Justin Kim is the Head of Korea at Ava Labs, a company that offers an open-source platform that simplifies the creation and execution of dApps (Decentralized Application) on Avalanche. ^[1][2]

Education

Justin Kim earned his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Economics from the University of Michigan. Subsequently, he pursued his academic journey by enrolling at the University of San Francisco School of Management, where he earned a Master of Science (MS) degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation in 2022. ^[3]

In addition to his formal degrees, Justin participated in a program at Stanford University, engaging in Continuing Studies. Here, he focused on Product Management for the Internet of Things (BUS 181) in July 2022, further enhancing his skills and knowledge in this specific field. ^[3]

Career

Justin Kim initiated his professional journey at Korea Development Bank, where he accumulated over 11 years and 8 months of experience. His roles included serving as a Corporate Restructuring Associate from January 2010 to July 2012, followed by positions as a Corporate Banking Associate, Business Development Manager, and Senior Manager in Cross-border M&A Advisory, Investment Banking Division, contributing to the bank's operations and initiatives until August 2021. ^[4]

Subsequently, Justin took on the role of MBA Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) participant in the Silicon Valley region from December 2021 to February 2022. Representing the University of San Francisco, School of Management, he engaged in the global VCIC, the world's largest venture capital competition. ^[4]

Following this, Justin ventured into the role of Outsourced CFO at Cota Capital from March 2022 to August 2022. In this capacity, he accelerated growth for portfolio companies of Cota Capital, a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm. ^[4]

Justin served as an MBA Intern at NFTee, a San Francisco Bay Area-based NFT Marketplace, from April 2022 to September 2022. Here, he was actively involved in product management, business development for FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022 NFT Marketplace, and enterprise partnerships, while also contributing to financial modeling for Series A fundraising. ^[4]

Subsequently, Justin transitioned to Korea Development Bank as a Corporate Banking Senior Manager from September 2022 to January 2023, engaging in corporate banking activities in Seoul, South Korea. ^[4]

Currently, Justin Kim holds the position of Head of Korea at Ava Labs, starting in January 2023. Based in Seoul, South Korea, he plays a role in contributing to the mission of digitizing all the world's assets on the Avalanche platform. ^[4][5][6]

“We’re thrilled to have Justin and Roi join the Ava Labs team and couldn’t be more excited for the positive impact they will have. With their extensive experience and the support of Ava Labs and the Avalanche community behind them, they are positioned to establish Avalanche as the premier blockchain platform for both individuals and enterprises in South Korea and Japan, which are priority markets for Avalanche. Hiring for these two markets illustrates their importance to our ecosystem.” - John Nahas, VP of Business Development.