Sami Inkinen

Founder and CEO,
Virta Health

Sami Inkinen is the chief executive officer and co-founder of Virta Health, which provides the first clinically proven treatment to safely and sustainably reverse type 2 diabetes without medications or surgery.

A data-driven technology entrepreneur, Inkinen’s personal connection to diabetes and passion to advance health on a global scale was the motivation behind Virta Health and its innovative approach to diabetes care. Previously, Inkinen was the co-founder of the leading online real estate marketplace Trulia, serving as its COO and president and board member until its IPO and eventual sale to Zillow Group. He also worked on Microsoft's strategy team for MS Office, and as a consultant for McKinsey & Company within the software, telecommunications and government sectors.

As a venture partner at Obvious Ventures, Inkinen also invests in and advises healthcare IT companies. To raise awareness about the dangers of sugar and its connection to diabetes, Inkinen started Fat Chance Row. During the summer of 2014, he and his wife rowed from California to Hawaii — 2,750 miles, completely unsupported. He is also a triathlon age group world champion and eight-hour, 24-minute Ironman with seven Hawaii Ironman finishes.

A physicist by training, Inkinen started his career as a radiochemist at a nuclear power plant and holds a Master of Science degree in engineering physics from the Helsinki University of Technology. He also earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Stanford University. He thinks his greatest luxury today is a small vegetable garden at his San Francisco Bay area home, where he lives with his wife and two daughters.