Stockton Rush was a visionary entrepreneur and explorer who co-founded and led OceanGate, a company that aimed to make the deep sea accessible to everyone. He died tragically in June 2023, along with four other passengers, when his submersible Titan imploded during an expedition to the Titanic wreck. He left behind a wife, Wendy, and two children, Richard and Quincy. In this article, we will focus on his son, Richard Stockton Rush IV, who is also known as Ben.
Ben Rush: Following His Father’s Footsteps
Ben Rush was born in 1992 in Seattle, Washington. He inherited his father’s passion for aviation and engineering from an early age. He became a commercial pilot at 18 years old, just like his father did. He also attended Princeton University, where he majored in aerospace engineering and graduated in 2011. For his senior thesis, he built a robotic arm for submersible vehicles, which he later used to explore underwater wrecks with his father.
According to The Daily Princetonian, Ben Rush said that he enjoyed working on projects that combined his interests in engineering and exploration. He said:
I love creating things. Pottery in my spare time, subsea robots in my early career, and now companies with the awesome team at PSL.
Ben Rush: A Startup Founder and Investor
After graduating from Princeton, Ben Rush joined Pioneer Square Labs (PSL), a Seattle-based company that creates and launches technology startups. He is currently a co-founder and partner at PSL Ventures, the venture capital arm of PSL. He focuses on investing in early-stage companies in sectors such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cloud computing, and e-commerce.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Ben Rush has been involved in several successful startups, such as Boundless Immigration, JetClosing, LumaTax, NextStep Interactive, Remarkably, Shujinko, and Taunt. He is also an advisor and board member for some of these companies.
Ben Rush has also been recognized as one of the rising stars in the tech industry. In 2019, he was named as one of the Forbes 30 Under 30 in Venture Capital. In 2020, he was featured as one of the Puget Sound Business Journal’s 40 Under 40.
Ben Rush: A Family Man and a Philanthropist
Despite his busy schedule as a startup founder and investor, Ben Rush does not neglect his family and his community. He is married to Sarah Rush, a pediatrician at Seattle Children’s Hospital. They have two children, a son and a daughter.
Ben Rush is also a philanthropist who supports various causes and organizations. He is a board member of the Museum of Flight Foundation, where his father used to work as a trustee. He is also a donor to the Princeton University Annual Giving Campaign, which funds scholarships, research, and faculty development.
Ben Rush is also aware of his family’s history and legacy. His maternal ancestors were Isidor and Ida Straus, who died on the Titanic in 1912. His paternal ancestors were Benjamin Rush and Richard Stockton, who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. He honors their memory by pursuing his dreams and making a positive impact on the world.
Conclusion
Ben Rush is a remarkable person who has achieved a lot in his young life. He is a pilot, an engineer, a startup founder, an investor, a family man, and a philanthropist. He is also the son of Stockton Rush, who inspired him to follow his passions and explore the unknown. Ben Rush is living proof that the apple does not fall far from the tree.