Vineet Buch was ranked first in all of India on the IIT-JEE before studying computer science at IIT Kanpur and Cornell, and he later co-founded Riya/Like.com, an early visual search startup, before taking on product leadership roles at Google. After being diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis and once advised to go on disability, he rebuilt his health through years of rehab and became a long-distance runner, kayaker, and cyclist.