Andrew Yang
Born 1975 · Age 50
American entrepreneur, lawyer, author, nonprofit leader and politician; 2020 Democratic presidential candidate; founder/co-chair of the Forward Party; founder of Venture for America and Humanity Forward.
Compare Your Trajectory
See how your career milestones stack up against Andrew Yang and other industry leaders.
Life & Career Timeline
Born in Schenectady, New York
Born to Taiwanese-American immigrant parents Kei-Hsiung and Nancy Yang.
Graduated Phillips Exeter Academy; U.S. national debate team
Graduated Phillips Exeter Academy; traveled to London as a member of the 1992 U.S. national debate team for the world championships.
Earned BA from Brown University
Received Bachelor of Arts, majoring in economics and political science.
Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School
Graduated with a JD; served as an editor on the Columbia Law Review.
Hired at Davis Polk & Wardwell (corporate attorney)
Began career as a corporate lawyer at Davis Polk & Wardwell; left after five months.
Co-founded Stargiving
Launched Stargiving, a celebrity-affiliated philanthropic fundraising website with office mate Jonathan Philips.
Vice President at healthcare startup (MMF Systems)
Served as VP in a healthcare software/startup role from 2002 to 2005.
Joined Manhattan Prep
Left MMF Systems to join Zeke Vanderhoek at Manhattan Prep (test-prep company); later asked to take over as CEO.
Became CEO of Manhattan Prep
Assumed role of CEO; focused company on GMAT prep and led rapid expansion.
Manhattan Prep locations expanded
Under Yang's leadership, Manhattan Prep expanded from ~5 locations to ~69 locations.
Kaplan acquired Manhattan Prep
Manhattan Prep was acquired by Kaplan, Inc.; reported acquisition value cited as more than $10 million.
Founded Venture for America (VFA)
Launched VFA, a nonprofit fellowship to train entrepreneurs to start businesses in struggling U.S. cities; launched with $200,000.
Named a White House 'Champion of Change'
Recognized by the Obama administration for community/entrepreneurial work (Champions of Change program).
VFA first graduating class
VFA trained 40 graduates in its 2012 class.
Fast Company recognition (No. 27)
Ranked No. 27 on Fast Company's list of 100 Most Creative People in Business (April 2012).
VFA second graduating class
VFA trained 69 graduates in 2013.
VFA expansion and class of 106
VFA added cities (Columbus, Miami, San Antonio, St. Louis) and trained a class of 106 in 2014.
Published 'Smart People Should Build Things'
Debut book arguing for entrepreneurship and job creation (HarperCollins, Feb 4, 2014).
Named Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship
Appointed by the Obama administration in May 2015 to promote entrepreneurship globally.
Featured in documentary 'Generation Startup' / 'Startup'
Documentary film (released 2016) covered startups launched through VFA (six Detroit startups featured).
Stepped down as VFA CEO
Resigned as CEO of Venture for America in March 2017 but continued as an advisor.
Filed FEC paperwork to run for U.S. President (2020)
Filed paperwork on Nov 6, 2017 to enter the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries.
Announced 2020 presidential candidacy
Formally announced via YouTube and Twitter on Feb 2, 2018; campaign slogans included 'Humanity First' and 'MATH.'
Published 'The War on Normal People'
Book presenting the case for universal basic income (Hachette Books, Apr 3, 2018).
Raised substantial grassroots funds (~$40M)
Campaign raised nearly $40 million in grassroots funding during the 2019–2020 presidential campaign (widely reported figure).
Qualified for multiple Democratic debates
Qualified for and participated in seven of the first eight Democratic primary debates in 2019–2020.
Boost in national profile after Joe Rogan podcast
Appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience in Feb 2019 significantly increased name recognition and fundraising.
Explored remote 3D hologram campaigning
Publicly discussed using a 3D hologram to campaign in multiple places at once (March 2019 reports).
Qualified for first round of Democratic debates
By March 2019 met polling and fundraising thresholds to qualify for the first Democratic debates.
Reported net worth estimates
Multiple outlets estimated mid-2019 net worth: Forbes ~$1M, WSJ $0.834M–$2.4M, Newsweek $3M–$4M; OpenSecrets (2020) estimated ~$584k.
Launched write-in campaign for Ohio primary
Announced a write-in push for the Ohio Democratic primary after missing ballot access deadlines.
Suspended 2020 presidential campaign
Suspended campaign shortly after the New Hampshire primary on Feb 11, 2020.
Joined CNN as political commentator
Signed on with CNN as a political commentator on Feb 19, 2020.
Launched 'Yang Speaks' podcast
Started post-campaign podcast 'Yang Speaks', later folded into the 'Forward' brand.
Endorsed Joe Biden
Endorsed Joe Biden for president on March 10, 2020 after suspending his own campaign.
Launched Humanity Forward nonprofit
Created Humanity Forward to promote UBI, ranked voting, data privacy and related policies.
HudsonUP UBI pilot announced ($500,000)
Humanity Forward and The Spark of Hudson announced HudsonUP to give away $500,000 in UBI to Hudson, NY residents.
Humanity Forward to fund $1M relief payments in Bronx
Reported plan to spend $1 million on $1,000 monthly payments to 500 low-income Bronx households (COVID relief).
Filed lawsuit vs. New York State Board of Elections
Sued after the NY Board canceled its presidential primary; argued voters' rights were infringed.
Judge rules in Yang's favor on NY primary cancellation
Judge ruled in his favor in early May regarding New York's canceled primary.
Spoke at the 2020 Democratic National Convention
Appeared as the third speaker on the night at the DNC (Aug 20, 2020).
Joined Biden campaign small business advisory council
Was appointed to the campaign's small business advisory council in Sept 2020.
Moved to Atlanta to assist Georgia runoff campaigns
Announced move with his wife to support Raphael Warnock's and Jon Ossoff's campaigns for Jan 2021 runoffs.
Filed paperwork to raise funds for NYC mayoral campaign
Filed paperwork on Dec 23, 2020 to begin raising money for a potential run for New York City mayor.
Announced candidacy for NYC mayor
Formally launched campaign for Mayor of New York City on his 46th birthday via Twitter (Jan 13, 2021).
Tested positive for COVID-19
Reported positive coronavirus test on Feb 2, 2021 (public disclosure during mayoral campaign).
Conceded New York City mayoral primary
Placed fourth on election night and conceded the Democratic primary on June 22, 2021.
Published 'Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy'
Published a book outlining his post-campaign political vision and plans for a new third party (2021).
Left Democratic Party
Changed voter registration from Democrat to Independent on Oct 4, 2021; criticized rising polarization.
Founded Forward Party (as PAC/social movement)
Announced formation of the Forward Party; intended to grow from social movement & PAC to formal party.
Received the Vilcek Prize for Excellence in Public Service
Awarded the 2021 Vilcek Prize recognizing immigrant contributions in public service and entrepreneurial work.
Launched Lobby 3 (Web3 community)
Announced a Web3 community whose token fees were to fund lobbying for Web3/crypto interests (announced Feb 17, 2022).
Forward Party merged with SAM & Renew America Movement
Forward announced a merger with Serve America Movement and Renew America Movement to form a new party (July 27, 2022).
Assumed office as Chair/Co-chair of Forward Party
Listed as Chair (co-chair) of the Forward Party, serving alongside Christine Todd Whitman and Michael S. Willner (assumed July 28, 2022).
Joined Legendary Ventures advisory team
Joined Legendary Ventures (early-stage VC) advisory team to help drive strategic value across consumer retail tech investments (Aug 10, 2022).
Donated to Chris Christie campaign (2024 cycle)
Donated in June 2023 to help former NJ Governor Chris Christie qualify for Republican primary debates.
Published novel 'The Last Election' (co-written)
Political thriller 'The Last Election', co-written with Stephen Marche, published Sep 12, 2023.
Endorsed Andy Kim (NJ Senate)
Announced endorsement of Representative Andy Kim for the 2024 New Jersey Senate Democratic nomination (Dec 2023).
Endorsed Dean Phillips for 2024 presidential primary
Endorsed Representative Dean Phillips' 2024 presidential campaign (Jan 2024); later campaigned with Phillips in NH.
Reportedly approached about RFK Jr. VP slot
Reports in Feb 2024 indicated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked Yang to be his running mate; Yang was noncommittal.
RFK Jr. selected Nicole Shanahan as running mate
By March 26, 2024 Yang was no longer being considered for RFK Jr.'s running mate role; Shanahan selected.
Publicly urged Democrats to consider nominating a new candidate
After the first 2024 presidential debate, Yang encouraged the Democratic Party to nominate someone other than Biden.
Key Achievement Ages
Explore what Andrew Yang and others achieved at these notable ages:
Similar Trajectories
Chris Pine
Born 1980 · Age 45
American actor best known for playing James T. Kirk in the Star Trek reboot series and Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman; active 2002–present across film, television and theatre; made directorial debut with Poolman (2023).
Arlan Hamilton
Born 1980 · Age 45
Founder and managing partner of Backstage Capital; investor focused on 'underestimated' founders (women, people of color, LGBTQ+). Former music-tour manager and indie-publisher; author of It's About Damn Time (2020) and Your First Million (2024).
Quincy Larson
Born 1980 · Age 45
Founder and teacher who started freeCodeCamp.org — a free, donor-supported nonprofit that provides an interactive curriculum, publications, podcasts and videos to help people learn to code and transition into software careers.
Jacinda Ardern
Born 1980 · Age 45
New Zealand politician and activist; Leader of the Labour Party (2017–2023) and 40th Prime Minister of New Zealand (2017–2023).
Casey Newton
Born 1980 · Age 45
American technology journalist, founder and editor of Platformer newsletter; former senior editor at The Verge and host/co-host of podcasts about technology and platforms.
Jennifer Hyman
Born 1980 · Age 45
American entrepreneur; co-founder and CEO of Rent the Runway, a fashion rental company that built subscription and multi-channel retail business models and took the company public.