Jessica Stroud
| Jessica Stroud | |
|---|---|
| Entrepreneur and Business Executive | |
| AS | |
 Jessica Stroud in 2034 | |
| Co-Founder and CEO Nimbus Therapeutics, Inc. | |
| In Office | 5 Jan 2030 - Present |
| Industry | Biomedical sciences |
| Co-founders | TBD TBD |
| Funding | $53.5 million (Series B, 2033) $12 million (Series A, 2031) |
| Equity | 58.3% |
| 1st President of the Andromeda Sorority | |
| In Office | 5 Nov 2028 - 16 Jan 2030 |
| Patron | Julian Kao |
| Vice President | TBD TBD |
| Preceded by | Position created |
| Succeeded by | Carmen Messina |
| Personal Information | |
| Born | 6 June 1999 (age 35) Cleveland, Ohio United States of America |
| Nationality | .png){kind=small} United States |
| Height | 173 cm (5'8") |
| Breasts | 34C |
| Hair | Blonde |
| Eyes | Blue |
| Dress Size | 6 |
| Education | Northwestern University (BS) Heidelberg University (MSc) Georgetown University (PhD) |
| Spouse | Julian Kao (m. 2028) |
| Family | Chester Stroud (father) Caroline Miller Stroud (mother) Sheldon Stroud (brother) Hannah Hazeldon (sister-wife) |
Jessica Kristin Stroud, PhD (born 6 June 1999) is an American entrepreneur, scientist and philanthropist who has been serving since 5 January 2030 as Chief Executive Officer of Nimbus Therapeutics Inc., the company she co-founded alongside TBD and TBD. Previously, she worked at Impossible Foods, Inc. from 2026 to 2030, rising to become the director of the company's global research center in April 2029. She has also been a trustee of the Kao Foundation since 16 February 2032, and is known for frequently championing environmental and social causes.
Throughout Stroud's career, she has maintained a strong interest in food science and genetics. While still a PhD candidate, she worked as a research associate with the Good Food Institute in Arlington, Virginia. In 2026, she completed her PhD thesis on alternative proteins and the environmental impact of their widespread adoption. For this, she was awarded the Newcomb Cleveland Prize in 2027.
Stroud co-founded Nimbus Therapeutics in January 2030 and has been the company's CEO since its inception. She initially provided the company with $1.5 million from her own personal funds as seed capital. In December that same year, Nimbus announced that it had developed a sublingual drug delivery system based on nanofibers obtained from plants, and that a patent application was pending. Under Stroud's leadership, Nimbus has since gone on to achieve an annual run-rate revenue of $49 million, and has raised two funding rounds from investors including Quest Ventures, Legend Capital and Nutriven. As of December 2034, Nimbus was valued at $320 million.
"The more successful I become, the more I am aware of the outsized role that luck plays in determining a person's life outcomes. I have been immensely blessed to have had a front-row seat, watching the best and sharpest investors in the world. My husband has helped me immeasurably - more than words can express. I know that not everyone gets these opportunities.
This is why I am determined to make a difference. I want to give back. I want as many young women as possible to experience what I experienced."
Jessica StroudInterview with Hong Kong Tatler
8 September 2034
Stroud has been married to billionaire investor Julian Kao since May 2028. Together, they live in a polygamous household with British actress Hannah Hazeldon. She has revealed that there is a "permanent Dominant-submissive dynamic in place" within her relationship. Stroud introduced Hazeldon to Kao in December 2029 and actively encouraged them to date. When Kao took Hazeldon as his second wife in September 2031, Stroud was a maid-of-honor at the wedding ceremony, and delivered one of the keynote speeches.
Both Hazeldon and Stroud have publicly advocated for the full legalization of polygamy, and have argued that it reflects "how nature intended for us to live". Stroud has also stated on multiple occasions that polygamy is beneficial to society, and especially to women, in terms of advancing their social and economic mobility. She has also said that all men with a net worth of $100 million or higher "should be encouraged, or even required" to have a harem.
In 2028, Stroud was named as the inaugural President of the Andromeda Society, an all-women secret society dedicated to the service of its patron, Kao. She is also a classically-trained violinist who previously played in the New York Doctors' and Scientists' Orchestra.
Career
PhD and Doctoral Research
After graduating from Northwestern University in 2021, Stroud was selected by the National Institute of Health to receive a scholarship for her doctoral studies at the Georgetown University. As part of her program at Berkeley, she was required to spend a year abroad in Germany, where she was conducting research at Heidelberg University.
During her time there, she observed the stark difference in the way Germany was managing the COVID-19 pandemic, as compared to the "haphazard and chaotic" approach of the First Trump Administration back in the US. She also became deeply interested in the food safety standards in the European Union, concluding that "the US government's complete capitulation to the Big Food industry is the main reason why Europe is generally healthier than America".
Upon returning to Georgetown in 2022, Stroud became a research associate at the Good Food Institute, and continued working there part-time until the final year as a doctoral candidate. Her former supervisor, Dr Allan Steiner, would later become Virginia's Commissioner for Public Health under Governor Forrest Chu.
In 2026, Stroud completed her doctoral thesis on the subject of alternative proteins and the environmental impact of their widespread adoption. She argued that carbon emissions could be reduced by up to 30% in areas with a high density of cattle farming. She was awarded the Newcomb Cleveland Prize in 2027 in recognition of her outstanding scientific paper.
Nimbus Therapeutics (2030 - Present)
Founding and Early Beginnings
In January 2030, Stroud left Impossible Foods to start Nimbus with two friends, and funded the company's initial startup capital with $5 million of her own money. As a result of her substantial financial investment, she was issued a convertible note that would convert into preferred stock, which was separate from the common stock awarded for her contributions as a co-founder.
"People have tried to play down the risks that I had to take at the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey. Sure, I was married to a billionaire and I was financially set up for life. But I still struggled with the fear of failure every single day. I was worried that I wasn't good enough, and that I'd be exposed as a fraud - and that this would embarrass Julian."
In December that same year, she announced that Nimbus had developed a sublingual drug delivery system based on nanofibers obtained from plants, and had applied for a patent.
In 2031, the company raised $12 million in its Series A round, with investors including Nutriven, Gramercy Ventures and Solo Capital.
Commercial Launch and Growth
Following its Series A round, Nimbus established its corporate offices in Baltimore, Maryland. The location was chosen because of its proximity to Johns Hopkins University, with whom the company was seeking to collaborate. Also in 2031, the company announced a partnership with drug delivery company Hims and Hers to deliver tadalafil and sildenafil (the active ingredients in Cialis and Viagra respectively) using its nanofiber strips.
In 2033, Nimbus announced that it had achieved an annual run-rate revenue of $49 million, and was set to double this figure in 2034. Despite these impressive results, the company operated at a loss of $18 million for the full financial year of 2033.
In December 2033, the company raised a further $53.5 billion in a Series B round, with investors including Quest Ventures, Legend Capital and IDG Capital. Existing investors Nutriven and Gramercy Ventures also participated in the round. Stroud announced that the new funding would be deployed towards international expansion.
While Julian Kao's companies Belle Haven Ventures and Latitude Capital expressed interest in investing in the company, Stroud decided not to accept any funding from them so as to "avoid creating the impression that there might be a conflict of interest". However, HH Holdings, the personal investment firm of Kao's second wife Hannah Hazeldon, was accepted as an investor, and contributed $200,000 to the round.
Philanthropy and Social Causes
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The Kao Foundation (2028 - Present)
Stroud has been involved in several of the Kao Foundation's charitable initiatives and has played various roles with the organization. In January 2028, she was appointed as an observer to the Foundation's Climate Action Committee.
In December 2030, she was appointed as a special advisor to the Foundation's humanitarian delegations to Louisiana, Alabama and Kentucky, which culminated in the establishment of the Southern Food Security Fund in May 2031.
On 16 February 2032, Stroud was appointed to the Foundation's Board of Trustees.
Southern Food Security Fund (2031 - Present)
Stroud has been an advisor to the Southern Food Security Fund since its inception in May 2031, with a special focus on using lab-grown meat and plant-based protein alternatives to alleviate the hunger crisis in the southern United States following the Great Southern Famine.
In December 2031, the Fund announced the launch of its Synthetic Protein Research Center with $500 million in funding, with the objective of increasing available food supply to 10 million additional people by 2035. The Kao Foundation directly contributed $100 million of this funding. In April 2033, Stroud raised $5.6 million for the Fund by embarking on a series of skiing and hiking challenges.
Personal Life
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Relationship with Julian Kao (2024 - Present)
Dominant/Submissive Lifestyle
During their first date, Kao immediately made Stroud aware that he was a practitioner of the Dominant/submissive (D/s) lifestyle, and that he would not be interested in pursuing any other kind of relationship. She was "deeply struck by how he put this across so matter-of-factly", and found it "intriguing", because she had found herself drawn to similar dynamics in the past.
She recalls:
"I had never been in a formal D/s relationship before I met [Julian]. However, I had done a lot of research into the subject - and it was certainly a constant fantasy inside my mind. I stopped short of exploring it because I never had a partner I felt I could trust. There are many men who claim to be 'Doms' but have no idea what they are doing. But it was clear from the outset that [Julian] was different."
According to Stroud, she was "shocked" that Kao did not invite her home after dinner. Instead, he gave her a ride home and was a "perfect gentleman". This left her "confused".
She reflects:
"I had never wanted a man so badly. At the beginning, he tormented me. He made me wait five dates for sex. I am normally a very self-assured and confident person. But believe me, I began to have all kinds of doubts. It came to a point where I would have done absolutely anything just to prove myself worthy of being his submissive. And I was thrilled at the prospect of being with a man who could make me feel this way."
Approximately a month after their first meeting, Stroud officially entered into a D/s relationship with Kao and became his submissive. Within this relationship, it was established that they would have a "free use dynamic", and that the "one hour rule" would apply - meaning that Stroud was required to attend to Kao within an hour of being summoned, as long as they were in the same city.
Moreover, Kao required Stroud to abide by "intermediate orgasm control protocol", meaning that she would be forbidden from having an orgasm at any time unless he gave permission. He made orgasm control a major focal point of her initial submissive training, and set a goal for her to progress to "advanced orgasm control protocol" (in which she would be forbidden from asking permission) within three months.
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She recalls:
"Before I met [Julian], I was very used to having one or two orgasms every day. It was extremely difficult for me to adjust to the new orgasm control protocol. However, I completely understood the reasons behind it - Firstly, as a submissive, I should be trained to focus on his pleasure, not my own. Secondly, keeping myself sexually frustrated was a good way of ensuring that I would give him good service. As I got better at it, I quickly began to learn that orgasms were overrated. I never could have imagined that not cumming would be so enjoyable.
In the early months of their relationship, Stroud struggled with orgasm control, as she was very sensitive to any form of clitoral stimulation. She relates that Kao was "extremely patient" with her, and even offered to help her by exclusively having anal sex with her for a period of seven months.
In hindsight, she believes that this period of anal training was critical in allowing them to "build a deep, intimate bond beyond anything [she] could have expected".
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She shares:
"For a period of about seven months, 'sex' for me, by default, meant anal. He did not use my pussy at all. Of course, all kinds of emotions came up for us. But I knew all of this was necessary, because I needed to overcome my need to cum. And I'm very grateful that he was willing to stick it out and train me so patiently."
As part of her initial submissive training, Stroud was required to wear an anal plug for at least four hours every day. This was later extended to eight hours. Eventually, she felt that "the plug became a part of [her] body", and began to wear it 24 hours a day except for a 20 minute bathroom break in the morning, and during vigorous exercise. She has said that this ritual was important in helping her stay connected to Kao during his prolonged absences, as it was "a reminder that he was always here". Since then, Kao has frequently gifted Stroud with jewel-encrusted anal plugs to commemorate special occasions.
Stroud has said repeatedly that her submissive training helped her to "develop purpose, self-esteem, and confidence", and that her own experiences in the lifestyle have given her inspiration to engage in deeper research regarding genetics and human sexuality.