If you’ve spent any time on "Hard Tech Twitter" or followed the meteoric rise of the El Segundo startup scene, you’ve definitely seen the name. Augustus Doricko. He’s the guy trying to make it rain—literally. He’s the CEO of Rainmaker, a company that uses drones to seed clouds and fight the desertification of the American West. But because he’s moved so fast, dropping out of school and winning a Thiel Fellowship, people are constantly asking: how old is Augustus Doricko?
It’s a fair question. When someone starts talking about terraforming the planet and managing the atmosphere before they can even legally rent a car without a "young driver" fee, it tends to turn heads.
The Timeline: Augustus Doricko in 2026
As of early 2026, Augustus Doricko is 25 years old. If you want to get specific about the math, he was widely reported as being 24 years old during his high-profile media circuit in mid-2024 (most notably during his appearance on the Shawn Ryan Show and interviews with City Journal). Since he was 24 in the summer of 2024, he turned 25 in 2025 and will hit 26 later this year.
It’s a wild age to be running a geoengineering firm. Most people his age are still figuring out how to navigate entry-level corporate politics or finishing up a master’s degree. Doricko, meanwhile, is trying to solve the water crisis in Texas and Arizona using autonomous aircraft and silver iodide.
From Berkeley Dropout to the "Gundo"
His age isn’t just a trivia point; it’s central to his whole "founder" narrative. He grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, and was—by his own admission—a bit of a "dork" who loved strategy games like Europa Universalis and Spore. It’s funny because if you look at what he’s doing now with Rainmaker, it basically looks like he’s playing Spore in real life.
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He went to UC Berkeley to study physics and data science. He wasn’t just there for the degree, though. He’s been vocal about how he went to Berkeley for physics because he wanted to see if God was real. Eventually, he realized that the "bottom of the glass" of science leads back to faith. He got baptized in 2021, and that religious conviction is a massive part of why he does what he does. He views technology as a way to fulfill the biblical mandate of "stewardship" over the Earth.
The pandemic changed everything. Like a lot of ambitious kids in 2020, he found the online school grind totally soul-sucking. He moved to Texas, became a personal trainer, and met a water well driller at a gym. That’s the classic "Silicon Valley meets legacy industry" origin story. They started a company called Terra Seco Solutions to help farmers with water compliance. He eventually dropped out of Berkeley, sold his interest in that company, and moved to El Segundo (aka "The Gundo") to start Rainmaker.
Why Everyone Is Talking About Him
It’s not just the cloud seeding. It’s the energy. Doricko is a major figure in the "e/acc" (effective accelerationism) movement. He’s a guy who believes that the solution to human problems is more technology, not less.
His age actually works in his favor here. There’s a certain kind of fearless optimism that comes with being 25. He doesn’t seem burdened by the "it can’t be done" attitude that plagues a lot of older institutions. He’s been named a Thiel Fellow, which is basically the gold standard for young dropouts who want to build the future.
A Quick Recap of the Stats:
- Current Age: 25 (turning 26 in 2026).
- Location: El Segundo, California (The Gundo).
- Education: UC Berkeley dropout (Physics/Data Science).
- Company: Rainmaker (CEO/Founder).
- Awards: 2024 Thiel Fellow.
What Most People Get Wrong
People often assume that because he’s young and talks about "manipulating the weather," it’s all just sci-fi hype. But cloud seeding has been around since the 1940s. What Doricko is doing isn't inventing the science; he’s modernizing the delivery. Instead of expensive, piloted planes, he’s using weather-resistant drones.
He’s also very clear about the ethics. He doesn't see it as "playing God." He sees it as using the tools we have to prevent the American West from turning into a total dust bowl by 2040. Honestly, whether you love the "techno-optimist" vibe or find it a bit intense, it’s hard to ignore a 25-year-old who has already successfully launched capsules into space (which he did back in high school for an ISS experiment) and is now raising millions to change how the atmosphere works.
Actionable Insights: Following the "Hard Tech" Wave
If you’re looking at Augustus Doricko as a blueprint for modern entrepreneurship, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Vertical Integration is Back: Doricko doesn't just write software; he builds drones and hardware. The "Gundo" scene is all about physical things that move.
- Focus on "Legacy" Problems: He didn't build another social media app. He looked at water rights, agriculture, and physics.
- Narrative Matters: He’s been incredibly successful at building a brand around himself and his company. Whether it’s appearing on the Shawn Ryan Show or posting on X, he knows how to tell a story that gets people excited.
If you want to keep up with what he’s doing, his X account (@ADoricko) is usually the best place to see the latest drone tests or philosophical rants. At 25, he’s just getting started, and considering the water shortages hitting the West, we’re probably going to be hearing a lot more about him in the next few years.