I dreamt of building rockets until my aunt's illness inspired me to build an AI startup that's raised nearly $10 million

I dreamt of building rockets until my aunt's illness inspired me to build an AI startup that's raised nearly $10 million This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lily Vittayarukskul, 30, cofounder and CEO of Waterlily. It has been edited for length and clarity.When I was a kid, I was fascinated by the universe and wanted to understand how the world worked. Science taught me that even the biggest, most intimidating questions could be broken down, understood, and eventually solved.I also grew up with limited resources, and working in my parents' factory after school taught me how hard families work to create stability, and how much discipline and resourcefulness it takes to build something from very little.At 11, I entered a NASA competition with a homemade water rocket, won the competition, and got the chance to visit Kennedy Space Center. Later, I interned at NASA as a young teenager. For years, I thought aerospace engineering was my future.Then my aunt was diagnosed with cancer, and the trajectory of my entire family changed almost overnight.My aunt didn't speak much English, so my mom translated at doctor's appointments. My family quickly learned that there were expenses we hadn't expected. We also learned that caring for someone with a serious illness extended far beyond medical appointments.I was 16 when she became sick. What I remember most wasn't a single diagnosis or conversation. It was the quiet. Everyone in my family was exhausted, moving from work to doctor's appointments to caregiving without ever stopping to talk about what was happening. We were all operating on autopilot because there was simply too much to do.Watching my family unravel changed my definition of impact Courtesy of Waterlily My mom became my aunt's primary caregiver. The rest of us worked at the family factory whenever we could. I went to my parents' factory after school, often staying until 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. before going home.Only later did I realize the full cost.Our family relationships had become strained. Financially, we had almost nothing left. There was blame, tension, and isolation that lingered long after my aunt died.Growing up in a first-generation immigrant family, I'd always understood that money mattered. My parents worked incredibly hard, yet I learned early that hard work alone doesn't guarantee financial security. You have to create economic value. That lesson shaped almost every decision I've made since.After my aunt died, I started asking a different question: Instead of wondering how I could build better rockets, I wondered why families like mine had to navigate one of life's hardest moments with so little support.I realized no one was solving the problem I cared about most Vittayarukskul cofounded her company to help families avoid what hers went through. Courtesy of Waterlily I still loved engineering and building things, but I realized I could apply those skills somewhere that felt much more personal.I spent nearly a decade leading product and engineering at early-stage companies while learning everything I could about healthcare, financial services, and underserved populations. I wanted to understand why planning for aging and long-term care was so fragmented.No one seemed to be solving the problem the way I thought it needed to be solved. That's why I cofounded Waterlily. Waterlily is an AI-powered long-term care planning platform that helps people estimate when they may need long-term care, how much it could cost, and how to pay for it based on their health, finances, and family situation. The platform provides personalized projections and funding strategies—including insurance, savings, and caregiving plans—to help families prepare for the financial and logistical challenges of aging. Since launching, the company has raised $9.2 million.The work has been much harder than I imagined.Healthcare doesn't exist in one industry. Neither does aging. We work across healthcare, insurance, and financial services simultaneously, each with different incentives and different ways of operating. Every week seems to introduce a new layer of complexity.There were plenty of moments when I questioned whether we could figure it out. What kept me going, though, was the same question I asked myself after my aunt died. If we're not solving this problem, who will?After speaking with thousands of families, one thing surprised me. I'd assumed my family's experience was unusually devastating. Instead, I found that many families who experience serious long-term care needs face financial strain and relationship breakdowns. The details vary, but the emotional toll often looks remarkably similar.Building this company changed how I think about my own futureStarting Waterlily has changed me in ways I didn't expect.I've become much more financially literate than I ever thought I'd need to be. Building Waterlily has required me to develop deep expertise across insurance, retirement planning, healthcare, and financial services. Understanding aging means understanding how all of those systems — and the decisions families make within them — fit together.Understanding aging means understanding insurance, retirement accounts, savings, investing, and how all those pieces fit together.It's also changed how I think about responsibility.When I was younger, I thought success meant solving interesting technical problems. Now, I think success means building something that helps people regain a sense of control during moments when life feels completely uncertain.If my aunt were alive today, I don't think she would care very much about the technical details of the platform. But I also think she'd ask me two questions:Are you helping people?Is this business sustainable?I'd like to think she'd be proud of both answers.Waterlily offers a free tool on its site that provides personalized insights, based on more than half a billion data points, to better understand what aging and long-term care could look like. Read next Jessica Orwig is a senior editor at Business Insider, where she collaborates with reporters, editors, and producers across teams to shape, write, edit, and publish stories that connect with a global audience. While her roots are in science and technology journalism, her work today spans business, careers, culture, and the big ideas shaping the future.She earned her Master’s in Science & Technology Journalism from Texas A&M University and holds a Bachelor’s in Astronomy & Physics from The Ohio State University. Throughout her career, she’s helped lead coverage on everything from space exploration and climate change to innovation, the future of work, and evolving cultural trends.Career HighlightsLed coverage on scientific milestones, including:Blue Origin's inaugural New Glenn launchIntuitive Machine's groundbreaking moon landing for the USSpaceX’s Polaris Dawn historic spaceflight NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Historic FlybyJapan’s SLIM lunar landingThe first image of a black holeIndia’s historic Moon landingSpaceX’s inaugural Starship-Super Heavy launchDiscovery of gravitational wavesNASA’s Pluto flybyReported on breaking news and scientific discoveries, including:Microplastics in the human brainPeregrine Mission One’s failed flightThe Palisades firesSpaceX Starship explosionsDark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument’s 3D map of the universe and what it revealsA local cosmic void that shouldn’t existThe Boeing Starliner missionMexico City’s water crisisEarth’s mysterious inner core behaviorPopular stories she’s edited on science and health:What it will take to modernize the American grid and usher in the clean-energy revolutionI study toxic microplastics. Here's how I protect myself and my kids at home.A mega-earthquake could strike the Pacific Northwest any day — and we're not preparedFlying is about to become even more miserableWhy the US can’t send humans to MarsThe world's most popular banana faces extinction but scientists' new creation could help save itScientists finally think they know where the most dangerous part of this US earthquake zone is and it's bad news for WashingtonOne of Mt. Everest's deadliest passages is growing even more treacherousJupiter's moon Europa generates enough oxygen to keep a million people alive for a day, NASA saysPopular stories she’s written and/or edited on careers, culture, life, and business:He weighed over 400 pounds as an FBI undercover agent — and it became his best disguiseA former FBI Special Agent who infiltrated the Italian Mafia, Mexican cartels, and Russian and Asian organized crime groups says he fears 1 group above the restHe was diagnosed with colon cancer at 31 in prison, and his survival odds weren't great. Now 59, he says spiraling is pointless.I stopped bartending full-time to sell ice. My company now makes nearly $3 million a year, catering to Michelin-starred restaurants in New York City.My dad ran a food cart and called it the 'worst business.' I decided to follow in his footsteps anyway.I moved from the US to Rome for a slower pace of life, but after 7 years I've realized I'll never fully adjust to some Italian waysAfter losing too many bidding wars for a home in LA, I bought a 5-bedroom house in the suburbs. I quickly realized it was a mistake.We bought our dream home in Colorado, but wildfires and home insurance trends had us selling 1.5 years laterA woman who retired early at 58 thought she was ready with over $500,000 in savings. A few years later, it was gone.I've made over $40,000 selling plush dolls I scoop from claw machines. Here's how I learned to beat the game and turn my hobby into a profitable side hustle.A 17-year-old designed a cheaper, more efficient drone. The Department of Defense just awarded him $23,000 for it.Yukon gold miners are unearthing mummified ancient creatures and truckloads of fossils from the Ice Age. Take a look.Archaeologists are finding mysterious ancient objects on Norway's melting glaciers. Take a look.I'm an American mom in Italy. When I couldn't help my daughter with her homework, I realized how isolated I felt. Entrepreneurship Startup Careers More