Meet the Kintsugi Team: Alice Kim

May 18, 2021
Alice Kim
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Kintsugi, a fast-growing Berkeley-based mental health startup, is hiring new team members across multiple roles and all levels of experience to help shape the future of mental healthcare. 

We are a lean team of hard-working, thoughtful, and curious individuals.  The work at Kintsugi is a mixture of highly independent and collaborative, and team members are excited about problem-solving and often take initiative for project ownership.  At Kintsugi, members have an opportunity to create solutions and true impact while being a part of a team that is passionate about scaling access to mental healthcare. We are excited to welcome ambitious and talented people into our empathic community, and today we highlight Alice, who is an Associate Product Manager at Kintsugi! 


Alice has a background in the culinary arts but recently made a career change into product managing.  She finished a Digital Marketing program at the University of California, Berkeley, and also holds a B.S. in Hospitality Management from Syracuse University.  In a past life, Alice used to be a pastry chef for some of the most distinguished restaurants in the Bay Area and Chicago.  At one point, she competed in the most prestigious global cooking olympics in France, as part of Team USA.

                   

About Alice

University, Class, Major: Syracuse University, Class of 2015, BS in Hospitality Management

Job title: Associate Product Manager

Fun Fact:  During the beginning of the pandemic I picked up running and completed my first half marathon in January.  

Why did you choose Kintsugi when on your job search? 

I was at a point where I felt like I needed to find deeper meaning in the work that I do and craved to make a bigger impact.  I found Kintsugi’s website by chance during a job search session and immediately gravitated towards their mission.  The technology they are developing coupled with their mission feels really special and something I wanted to be part of.  I love that Kintsugi is working to solve an issue that is close to home for so many people.  I think we can all personally relate to struggling with mental health issues and feeling like finding help for it is unattainable.  

What kind of projects have you worked on in your time at Kintsugi? 

As a machine learning startup, we are in constant need of data.  I manage data acquisition through Facebook advertisements and make sure that we are getting the right kind of data that we need to improve our AI.  I also had the opportunity to speak to our consumer-facing app users to find out their concerns, likes, and dislikes, and most importantly, what kind of features they would like to see in the future.  I then take those suggestions and strategize on product development to bring those ideas to fruition.  

A current project I’ve been part of is working with a product designer to build out our self-care section.  In addition, I’ve been part of refreshing our website to better reflect what we do at Kintsugi.  The rest of my time is filled with keeping up to date with our social channels and writing blog pieces. 

How has working at a mission-aligned, diverse company like Kintsugi shaped your career path? 

Working at a mission-aligned, diverse company has changed my perspective on the energy and focus I bring to my work.  My projects have a deeper purpose, which definitely makes it feel less like a job and more like a career.  This shift in mindset has definitely influenced my career path and I think I will always be striving to work with like-minded companies in the future.  

What words of advice would you give to new team members at Kintsugi?

Be curious and don’t be afraid to ask questions.  These are reminders I continually have to give to myself as well.  I think especially in a startup environment being curious and outspoken not only helps you learn but can also spark ideas in others as well.  

What are 3 words you would use to describe the Kintsugi culture? 

Focused, Ambitious, Genuine

Share a favorite All-Hands/video conference moment.  

I always enjoy the first few moments of All-Hands when we briefly talk about what we did on our respective weekends.  It’s so nice to see what other people have done over the weekend to recharge.  In addition, I really love our #culture Slack channel.  People like to post pictures of things from their personal life or things that they find joy in and it’s really lovely.  Joy really is contagious. 

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