I believe in risk.
(Makes sense I ended up in startups, amirite?)
Since I could remember, young Kim didn’t ever believe in helmets, the concept of strangers, or holding my father’s hand at crosswalks. I was always running around trying new things, scraping my knees, and doing whatever I could to push the boundaries of my comfort.
These past six years have been testament to that — I was just 16-years-old with hardly any tangible skill when I joined my first startup. After falling in love with early-stage tech, I left my hometown of Boston (and a nearly-free education at my father’s alma mater) for New York University (hello, student loans!).
Here, I’ve been lucky to have had the opportunity to work next to incredible mentors at companies like LocalResponse, Onswipe, Blue Apron, and HowAboutWe. I stay ride-or-die for Tech@NYU and Dorm Room Fund, both of which have exposed me to peers that became my best friends.
What a crazy and beautiful four years it’s been. But now I’m ready for my next adventure.
It is with great excitement that I announce that I am moving to Dublin as Frontline Ventures’ Head of Platform.
If you had told me four years ago I’d be moving to Europe after graduation to work in venture capital, I would have laughed in your face whilst clutching a PBR at one of my favorite East Village dives.
But when I started to seriously think about post-graduation opportunities, I created a small framework by which I would evaluate potential jobs. I call it the 4 P’s: place, position, people, and personal development.
I created this mini framework after chatting with homies Andy Ellwood and Caitlin Strandberg, who pushed me to think through and jot down the things that are personally important to me and that I wanted to prioritize.
This summer, I’m starting a new and unexpected chapter of my life in Europe at Frontline Ventures. These are the reasons why:
- Place: Europe is home to an exploding technology community — with tons of engineering and business talent, venture-backed companies moving abroad/opening EU offices, and lots of interest from US-based VCs. The Wall Street Journal named Ireland Europe’s most entrepreneurial country, partially because of the country’s low corporate tax rate. Dublin itself is an incredibly compelling city to start a company — with the likes of Google, Facebook, Dropbox, and Twitter opening headquarters there, local university talent with increasing interest in startups, and a thriving technology ecosystem. (This guide does a really great job of answering “Why Dublin?”) The tides of early-stage tech are shifting — entrepreneurship, talent, and high-growth companies are no longer exclusive to New York and SF. I cannot wait to immerse myself in the thick of it.
- Position: I’m incredibly intrigued by the role of ‘platform’ within venture, because it feels really second nature to my work with Tech@NYU and Dorm Room Fund— helping, facilitating, and enabling builders to create something meaningful. ‘Platform,’ in this sense, is a very natural extension of what I’ve been doing rather organically — but with a more formal structure and dedicated resources. Community within the context of VC hasn’t thoroughly been executed in Europe, and I’m excited to help define this new model of venture. I was made for this role.
- People: I couldn’t have asked for a more experienced, supportive, and badass team — Shay, Will, and William have already proven to be incredibly thoughtful mentors and teammates. They continue to impress me with their integrity and dedication to Frontline entrepreneurs and the larger community. Even more impressive for a partnership with such stacked backgrounds is their commitment to running things “loose and fast” — a startup-like mentality and mode of operation that so resonates with me. I am humbled by their giving me autonomy, flexibility, and an environment in which I can test out, break, and run with new things.
- Personal development: Taking this position is as much about my personal development as it is my professional. It’ll be tough, moving away from all the things that I love — my beautiful Phamily, my ridiculously inspiring friends, and the two mature tech ecosystems of NY & BOS that I’ve so invested myself in for the past six years. But, I am even more in love with this challenge — of living in a brand new city, of a new role in a new market, and of learning about a new community without the context of a university. Going international is undoubtedly a risk, but the upside is incredible. I am taking a bet on myself and I couldn’t be more excited.
This was never about running away from New York — instead, about running towards opportunity and where I feel I can learn and grow the most. For the near future, that’s Europe and alongside the amazing Frontline team.
I will be living in New York until June 21st. Lets hang out before I hop across the pond: kickitwithkim.com
Should you be reading this from the other side of the Atlantic — say hi! Strangers are just friends I haven’t met yet. Lets write this next chapter together.
