When most Texas A&M University students were balancing coursework with part-time jobs, future Roku CEO Anthony Wood was running a tech company out of his dorm.
“I started a company called SunRize Industries when I was in college,” Wood said. “We made hardware and software for the Commodore Amiga [a computer brand]. I was so focused on it that I’d sign up for classes, then get too busy to attend. My grades dropped. Eventually, I realized I’d regret not finishing my degree.”
Determined to finish school, Wood paused his business, returned to class full-time, and earned his electrical engineering degree. Then, he moved to California with his wife, Susan, and got right back to inventing.
“I launched a new version of the company, the next generation of what I’d started in college. I designed all the original products. I wrote the software, and I designed the hardware,” Wood said.
Wood said working with electronics always came naturally. Designing hardware was no problem, and he even learned to program computers in high school. However, when it came to starting a company, he didn't know where to begin.
“There are lots of challenges when you're starting a company,” he said. “How do you sell something, pay employees, or have meetings? If you start without investors, how do you make money? I started one company, sold it, and then two more. You begin small, and you get a little bit bigger and bigger and bigger. You make more product, and then you can sell more. It creates a lot of discipline.”
Then, Commodore went out of business, and with it, the market for Wood’s products. Rather than pivot again, he spotted a new wave coming: the internet. He used the earnings from his first company to launch an internet startup, iBand, and entered the world of venture capital for the first time.
Figure out what success means to you, first,” Wood said. “For me, it was always about starting companies. Others may want a great job that pays well; that’s also success. But define it for yourself.
Less than a year later, he sold the company to Macromedia (now part of Adobe), where his original technology laid the groundwork for what would become Adobe Dreamweaver.
“Working for Macromedia was my first job as an employee,” Wood said. “That was hard because I’d never had a job before. People around me would talk about ‘action items’ and ‘getting on the same page,’ and I would be like, ‘What are you guys talking about?’ But I learned a lot from that experience.”
He went on to found ReplayTV, the first digital video recorder company, paving the way for a series of innovative companies he would later create, including his sixth company, Roku, the leading streaming service in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico with a growing global presence of over 90 million users, streaming to households worldwide.
Advice for Engineering Students
Wood’s experiences have equipped him with valuable pointers to pass on to other Aggies striving to unlock their potential.
“Figure out what success means to you, first,” Wood said. “For me, it was always about starting companies. Others may want a great job that pays well; that’s also success. But define it for yourself.”
Starting a company isn’t easy, and there is no secret formula, but there are some key insights to keep in mind, especially for tech entrepreneurs, Wood says.
“People say you're risking a lot when you start a company. But the good thing about starting it when you're young, is you're not risking anything.” Wood said. “The best thing is to build an early version of the product to show that it can work, or that you know what you're doing. And then if you want investors, go out and get investors.”
Another key piece of advice: choose your industry wisely. It sets the path of your career, and a strong brand opens doors.
“Find the highest profile company you can, even if it's less money,” Wood said. “Then people see your resume and say, ‘They went to Texas A&M, that's pretty good.’ And you might end up working for another Aggie. Having a high-profile first employer is helpful for advancing your career.”
When asked what skills engineering students should focus on, Wood doesn’t hesitate:
Being able to think independently and critically about things is important. If you’re on a technical track, encourage your creative side, because the best solutions are very creative, even if they're technical.
Reconnecting with the Aggie Community
When he was accepted into both the University of Texas and Texas A&M, Wood said his decision came down to a $500 scholarship from Texas A&M, which then became his home for the next seven years. Now, Wood donates research and scholarship funds through the WoodNext Foundation.
“I'm exploring what it means to be an effective philanthropist by actively engaging in it and learning as I go. Our philanthropy focuses on several areas — life and physical sciences research, mental health, economic opportunity, disaster relief, nature conservation — and Texas A&M is a part of it too,” Wood said.
At Texas A&M, Wood funds research projects, Fish Camp scholarships, and the Cushing Memorial Library and Archives’ sci-fi collection, a nod to his undergraduate passions.
“I was part of the microcomputer club and the science fiction group, Cepheid Variable. I went to AggieCon at the same time as George R. R. Martin. I remember him,” Wood said.
What’s next for Wood? Constantly dreaming up new ideas, Wood developed a spinoff company of Roku called BrightSign that became a leading manufacturer of digital signage players and owns a satellite imaging company building low-orbit crafts powered by ion-like thrusters.
“If I started something now, it’d probably be in AI or data centers, anything to make them more efficient. That’s a massive industry,” Wood said.
Back in Texas, Wood is glad to be among fellow Aggies.
“When I lived in California, I was surrounded by engineers, but I rarely ever ran into other Aggies,” he said. “Now that I’m back in Texas, I’ve been reconnecting more with Texas A&M,” Wood said. “I spend more time at the university. I'm a very big fan of Texas A&M. I love being an Aggie, and so it's fun to help other Aggies.”