his decision not to return to studies is driven by the rapid development of AI and the company's growth. He believes that graduating from university does not inherently guarantee clarity on what to do next, and that effectively leveraging AI can, in some cases, surpass a professor's knowledge.
The idea for Operon emerged after Chen's internships at manufacturing plants and conversations with manufacturers and company founders in Taiwan. He observed that engineers were already using ChatGPT to work with technical documents, but modern AI models struggle to process the industry's confidential and unstructured data. The company is building a contextual layer and automated workflows for such systems.
In May, Operon secured funding from Y Combinator as part of a $700,000 pre-seed round, with participation from other investors. Chen stated that the round was closed in about three days. The startup has around 20 clients: some projects remain proof-of-concept, while others are structured as full contracts.
Before raising investments, Chen invested nearly all his personal savings—approximately $80,000—into the company. Currently, he does not pay himself a salary, but employees receive compensation. The team consists of five people, all under 30. Chen believes that skepticism from representatives of traditional industries helps the young startup attract attention.
