Now worth $633 million, the 33-year-old's robotics startup was once funded through 100-hour workweeks.

The Moment series by CNBC Make It features successful individuals discussing the pivotal moment that altered their career paths and lives.

If Jake Loosararian had followed the advice of the people he trusted the most, his nine-figure business might never have existed.

In 2012, Loosararian and his electrical engineering classmates at Pennsylvania's Grove City College were tasked with constructing robots capable of climbing and scanning a local power plant's walls for costly problems such as cracks or corrosion. Their team created a 40-pound robot equipped with an ultrasonic scanner that efficiently gathered data in hazardous and filthy settings, surpassing the capabilities of human workers.

Loosararian claims that the creation of their invention saved the power plant tens of millions of dollars in labor costs and productivity. He proposed turning it into a business to his family and professors.

"Don't f---ing do it," everyone said, according to Loosararian.

A company with little work experience, seed money, or tech industry connections would face a major longshot in the hardware startup industry, as roughly 70% of such companies either shutter or fail to grow due to the lengthy time it takes to bring a product to market and establish a reliable customer base, according to CBInsights.

Few tech companies appeared to be concentrating on Loosararian's area of expertise, which involves inspecting critical infrastructure. He felt he had discovered "a hidden treasure in plain sight," he claims.

In 2013, after graduating college, Loosararian founded Gecko Robotics in Pittsburgh. To fund his startup's first few years, he worked 100-hour weeks and saved "$30,000 or $40,000." During this time, he often found himself in difficult situations, such as going broke, sleeping on friends' floors, and climbing inside power plant boilers, which he describes as "dirty and horrible." Despite these challenges, he almost gave up several times.

Gecko Robotics, led by Loosararian, is a rapidly expanding robotics company with $220 million in funding, including a $100 million fundraising round last year that valued the startup at $633 million. The company ranked 42nd on the 2024 CNBC Disruptor 50 List, which was released in May.

Loosararian shares his belief that he saw something unique, the struggle of funding his startup without investors or family money, and the "I will not die" mindset that helped him succeed.

Did you believe you had a major tech startup after building a successful robot in college, and did you seek advice from anyone?

I spoke with various individuals, including my parents, siblings, successful entrepreneurs, and technology role models, after completing the project. They all advised me not to proceed, stating that there was no significant market potential. It was evident that the idea was ill-advised.

I may not be very intelligent, but I recently realized that robots are an amazing tool for gathering information through sensors that would be impossible to reach without robotic systems. Customers will pay me to collect and own that data, which no one else can access.

If not me, then who else would address the critical issue that was evident but overlooked by others?

How did you get the funds to get started?

I didn't originate from a wealthy family, with only $15,000 in savings. I was aware that this amount was insufficient to launch the company, and I had no inkling that individuals would invest in a company with no value.

I landed a job in systems automation and spent 50 to 60 hours a week at work, while also dedicating 40 to 50 hours to Gecko. During my weekends, I was occupied with tasks at power plants and constructing robots in the lab.

On the anniversary of my start at that job, I resigned. I believe I saved around $30,000 to $40,000. I felt grateful and relieved, knowing I had enough funds to launch my own venture.

You had a co-founder that first year. What happened?

Orion Correa, co-founder of Gecko Robotics, also invested his life savings into the company. He devoted his full time to the project. The week before I left my other job, he confessed, "Orion, I'm mentally drained. This project isn't going anywhere, and I need to move on."

That was hard.

I was so fixated on this issue that I purchased his 50% stake for $2,500, which was an exorbitant amount of money for me at the time. This left me devastated because I didn't have much money to spare.

Although we remain friends today, there were some challenging times. It was all about me starting from scratch until Gecko joined tech accelerator YCombinator in 2016. This led to some difficult moments.

What were some of the toughest moments in those early years?

My best friend was living in a crummy basement apartment and I was down to my last dollars. I laid the mattress down behind his couch and slept there for two and a half years.

Sometimes, the tech wouldn't work, so I would be in these dirty and horrible environments, like the power plant boiler, a box that gets really hot and super eerie. It's probably what Hell is like. If your robot is s---ing the bed and not working, you've got to fix that. I'm literally soldering circuit boards in that environment, with all of this dust, and then I'm coding, trying to make the robot work, and nothing's working.

Did you ever consider walking away? What ultimately stopped you?

The worst-case scenario was: People were right. This is a stupid idea. You're wasting years of your life after working so hard up to this point. The fear was just being a failure.

Being in charge of my own fate in a deep, dark place was more appealing than being in a cubicle and subject to someone else's.

Spending time with customers and hearing how important it was to solve the problem helped me get through it. I'm helping them improve their barrel production process, reduce environmental and human safety risks, and increase the longevity of their assets. I'm working to ensure the safety of bridges.

The statement provided me with the motivation to believe that I wasn't merely deceiving myself.

Did overcoming your doubts strengthen your determination to persist?

You just dig deeper into: Why am I really doing this?

It was only when I was in the depths of despair that I truly understood the meaning of determination and persistence.

I'm going to put all the chips on the table and do what I believe is right, regardless of how it looks.

Having scars that allow you to act with confidence, courage, and a will to make your goals a reality is a superpower. It's a very helpful thing that was only possible through going through a difficult experience.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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