Updated
Updated · Business Insider · Sep 7
Seun Phillips Quits Six-Figure Amazon Job to Lead 35-Person Stemnetics After 1 Year
Updated
Updated · Business Insider · Sep 7

Seun Phillips Quits Six-Figure Amazon Job to Lead 35-Person Stemnetics After 1 Year

2 articles · Updated · Business Insider · Sep 7

Summary

  • A meeting with a school principal seeking a STEM lab convinced Seun Phillips to leave Amazon after about a year and run Stemnetics full time.
  • The Los Angeles-based founder said district interest after a school demo showed the business was ready for his full attention, despite the risk of giving up a six-figure salary.
  • Phillips had joined Amazon Robotics in June 2022 as a senior partnerships manager for Amazon's $1 billion Industrial Innovation Fund, where he said he adopted customer-focused and frugal operating habits.
  • Stemnetics now has more than 35 employees and over 30 programs in Michigan and California, and Phillips said the company has surpassed his former Amazon earnings.
  • The company grew from a Michigan venture launched in 2014 to deliver hands-on STEM programs for children, reflecting Phillips' broader push to expand access for underrepresented students.

Insights

How did a chance bar conversation convince an Amazon manager to trade a six-figure salary for a risky STEM startup?
Can Amazon's ruthless corporate leadership principles actually be the secret weapon to scaling a children's education company?
What hidden triggers make hands-on STEM experiments so crucial that students consider quitting their programs without them?