Early Life
Andrew W. Houston was born in Acton, Massachusetts, on March 4, 1983. From a young age, Houston displayed a strong interest in technology, starting to code at the age of five. He attended Acton-Boxborough Regional High School in the 1990s. Houston's early exposure to technology and his passion for problem-solving laid the foundation for his future entrepreneurial endeavors.
Rise to Success
Houston graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a degree in computer science. During his time at MIT, he co-founded an SAT prep company, demonstrating his early entrepreneurial spirit. The idea for Dropbox came to Houston in 2007 when he realized he had forgotten his USB drive. This frustration led him to develop a cloud-based file storage solution. He co-founded Dropbox with Arash Ferdowsi in 2007. The company gained rapid popularity, and by November 2012, Dropbox had over 100 million users worldwide. The cloud storage provider went public in 2018.
Key Business Strategies
Houston has emphasized simplicity and user-centric innovation in Dropbox's development. He recognized the importance of making the service easy to use and accessible, which contributed to its rapid growth. Dropbox adopted a freemium model, offering a basic free service with paid subscription options for increased storage and features. In February 2020, Houston joined the board of directors of Facebook.
Philanthropy
Drew Houston, along with his wife Erin, is focused on supporting education and entrepreneurship. He supports a mix of grassroots and institutional efforts. His philanthropic philosophy centers on empowering others to build, learn, and connect.