Essays by Danielle Fong

Middle school dropout. Eyes bigger than stomach. Lives in Berkeley.

Cofounder and chief scientist of LightSail Energy. We’re making inexpensive, efficient energy storage systems — the missing link in the plan to make the world’s electrical grid green.

Mail: me at <my name>.com
or Dani.Fong at <google’s mail service>
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Resume

Timeline:
January 16th 1987: Hammock not quite meant for two
October 30th 1987: Birth
Until 1992: Halcyon years of childhood
Until 1999: The intermittent misery of compulsory schooling
September 1999: Kafka-esque Jr. High Education Commences
October 1999: Insanity overload
October 30th 1999: Dropped out
Until Summer 2000: Programming and 3D modeling; C++ lessons at Nova Scotia Community College, Horseback Riding Lessons
September 2000 – May 2005: Dalhousie University, graduated with first class combined honors in Physics/Computer Science, with a university medal.
August 2005: Started PhD. program at Princeton’s Plasma Physics Lab
Summer 2007: Realization dawns on me that fusion, if anything, is the power source of the far future, and it is the near future I worry about.
August 25th 2007: San Francisco Bay.
September 1st 2007: Berkeley.
September 2nd 2007: Realize I’d make a terrible employee.
September 3rd 2007: Realize that I’ll starve if I don’t take matters into my own hands and start my own thing;.
September 4th 2007: Realize that I might have a halfway decent chance at making a different.
Until May 2008: Struggle to launch any of dozens of startup ideas, while working side jobs and supporting cofounders/friends.
June 2008: Start working feverishly on compressed air technology.
June – September 2008: Couchsurfing.
August 2008: LightSail Energy Founded
July 2009: Funded!
Until the present: Saving the world… (or dying trying!)

Einfall is, roughly, the German word for ‘insight’, or ‘bright idea’, which she discovered while reading the wonderful book ‘How to Solve It”, by Polya.