Fundraising Fox
The Cresta Mafia
7 people came through Cresta and went on to found or lead other companies.
Sebastian ThrunCo-founderFounded Udacity +1Carl EschenbachBoard Member (rejoined April 2026; originally led Sequoia's 2021 Series B investment)Founded WorkdayWilliam BrykSoftware EngineerFounded ExaMac KlinkachornSoftware Engineer (ML)Founded Trellis AIAshish AgrawalTechnical Lead/Manager - AI/MLFounded EudiaAndre Esteva, PhDCo-FounderFounded ArteraTodd StanleyAdvisorFounded Jirav
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Cresta mafia?
- The Cresta mafia is the network of 7 people who came through Cresta and went on to found or lead other companies, including Udacity, Workday, Exa, Trellis AI, Eudia.
- Who is in the Cresta mafia?
- Notable members include Sebastian Thrun (Udacity), Carl Eschenbach (Workday), William Bryk (Exa), Mac Klinkachorn (Trellis AI), Ashish Agrawal (Eudia), Andre Esteva, PhD (Artera), Todd Stanley (Jirav).
- What companies did Cresta alumni found?
- Companies founded by Cresta alumni include Udacity, Workday, Exa, Trellis AI, Eudia, Artera, Jirav.