Creative Direction & Marketing Partner at 500

I have mentored 500 Global from 2010 to the present, working with hundreds of startup founders. I also worked as a Creative Director from 2013 to 2020, and my work at the company has been featured in Forbes.

500 Global is one of the most active global venture capital firms on a mission to uplift people and economies worldwide through entrepreneurship. It has invested in over 2,400+ companies or 5,000+ entrepreneurs in 75+ countries, spanning almost every continent.

As the Creative Director & Marketing Partner of 500 Startups, I collaborate closely with teams spanning Marketing, Event, Business Development, Fundraising, Accelerator, and Corporate Innovation, both at our Silicon Valley HQ and internationally. Engaging with hundreds of startup founders within our portfolio companies, ranging from seed to late-stage tech firms across diverse sectors like consumer, fintech, travel tech, biotech, healthcare, enterprise, games, and crypto, with founders from around the world, including China, Japan, Korea, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Germany, UK, Canada, Mexico, Bahrain, Turkey, UAE, and so on.

My responsibilities are multifaceted.

1. Marketing Strategy & Development: Directly collaborating with 500’s investment team, I shape and execute the company’s brand marketing strategy, ensuring alignment with startup founders’ preferences. As a trusted advisor, I provide strategic insights to numerous portfolio companies on brand marketing, media strategy, communications, and growth.

(500 Team wearing my Unicorn logo design at the San Francisco Pride Weekend)

2. Brand Creation & Event Marketing: I oversee brand creation and marketing activation for 500 Global events, including Demo Days and the VC Unlock Program with Stanford. I also lead brand and marketing campaigns for regional funds such as 500 London and 500 Toronto. Additionally, I craft campaigns for DEI and cultural events like 500 Women and 500 Proud.

3. Startup Brand & Marketing Education: Guiding global founders within the 500 ecosystem on marketing, branding, and innovation strategy through events, videos, blogs, and social media.

I also taught design & marketing programs to educate startup founders on design, marketing & branding for better customer acquisition and company growth. I also led brand & design creative workshops with hundreds of founders from 500 batch companies for ten years. I suggested improving their logo, branding, UX & UI design in real-time at the 500 SF & Mountain View accelerators. I also lead branding workshops internationally for portfolio companies in Taipei, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Tokyo, Taipei, Seoul, Oslo, Kuala Lumpur, Mexico City, London, and Singapore, Series A programs in London and LA), and Distro programs in Toronto and Miami. These classes and programs have received raving reviews from startup founders and 500 staff members (see below).

4. Industry, Media, and Government Relations: Contributing content to esteemed media outlets such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Fast Company, and Forbes. Speaking globally on branding, marketing, creativity, and innovation at conferences like TEDx, SXSW, Web Summit, Today At Apple, and Talks at Google. Facilitating introductions and securing opportunities for fellow 500 partners for writing and speaking engagements. Moreover, cultivating relationships with government agencies globally, collaborating with partners from over 25 countries.

Here are some testimonials from 500 Founders and Staff members about my work at 500 Global:

Creative Direction & Marketing Partner at 500

Selected Projects