John S. Kim
Sendbird / Valon Capital
Founder, investor, and community builder
I’m John S. Kim, Co-Founder/CEO of Sendbird, the first startup in history to originate in Korea, move to Silicon Valley, and become a unicorn.
I also operate Valon Capital/ASQ as a General Partner, investing in startups focused on AI/productivity, deep tech, healthcare, and fintech.
As an engineer, I am interested in the brain, artificial intelligence, deep tech (space, bio/longevity, energy, robotics), productivity, and complexity science.
“Someone once told me the definition of Hell: The last day you have on earth, the person you became will meet the person you could have become.” – Anonymous
Our mission is to
build and invest in organizations that drive the positive future of humanity.
Sendbird
Sendbird is the world’s most useful omnichannel AI agent platform for delightful customer service. Today, we power over 300 million monthly active users who engage in conversations on our platform. To date, we have raised over $220 million from leading investors, including ICONIQ Capital, Tiger Global Management, SoftBank Vision Fund, and Y Combinator.
Valon Capital/ASQ
The mission of the fund is to invest in the future of humanity by partnering with founders who are changing the trajectory of human civilization for the better. We primarily focus on investments in AI/productivity, deep tech, healthcare, and fintech.
COMMUNITY & VOLUNTEERING
I host events for entrepreneurs to build a community of like-minded individuals who are on a mission to drive a positive future for humanity. I have advised three Presidents of South Korea and have guest lectured at Stanford University, Wharton MBA, and Seoul National University.
These might be a bit more
random than you expect
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Techstars S14 – wrapping up Week 4
Time flies. As Jon Bradford (MD, Techstars) puts it, “It feels like you’ve been here forever, yet at the same time, time goes by so quickly.” Last night, we had a round table (without the table), each going in circles sharing what was the one best thing that you’ve learned in the first month through…
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Quote: Elon Musk on Working Hours
“If other people are putting in 40-hour workweeks, and you’re putting in 100-hour workweeks, then, even if you’re doing the same thing, you will achieve in four months what it takes them a year to achieve.” – Elon Musk (video)
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Quote: Muhammad Ali on Impossible
“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible…
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Entrepreneur’s Puberty
I’ve always wondered why typical first-time employees go through something similar two to three years into their careers. You start to have doubts, feel like you are not growing fast anymore, find the temptation to jump to another company, or start studying again in a graduate school. I’ve felt it and many of my colleagues…
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Mentor Week 1 at Techstars
We were meeting 6~8 people on a daily basis starting Monday til Friday, total of 36 mentors for Smile Family. The meetings usually takes place from 9am ~ 1pm with few short breaks in the middle, so basically most of them ends up to be back-to-back meetings. Mentors are groups of successful entrepreneurs, angel investors,…
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Targeting
Stark difference. Color, typography, photo.
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