Waymonaut, Xoogler, Founder, Investor, Booth MBA

I’ve always been driven by the question of how to achieve impact at scale. Growing up in the shadow of the Mayo Clinic with a quantitative and scientific background, I saw how data and discovery save lives. Working in the Obama White House, I saw how policy shapes society. But it was in technology that I found the engine to drive both forward. I joined Google in 2017 to be part of that engine. Fascinated by the company's "Other Bets," I connected early on with the team at Waymo. Four years later, they pulled me over to help guide the transition from a moonshot experiment to a global business. Today, I focus on that scale. As Head of Strategy and Operations for Waymo’s Legal, Risk & Insurance, and Policy & Government Affairs organizations, I report to the Chief Legal Officer and partner with executive leadership to unlock new markets. My work sits at the intersection of public health and public policy: translating the reality that AVs are a safety breakthrough (with ~90% fewer serious injuries than humans) into the legislative frameworks needed to deploy this technology globally—including the work to secure the first-ever AV testing permit in New York City. That same drive to nurture world-changing ideas fuels my 0 to 1 work. Sharpened by experience with Google Ventures (GV) and a VC internship during my Booth MBA, I co-founded Bija Ventures to back pre-seed and seed stage startups. To date, I’ve also made 54 angel investments—often returning to my scientific roots in deep tech and biotech—while continuing to build in my spare time. It’s a privilege to work where these worlds converge. Whether clearing the regulatory path for safer streets, funding a biotech breakthrough, or building tools to strengthen our democracy, my goal remains the same: bridging the gap between radical innovation and the real-world adoption that changes lives. www.ishtpreetsingh.com