Such a company would be a major longshot: Loosararian had very little work experience or seed money, and no tech industry connections. After graduating college in 2013, Loosararian co-founded Pittsburgh-based Gecko Robotics. He worked 100-hour weeks to save "$30,000 or $40,000" and fund his startup's first few years of existence, he says. Today, Gecko Robotics is a fast-growing robotics company with $220 million in funding, including a $100 million fundraising round last year that valued Gecko at $633 million. CNBC Make It: Did you immediately believe you had a major tech startup on your hands after building a successful robot in college?

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Persons: Jake Loosararian's, might've, he'd, Loosararian, There's, I'm, Aw Organizations: CNBC, Pennsylvania's, Pennsylvania's Grove City College, Robotics Locations: Pennsylvania's Grove, Pittsburgh