From Investment Banker to Silicon Valley Entrepreneur: The Journey of Jina Kim and Her Pursuit for Startup Success

From Lehman Brothers to Carta, my journey from investment banking to startup operations has taught me the importance of embracing risk, carpe diem, and defining my own success - now I'm helping startups grow and sharing my experiences as a seasoned professional in the Silicon Valley ecosystem.

1. Jina Kim worked in Silicon Valley for about ten years, focusing on helping startups grow in terms of customer journey and go-to-market strategy.
2. She started her career as a Java programmer at Lehman Brothers in 2000.
3. In 2005, she moved to the banking side during the real estate boom in the US.
4. At Lehman Brothers, she reviewed mortgage loans and created financial models for senior bankers.
5. On September 10, 2008, Jina left work around 4:30 pm, and her building later collapsed; this made her realize the importance of living in the present.
6. After Lehman Brothers went bankrupt, Jina decided to quit her job and do something good for the world.
7. In 2013, she drove across the country to get a job in Silicon Valley.
8. She started by looking up coworking spaces and found Hacker Dojo in Mountain View.
9. At Hacker Dojo, Jina networked with engineers and learned about AngelList.
10. She looked for jobs on AngelList related to finance and technology.
11. Jina eventually joined eShares/Carta, a company that allows companies to issue electronic securities in the private market.
12. At Carta, she was initially tasked with ordering lunches for employees using DoorDash.
13. As an operations manager, she made mistakes but learned from them and gained trust from her colleagues.
14. Jina experienced imposter syndrome as she came from a different background and felt less knowledgeable than others.
15. She emphasizes the importance of having thick skin and believing in one's unique insights.
16. In Silicon Valley, there is more emphasis on future potential compared to Wall Street, where present focus is more common.
17. Jina encourages people to exercise their stock options if they believe in a company's potential.
18. Since 2013, her stock options have increased by 200 times, justifying the risks she took.
19. She believes success is about enjoying one's work and having a personal definition of what it means to be successful.
20. Jina wants to continue working on startups and helping them become unicorns in her next business venture.
21. She values the challenge of constantly striving for new successes.
22. Jina finds fulfillment in her work and believes that life's meaning comes from doing what one enjoys.
23. She feels lucky to have found a job at Carta but acknowledges the role of personal decisions in creating opportunities.
24. In Silicon Valley, Jina appreciates the openness to crazy ideas and the possibility they become reality.

Source: EO via YouTube

❓ What do you think? What is the most significant risk you've taken in your life, and how has it impacted your personal and professional growth? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!