On Episode 5 of Twist of Fate, Russ Angold talks about how he helped people with spinal cord injury stand up again. (At Ekso Bionics, he made an exoskeleton that was as practical to wear as it was effective to use.) With host Douglas Younger III, the two explore the rich backstory of Angold’s career and discuss what makes for a true entrepreneur. 

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The Roots of Taking Risks 

When Angold was young and wanted to jump 14 feet off his roof onto a trampoline, he didn’t hide the stunt from his mother. She wasn’t the kind to tell him not to take risks (though she was the kind to drive him to the hospital in case things didn’t work out). 

This was ultimately the beginning of Russ’ life as an entrepreneur, even if he didn’t know it yet. After getting his degree in agricultural engineering, he stumbled upon an exoskeleton that he was convinced could lighten the physical load for soldiers, allowing them to carry more without sustaining injury. 

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‍Sticking with It 

When he spoke with his brother, a Navy SEAL, about his product’s potential, his brother flat-out told him that it would never work. It was too big, too bulky, and required way too much power. The technology was still in its infancy when Russ was told that it would probably never be useful even after it was complete. 

In many ways, this story defines the life of an entrepreneur: Russ heard that even if he chose to take on this uphill battle, it was unlikely to lead to any kind of success. (AKA literally every entrepreneur’s worst fear.) Luckily, Russ was also never the kind of person to throw in the towel. 

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The True Power of Grit 

It took Russ several years of thinking and planning and asking endless questions to come up with a prototype in 2007 and, even then, the prototype was a disaster. He learned a lot from that first failed test, though, and just kept going. 

His attitude undoubtedly drove him forward, but it wasn’t just his outlook. When his brother broke his neck, he had to get his arms working again. Both Russ and his brother were undaunted by the challenge, and they encourage everyone — startup owners or not — to keep the faith no matter how hard things get. 

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‍The True Takeaway ‍

There’s really no amount of advice that can prepare people for the twists of fate that come their way. For Russ, he had to be able to think about the positive sides of every situation, even when there was little to be grateful for. 

Working through problem after problem is like anything else in life, you have to keep at it if you want to be any good at it. Making a paralyzed person stand again is probably one of the tougher equations that Russ was ever going to encounter, so it was fertile ground for trial and error. 

No matter what industry you’re embarking in, you can choose to copy someone else’s design or you can choose to strike out on your own. For people like Russ Angold, there was no contest.