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Claudius Mbemba

Engineering (civil/mech/etc)

Claudius Mbemba(he/him)

Principal Software Engineer · Capital Technology Group

The Ohio State University - Bachelor’s Degree, Computer and Information Sciences, Entrepreneurship/Business, Spanish

Claudius Mbemba is a Cameroon-born, Seattle-based software engineer, entrepreneur, and tech leader who went from studying Computer Science at The Ohio State University to working at Microsoft and eventually becoming a CTO and co-founder of his own startup. He has spoken to audiences ranging from college students to C-suite executives, been nominated for the GeekWire Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and graduated from the Techstars Seattle Startup Accelerator. Passionate about opening doors for BIPOC students in tech and venture capital, Claudius lives by one rule: the sooner you start, the sooner you finish.

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D1 College Football- Tech Entrepreneur- Real Estate Investor

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Key quotes

“The sooner you start, the sooner you finish. Because it is my personal motto. And I firmly believe that if you're looking to do this role and you're curious about startups, know that it's gonna be the most rewarding journey.”

Claudius Mbemba, CTO & Co-founder of New

“I left Microsoft making over six figures as a newly minted college grad, which is great, to go make $0 and not know where my next paycheck was coming from. And I initially thought I would die in a year.”

Claudius Mbemba, CTO & Co-founder of New

“The only education you need is to have initiative. That's it. If you have initiative and you want to do it, no one's going to stop you.”

Claudius Mbemba, CTO & Co-founder of New

“I noticed how technology plus business equals wealth. The math was just there.”

Claudius Mbemba, CTO & Co-founder of New

“Nobody knows what they're doing in life. Everyone's just making it as it goes. But whenever you change roles or start something different, there is an onboarding time frame that it takes to feel acclimated or feel competent in your role.”

Claudius Mbemba, CTO & Co-founder of New

Career highlights

Take that intro CS class — it might change everything.

Claudius signed up for an intro Computer Science elective in high school instead of taking a free period. That single class is what sparked his entire career path in tech.

You don't need a four-year degree to learn how to code.

Claudius has a computer science degree from Ohio State but openly says a degree isn't required. He believes initiative and self-directed learning matter more than credentials.

Go to hackathons — even if it's just for the free food.

Claudius says he went to hackathons in college partly because they offered free meals and cool prizes, but those experiences built his rapid prototyping skills that he uses every day as a CTO.

If you want to do a startup, go work at a big company first — but go in with a plan to leave.

Claudius worked at Microsoft intentionally, telling himself he wouldn't stay more than three years. He wanted to learn scalable engineering before taking the leap into founding his own company.

Don't let the 'golden handcuffs' trap you — you can always come back to the money.

Claudius left a six-figure salary to make $0 at his startup. He says young people over-index on money early in their careers instead of prioritizing learning and long-term growth.

Build your leadership skills however you can — a club, a group project, a youth group — it all counts.

Claudius says the two most important skills for a startup CTO are building things fast and leading people well. He developed both through college organizations and hackathons, not just class.

Student summary
Claudius Mbemba is the co-founder and CTO (Chief Technology Officer) of New, a startup based in Seattle that connects Airbnb hosts with local cleaners. Born in Cameroon and raised as a first-generation immigrant in the U.S., Claudius found his love for computer science in a high school elective class after realizing law wasn't for him. He went on to study computer science at Ohio State University, walked onto the football team as an athlete, co-founded two startups in college, and eventually landed a software engineering role at Microsoft before leaving to build New full-time. Claudius's path isn't a straight line — and that's exactly what makes it so real. He went from shadowing a lawyer to writing code, from a six-figure salary at Microsoft to making $0 as a startup founder. He's been grinding for nearly three years without a paycheck, reinvesting everything back into the business. His story is proof that betting on yourself is scary but possible, especially when you're intentional about learning early and building the right skills. One of the most powerful parts of Claudius's message is about impact. At Microsoft, he felt disconnected from the people his work was actually helping. Starting his own company gave him the ability to see real feedback from real people — cleaners, hosts — and respond to it almost instantly. For students of color who want their work to matter, that's a huge deal. He also talks openly about imposter syndrome and how even CTOs feel like they're figuring things out as they go. Claudius is a strong voice for first-generation students and students from immigrant families. He draws a direct line between his parents' work ethic coming from Cameroon and his own drive to create something. He also challenges the idea that you need a four-year degree to get into tech, pointing out that some of the most valuable learning he did happened outside of class — at hackathons, through personal projects, and by just starting things. His final message is tattooed on his arm: 'The sooner you start, the sooner you finish.' Whether you're curious about coding, entrepreneurship, or just figuring out what you want to do, Claudius's story is a reminder that your background isn't a barrier — it's fuel. You don't need permission to start building.