On Wall Street, barely sleeping was a badge of honor. It inspired me to quit and launch a health startup.

Josh Hou, on the right, with his Ren cofounders Ryan Hou (left) and Eli Qian (middle).

Josh Hou Josh Hou, 22, left his investment banking job at Evercore after a year to cofound Ren, a health app.

Conversations on Wall Street about sleep and the culture around wearables inspired the startup.

Hou quit three months before getting his bonus, hoping to minimize his regret later.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Josh Hou, 22, who left his job as an investment banking analyst at Evercore to co-found Ren, an app that helps users determine how specific interventions, like specific supplements, are affecting their health by running experiments on the body.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

As an investment banking analyst at Evercore, sleep was by far the most common subject of conversation.

Not sleeping was almost like a badge of honor.

It proved you were working on the coolest deals.

Some of us relied on caffeine, others on nicotine, which made it harder to stay healthy overall.

A few months ago, my best friend and I began talking about founding a health optimization company together, and I realized that analysts should focus on making the most of the few hours of rest they get.

Lots of my coworkers used Whoops, or Apple Watches , or Oura Rings, but it seemed like most people just accepted their health was going to be messed up for the next two years.

Hou, left, has known one of his cofounders since they were children.

Josh Hou We eventually came up with Ren, partly because I realized that people often didn't measure the outcomes of healthcare choices.