# Yong Kim

> Yong Kim is the co-founder and CEO of Wonolo, an on-demand staffing marketplace that connects businesses with more than one million frontline workers across the United States. Born in Seoul, he moved alone to a New Hampshire boarding school at 15, graduated as valedictorian, and went on to the University of Chicago and Harvard before a career in tech investment banking at Deutsche Bank. A stint at a Coca-Cola innovation accelerator exposed the broken state of hourly staffing and led him to launch Wonolo in 2014. The company has raised roughly $200 million, including a Sequoia-led round, and Kim has become a prominent voice for treating gig and hourly workers with dignity, flexibility, and fair pay.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and CEO at Wonolo
- **Organizations:** Wonolo, Sequoia Capital (Scout), Coca-Cola Accelerator, Deutsche Bank, Analysis Group
- **From:** Seoul, South Korea
- **Nationality:** American (born in South Korea)
- **Education:** High school (graduated valedictorian), Brewster Academy, BS/BA in Economics and Mathematics, University of Chicago, MA in Statistics, Harvard University, MBA, Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** Co-founded and scaled Wonolo into a two-sided marketplace serving over 1 million frontline workers, Raised approximately $200 million in total funding, including a Sequoia-led round, Led Wonolo to become the first gig economy company to pledge a universal living wage standard (2021)

## Career timeline

- **1990s** — Moves alone from Seoul to Brewster Academy in New Hampshire at age 15; graduates valedictorian
- **—** — Earns degrees from the University of Chicago and Harvard University, then an MBA from Harvard Business School
- **—** — Works as a Senior Analyst at Analysis Group
- **—** — Rises to Vice President in technology investment banking at Deutsche Bank
- **2012** — Leaves Wall Street after rethinking his purpose; joins an innovation accelerator working with Coca-Cola in the Bay Area
- **2014** — Co-founds Wonolo with AJ Brustein, backed by angel funding from Coca-Cola
- **2015** — Raises roughly $2 million in seed funding
- **2016** — Closes Series A and scales the marketplace
- **2017** — Sequoia Capital backs Wonolo; Jess Lee joins the board
- **2021** — Wonolo becomes the first gig economy company to pledge a universal living wage; raises Series D (~$138M)
- **2025** — Continues leading Wonolo, serving over 1 million frontline workers and focusing on AI-driven job matching

## Achievements

- Co-founded and scaled Wonolo into a two-sided marketplace serving over 1 million frontline workers
- Raised approximately $200 million in total funding, including a Sequoia-led round
- Led Wonolo to become the first gig economy company to pledge a universal living wage standard (2021)
- Graduated valedictorian of Brewster Academy after arriving with minimal English
- Named among the top 50 leaders shaping the gig economy
- Served as a Sequoia Capital Scout and co-founder of the Coca-Cola Accelerator

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Featured discussing the future of frontline work, AI-driven matching, flexibility, and human connection at Wonolo.
- **2021-10** — Wonolo raised a Series D of roughly $138 million, bringing total funding to about $200 million.

## Links

- Website: https://www.wonolo.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yongkookkim
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/yongkookkim

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/yong-kim
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-22