This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Brandon Card, founder and CEO of Terzo. It has been edited for length and clarity.
In my 20s, I looked like a corporate guy through and through. I worked for Big Tech — Microsoft, Oracle, and IBM — and was on track to become a young executive. I could have had a great life in those positions, but I wanted something more.
Although I was working in corporate roles, I spent all my free time connecting with entrepreneurs. I wanted to start my own venture. While I waited for the right opportunity, I spent my weekends learning about what other entrepreneurs were doing.
I made lots of money in my day job: I could live well off $200,000 a year, and still have six figures to invest. I started angel investing in risky, early-stage startups. It was essentially gambling. Many failed, but some succeeded.
Because of that, I was a millionaire by the time I was 25.
I bought big-ticket items, but didn’t get satisfaction
That achievement didn’t feel like much, to be honest. I was surrounded by extreme wealth. Some of my colleagues lived in $20 million houses. With $1 million, I couldn’t even buy a small house, so it didn’t feel significant.
As my wealth grew, I made some indulgent purchases. I bought cars, two homes, and a boat, but they didn’t bring me happiness. I realized I got much more satisfaction from investing in entrepreneurs than I did from material items. I had the ability to impact other people’s lives by investing in their ideas, and that felt better than anything else I could spend on.
Today, I don’t own a car, and I only recently bought a house again. I spend on self-improvement, but not on flashy items.
The pandemic made me realize money can’t buy safety
By 2020, I was ready to invest in my own idea. I’d been watching AI carefully, and could see it was about to take off. I was ready to risk losing my corporate trajectory in order to follow my dream. I joined forces with my best friend and former college football teammate to cofound Terzo. I invested $1 million of my own money into the AI platform, which allows companies to track all their third-party spending.
Just as the company launched, the pandemic hit. At the same time, I lost my grandmother and a cousin, who was a child. I was so worried about my mom and dad, as well as the rest of my family, that I moved to upstate New York to be with them.
There were a lot of tough days and sleepless nights that year. I wasn’t thinking about my wealth. The pandemic underscored what I already knew: money is a tool that you can use to help others, but it’s not everything. Health is the real wealth.
I invest in mental health
Despite that difficult start, Terzo did well. In 2022, we raised $16 million in Series A investment. Then, in January 2024, my friend and cofounder died. Losing him was the worst day of my life. I was reeling personally and professionally; many people thought the company was over.
Luckily, that hasn’t been the case. I’ve continued to grow Terzo, and I’m getting closer to my goal of running a billion-dollar company.
I’ve used my financial success to make myself more balanced and break down stigma around mental health. I speak openly about seeing a therapist, in hopes that others at the company will feel comfortable talking about that too. Eventually, I want to hire in-house mental health professionals whom all Terzo employees can see.
Many big companies talk about supporting mental health, but really doing so takes time and money. I’m in a unique position where my company is nimble enough to try something new but established enough to have the finances to pay for it. I’m hoping I can set a standard for mental health care within Terzo, and that Terzo can set off a domino effect for other companies.
Promoting mental health helps me honor my cofounder’s legacy. I know he’s watching over us and is so proud of this company.
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