The CEO of a $2 billion healthcare firm only felt rich after he paid off $100K in student loans—but that joy ‘disappeared’ in less than 3 days

Company Overview - Sami Inkinen is a serial entrepreneur who has founded and scaled three companies, including two unicorns, over a 20-year career [2] - Currently, he serves as the CEO of Virta Health, a healthcare business valued at $2 billion [5] Financial Milestones - Inkinen repaid $100,000 in student debt, which he considers a significant moment of financial success [2][3] - He sold secondary shares worth $500,000 pre-tax in 2008, allowing him to pay off his student loans and purchase personal items [3] - Trulia, a company he helped scale, was acquired by Zillow for $3.5 billion in 2015 [5] Entrepreneurial Journey - Inkinen's first entrepreneurial venture was Matchem, a mobile software company he co-founded in 2000, which he sold for a few million dollars [3] - After graduating from Stanford's MBA program in 2005, he declined a lucrative job offer from McKinsey to pursue entrepreneurship [4] Personal Philosophy - Inkinen emphasizes that financial security is not the primary driver of happiness, stating that the thrill of having no debt was short-lived [6] - He believes that money does not define life satisfaction or happiness [6]