Jane Kim

Bio:

Despite my current title, I consider myself a utility player for Hashable right now. A little marketing here, mix in community outreach, throw in the occasional build of a reporting tool, while also working on opportunities for Hashable to grow like kudzu. It helps to leverage past experiences and re-task it to whatever needs to get done. Past lives include stints in Ad Sales (Ziff Davis), Ad Operations (Juno Online Services). I then decided to get my Masters in Computer Science (NYU). Post-grad, I got recruited to a hedge fund (Bridgewater), where I was the sole female engineer among 75 technologists. Went back to the business side at Quigo/AOL where I ran publisher services and business development for Sponsored Listings.

I love what I do because I work with some tremendously awesome, inspiring, and fun people. I consider myself very lucky to have witnessed the conception and execution of an evolving product (Hashable) that has the potential to be a networking game changer.

Other things I do: People-watching. White-collar boxing. Married to another NYC startup guy (we like to live on the edge). College All-American rugger (Radcliffe). Proudly hooked for NY Rugby Football Club (For The Club!).

• Title: VP, Business Development at Hashable
• Location: Midtown
• Contact: @jinner13

What’s the best part of being VP of Business Development at Hashable?

The best part is that at this point in the game, *every* non-product/engineering initiative is building the business (growing users).  So I get to play a part in several initiatives.  There's so much to do and so many opportunities to chase, it's actually a very exciting time for me.  I also love talking to people about the product, especially when I hear it described back to me in a way where I know that I've just converted another user.

You got a degree in anthropology in undergrad.  How did you decide to get a masters in computer science (and are you glad you did?)

Early in my career, I was doing online ad sales at Juno.  I became a lot more interested in the operational aspects of online ad delivery, so I transferred to another position in AdOps and started fiddling with perl and SQL.  Since I never took a single CS course in college, I really wanted the degree, and I was able to afford the time to go full-time and get up and running quickly.  I'm definitely glad I did it - it was great to experience attending NYU and it actually helps me every day in my job, even though I'm not coding regularly.

When did you start playing Rugby?  Any particularly memorable moments from playing that you'd be open to sharing?

I started playing rugby my sophomore year in college (a roommate got me into it, but I really joined to try to lose my freshman 15).  I had never played a team sport before and it was just an incredible experience, so after I moved to NYC, I kept playing with the women's club team (NYRFC).  My favorite memories usually fall around 1) winning; 2) stealing the ball from the other team in a scrum, (which you can't really do anymore); 3) single-handedly taking down very large ladies.