# Kristen Koh Goldstein

> Kristen Koh Goldstein is the San Francisco-based co-founder and founding CEO of HireAthena, which grew from BackOps and Scalus. A former Wall Street software analyst and startup finance executive, she built an accounting and HR business around skilled professionals working remotely, especially mothers returning to paid work. Her public work also includes startup advising, support for women founders and mentorship at JAR Farms.

- **Role:** Co-Founder at HireAthena
- **Organizations:** HireAthena, BackOps, Scalus, Loyalty Lab, Epinions, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse First Boston, AngelList, HappyCo, AthenaPartners, JAR Farms, Bay Area Discovery Museum, World Affairs Council of Northern California
- **Education:** B.S., International Business (self-listed); School of Hotel Administration graduate, Cornell University, MBA, Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** Co-founded Loyalty Lab, which was acquired by TIBCO in 2010., Built BackOps and Scalus into the foundation for HireAthena., Secured institutional backing for her businesses, including Google Ventures and Sherpa.

## Career timeline

- **1993–1997** — Worked at Credit Suisse First Boston in equity research, investment analysis and portfolio trading, per her self-published career history.
- **1999–2000** — Director of Finance at Epinions.
- **2000–2002** — Vice President and Investment Analyst at Goldman Sachs.
- **2003–2006** — Co-founder and CFO of Loyalty Lab, per her self-listed tenure.
- **2010** — Founded BackOps, providing back-office services to small businesses.
- **2013** — BackOps announced a $7 million Series A; Scalus began developing workflow software to address coordination problems.
- **2016** — Launched HireAthena on April 26, combining BackOps services and Scalus software; served as founding CEO.
- **2022** — Began advising JAR Farms in June, as listed on her LinkedIn profile.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Loyalty Lab, which was acquired by TIBCO in 2010.
- Built BackOps and Scalus into the foundation for HireAthena.
- Secured institutional backing for her businesses, including Google Ventures and Sherpa.
- Created remote accounting and HR work for parents across the United States.

## Latest updates

- **2022-06** — LinkedIn lists the beginning of her advisor role at JAR Farms; its team page also identifies her as a mentor.
- **2017-01** — Published Startup Tower of Babel: 10 Things that Change When You Stop Bootstrapping on LinkedIn.

## Links

- Website: https://about.me/kristen.goldstein
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kohkristen

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/kristen-koh-goldstein
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-15