Brian Lai

Global Health
Education
Innovation

We’re all together on a big blue rock hurtling through space at 67,000 mph

What I stand for

I've been luckier than expected: Harvard, Silicon Valley, and enough travel across 50+ countries to understand how much of life comes down to circumstance. But my roots are forever a first-gen college student from an immigrant household raised on public schools, and public assistance.

I know this life was made possible by people and institutions that helped before I had anything to give back! So this page is part gratitude, part accountability, and part promise to keep paying it forward.

Standing with

Four Years, Many Miles, One Reason to Keep RidingThrough Kathy’s page · Aug 2026

Right Now

Raising awareness after narrowly avoiding spinal CSF leak s̶u̶r̶g̶e̶r̶y̶

Update: After months of uncertainty, patching, consultations, and preparing for surgery, my latest evaluation brought unexpectedly good news: the current plan is monitoring…

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Four Years, Many Miles, One Reason to Keep Riding
I have been on recreational bike rides with Kathy, riding through the streets of D.C with her. It's wonderful that for all the healthy, joyful bike rides we have, Kathy is taking…
Officiating Hamsa and Sitara's Wedding :)
On July 25th, 2026 I had the honor of a life time to officiate one of my best friend's wedding.
A Lai Family Trip to Japan!
Wanderlust once propelled most of my travels, many of them solo. But I've slowed down and now value more who I experience adventures with rather than what.

Collections2

Recs for Friends

3 Pages

Provoking Thoughts

1 Page

Thoughts on What to Donate to and WhyI originally wrote this for a friend who was deciding where to donate. I realized it might be useful to others too, so I'm putting it here as a more thorough explanation that hope…

What also matters to Brian

Organizations and Service

2 supported · 3 volunteered

Giving record

$2.0k across 11 orgs in 2025

Supported organizations

Mentorship

Minds Matter Bay Area

Supports low-income students through mentorship and college-access guidance.

“Friends in San Francisco first introduced me to Minds Matter through their own volunteering. I often give internationally, but this reminded me how much local mentorship matters. As a first-generation college student, I know how much it can change a life when someone invests in your future.”

Mentorship

Minds Matter Bay Area

Volunteer

Supports low-income students through mentorship and college-access guidance.

“Friends in San Francisco first introduced me to Minds Matter through their own volunteering. I often give internationally, but this reminded me how much local mentorship matters. As a first-generation college student, I know how much it can change a life when someone invests in your future.”

International aid

New Incentives

Helps more children in Northern Nigeria receive routine vaccinations through small cash incentives for caregivers.

“In college, an Effective Altruism fellowship introduced me to GiveWell, which studies where donations can save or improve the most lives per dollar. New Incentives stood out as one of the clearest examples I’ve found of evidence-backed giving.”

International aid

New Incentives

Learn more

Helps more children in Northern Nigeria receive routine vaccinations through small cash incentives for caregivers.

“In college, an Effective Altruism fellowship introduced me to GiveWell, which studies where donations can save or improve the most lives per dollar. New Incentives stood out as one of the clearest examples I’ve found of evidence-backed giving.”

Scale: 7.1M infants enrolled 31.5M Cash Transfers 109.8M Vaccinations

Volunteering

Disaster recovery

Post-Hurricane Maria cleanup

Almirante Sur, Puerto Rico · 2018

Helped with post-Hurricane Maria cleanup in Puerto Rico, joining local volunteers on physical recovery work after the storm.

Disaster recovery

Post-Hurricane Maria cleanup

Read story

Almirante Sur, Puerto Rico · 2018

Helped with post-Hurricane Maria cleanup in Puerto Rico, joining local volunteers on physical recovery work after the storm.

Hunger relief

Soup kitchen

Jackson, Mississippi · 2017

Volunteered at a soup kitchen in Jackson, Mississippi, a reminder that showing up in person can make service feel less abstract.

Hunger relief

Soup kitchen

Read story

Jackson, Mississippi · 2017

Volunteered at a soup kitchen in Jackson, Mississippi, a reminder that showing up in person can make service feel less abstract.

Housing

Habitat for Humanity

Easley, South Carolina · 2016

Joined a Habitat for Humanity build in South Carolina, contributing hands-on time to housing work.

Housing

Habitat for Humanity

Easley, South Carolina · 2016

Joined a Habitat for Humanity build in South Carolina, contributing hands-on time to housing work.

Giving record

Verified

Latest: $2.0k across 11 orgs in 2025

Donated

$13.5k

With matches

$24.5k

Years

2020–2025

WE STAND FORCreate yours

What I stand for

Standing with

Raising awareness after narrowly avoiding spinal CSF leak s̶u̶r̶g̶e̶r̶y̶

Four Years, Many Miles, One Reason to Keep Riding

Officiating Hamsa and Sitara's Wedding :)

A Lai Family Trip to Japan!

Recs for Friends

Provoking Thoughts

What also matters to Brian

Minds Matter Bay Area

Minds Matter Bay Area

New Incentives

New Incentives

Post-Hurricane Maria cleanup

Post-Hurricane Maria cleanup

Soup kitchen

Soup kitchen

Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity

Giving record