Success in anything (sports, politics, startups) has a luck element to it. By that I mean there were N other people who were just as capable or qualified as you and it was luck that selected you above them.
Luck of being born in the Bay Area and going to high school with people in the startup community.
Luck of not being hit by a bus and spending your critical early career years in physical therapy recovering.
Luck in meeting the right people while volunteering in your local political party event.
Luck in going to a different restaurant and so not getting a cold from a patron at your normal restaurant so you performed your best when a scout was at game three days later.
It doesn't surprise me that a bit of randomness from a qualified pool would pay off.