Strategic Advisor to CEOs & Founders · HBS Alumnus · MIT EO · YPO · Singularity

I built a
Nasdaq-listed company.
Now I sit beside CEOs building theirs.

I work with a small number of CEOs and founders, by referral and direct inbound. Thirty-one years across enterprise software, public markets, and 12 acquisitions. The calls that don't go in a deck — hiring, pricing, deal structure, market entry, AI strategy. Real operator. No fluff.

Currently 4 active retainers · Selective on what comes next
31+Years
12Acquisitions
F50Enterprise Clients
5Countries
I built a Nasdaq-listed company. Now I sit beside CEOs building theirs.
Tejune Kang with his mother at the Nasdaq MarketSite podium on listing day for 6D Global Technologies
Nasdaq MarketSite · Listing Day Founder, Chairman & CEO at the Nasdaq podium with his mother — the chapter that became chapter one.
Institutional Provenance
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
OPM 50 · Class of 2017
Alumnus
MIT
EO Entrepreneurial Masters
Class of 2017
Alumnus
YPO — Young Presidents' Organization
Young Presidents' Organization
Manhattan · Pacific Rim · AU
Member
Singularity University
Singularity University
Executive Education · 2018
Alumnus
Awards & Recognition
🏆
3× Inc. 5000
2012 · 2013 · 2014
Inc. Hire Power
#8 Nationally · 2013
📈
Inc. Regionals NE
#117 Northeast · 2022
🗞️
30 Best CEOs
Silicon Review · 2023
🚀
Entrepreneur of Month
Silicon Review · 2016
📊
SF Biz Times Fast 100
2013 · 2014
🏛️
Russell 2000 & 3000
Index Inclusion
🗽
Best of Manhattan
Nasdaq MarketSite · NY
🏙️
SmartCEO NY Future 50
SmartCEO Magazine · 2014
🌏
Fast 50 Asia Awards
Top 50 Growing · Asia
Tejune Kang with Peter Diamandis at Singularity University
Pictured with Peter Diamandis Co-founder, Singularity University · Founder, Abundance 360 & XPRIZE
From IPO to What Came After

Public-company operator. Lifelong student.

Founder, Chairman & CEO of a Nasdaq-listed company (Russell 2000 / 3000) — the IPO chapter built the operating instincts: SEC compliance, board governance, and investor relations from inside the chair. What's been since matters more. Singularity University with Peter Diamandis and Ray Kurzweil, AI as a daily force multiplier, longevity and exponential thinking applied to operating decisions, and a quiet circle of operator-peers I keep learning from.

Public
Company
Founder & CEO
Russell
2000 / 3000
Index
Inclusion
Singularity
Executive
Education
Nasdaq MarketSite Times Square — Best of Manhattan Award for 6D Global Technologies
Nasdaq MarketSite · Times Square, New York

2015 Best of Manhattan Award

6D Global Technologies (NASDAQ: SIXD), founded and led by Tejune Kang, was honored with the Best of Manhattan Award — displayed on the iconic Nasdaq MarketSite tower in Times Square. One of the most visible symbols of public market recognition in the world.

The Rooms I Keep Learning In

The operator network — where the real work happens.

Real conviction is built in conversations with people who've actually done it. A few of them, occasionally captured.

Tejune Kang with Ray Kurzweil at Singularity University
Ray Kurzweil Futurist, Director of Engineering at Google, and author of The Singularity Is Near. Co-founder of Singularity University with Peter Diamandis.
Tejune Kang with Sir Richard Branson on Necker Island
Sir Richard Branson Founder of the Virgin Group — 400+ companies built across travel, music, telecoms, and space. Met during his entrepreneur retreat on Necker Island.
Tejune Kang in Bhutan with Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, traditional gho
PM Tshering Tobgay Prime Minister of Bhutan and architect of the Gross National Happiness framework. Met in Thimphu during a cultural visit, both in traditional gho.
Tejune Kang on a YPO Global panel at the New York Stock Exchange
YPO Global Panel Speaking on a Young Presidents' Organization panel at the New York Stock Exchange — global founders comparing notes on growth, governance, and what comes after the IPO.
Tejune Kang with Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo, at the Fast 50 Asian American Business Leaders gala
Indra Nooyi Former Chair & CEO of PepsiCo (2006–2018) and one of the most decorated operators of her generation. Met at the Fast 50 Asian American Business Leaders gala — Tejune was honored that year.
Tejune Kang with Tilman Fertitta at Harvard Business School OPM
Tilman Fertitta Chairman & CEO of Fertitta Entertainment, owner of the Houston Rockets, and one of America's largest restaurant operators. Met at a Harvard Business School event in New York.
Tejune Kang with Liza Araneta-Marcos, First Lady of the Philippines
First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos First Lady of the Republic of the Philippines and longtime advocate for women in public service. Met during a YPO ASEAN delegation engagement in Manila.
Tejune Kang with the rapper Nelly in Las Vegas
Nelly Grammy-winning rapper, entrepreneur, and one of the best-selling hip-hop artists of all time. Met in Las Vegas — the room is bigger when the operator network spills past the boardroom.
Press Archive · Public-Markets Cycle

The chair, on the record.

A small set of historical photos from the public-company chapter — NYSE, Nasdaq, and the Inc. 5000 cycle. The credentials that started the conversation. What's been since matters more.

Tejune Kang at the New York Stock Exchange
NYSE · New York Stock Exchange
Tejune Kang speaking at the New York Stock Exchange for YPO Global
NYSE Address · YPO Global
Tejune Kang at the Nasdaq MarketSite, arms out, beneath the live composite ticker board
Nasdaq MarketSite · Live Tickers
Tejune Kang speaking at Singularity University Executive Program
Singularity Executive Program
In Their Words

CEOs and founders who actually engaged me.

Anonymized by initials and stage. Words and outcomes are theirs.

Tejune diagnosed our burn crisis in 60 days. We extended runway by sixteen months and added $9.3M in new ARR before the next quarter closed. Direct, no fluff, no consultant theater.
J.K. · Founder & CEO
$35M founder-led SaaS · Series B
We brought Tejune in for a public-market compliance recovery. 89 days later we were back in good standing and our market cap had nearly doubled. He'd been in the seat before — that's irreplaceable.
D.R. · CFO
Public mid-cap · Russell 2000
The contract collapse blew a $40M hole in our forecast. Tejune helped us land $34M in new contracts and cut $22M out of opex without breaking the team. He saved the company.
M.S. · Board Chair
$185M enterprise tech company
Our LatAm entry was failing in three different ways. Tejune actually built there before — Korea, Argentina, Costa Rica. We closed our first three customers ($14.8M) in nine months.
A.L. · CRO
$420M US enterprise SaaS · LatAm entry

Quotes shared with permission. Names withheld at client request — full case studies + verbal references available on request after an intro call.

The size of the situations.

A look at the scale and shape of work that comes to me. Each is anonymized — names change, outcomes don't.

Public Market Advisory
$180M
Public mid-cap · Compliance recovery
$180M → $310M market cap · 89 days to compliance · +127% daily volume.
Turnaround Advisory
$185M
Enterprise tech · Contract collapse
$34M new contracts in 12 months · +28% revenue / 18 mo · −15% opex ($22M cost-out).
Cross-Border Market Entry
$420M
US enterprise SaaS · LatAm entry
$14.8M first three contracts in 9 months · $38M qualified pipeline at handoff.
Read full case studies →

Silicon Valley kid.
Global operator.

Thirty-one years as a technology entrepreneur, operator, and advisor — spanning enterprise software, public company leadership, cross-border operations, and acquisition-driven growth. The phone rings when the situation matters. Self-taught on BBS bulletin boards as a kid in the Bay Area, that obsession became five serious years in data warehousing, KPI architecture, and large-scale ERP for Fortune 50 enterprises. Most executives have seen the outputs of these systems. I built them — and that changes how you think about organizational accountability in ways that are hard to explain to someone who hasn't been inside one.

The operator instincts were older than that. Eight years at the local Boys Club — Boy of the Year twice, California-ranked in foosball, plus kajukenbo, woodshop, rock shop, ping pong, chess. DECA in high school — state-level competitions in business and entrepreneurship as a junior, multiple categories nationally as a senior. The pattern reads, the discipline, the willingness to be bad at six things at once and get incrementally less bad — those didn't start with the IPO. They started in a room full of nothing-specific, with adults who'd teach you if you asked.

Tejune Kang in his DECA blazer in high school
Tejune Kang at the Inc. 5000 Gala — three-time honoree

Left: high school DECA chapter — state and national competitor. Right: Inc. 5000 Gala — three years running.

Public-company chapter as Founder, Chairman & CEO. SmartCEO New York Future 50, SF Business Times Fast 100, Fast 50 Asia, Silicon Review 30 Best CEOs. Board governance under public-market scrutiny, investor relations on the days things went well and the days they didn't, SEC compliance, and the full weight of being accountable to shareholders while running the operating business. That chair — the adversity of it, the decisions, the weight — is exactly why people come to me today.

Across 12 acquisitions and strategic transactions, I've sat in every seat — founder, buyer, operator, advisor. Full-cycle: sourcing, thesis, diligence, close, post-merger integration. The honest take on M&A: deals aren't won at signing. They're won or lost in the months after close. What I've watched work: a clear strategic thesis, real leadership alignment before day one, disciplined integration timelines. What I've watched blow up: earnout misalignment, culture mismatch nobody addressed, financial consolidation that started three months late, and leaders who agreed to the deal but quietly checked out.

Tejune Kang speaking at a Harvard Business School OPM event
Harvard Business School OPM 50 — Class of 2017
HBS OPM 50 · Class of 2017
HBS OPM 50 Living Group · Graduating Dinner
HBS OPM 50 · Living Group · Graduating Dinner
HBS OPM 50 — Graduation Ceremony
HBS OPM 50 · Graduation Ceremony
Tejune Kang speaking at HBS event
Speaking · HBS Event

Today I lead Atypical Global — a digital marketing and martech consolidation. Outside operating roles, a small number of fractional CEO, COO, and board engagements come through each year, by referral. The people who reach out are typically dealing with situations they don't talk about publicly, and they need someone who has actually been in the chair.

Turning 50 in 2026 — with a toddler to build something for — and the ambition hasn't changed. The purpose is sharper. Off the clock: avid snowboarder, obsessive saltwater reef aquarium keeper, serious home and car audio enthusiast, committed world traveler, and a genuine student of longevity and biohacking. Peter Diamandis, Singularity University, and the science of human performance have been on my radar for years — it started with Lifespan by David Sinclair. Favorite novel: Ender's Game. Favorite business book: The Hard Thing About Hard Things. Both feel autobiographical, which probably tells you something.

Tejune Kang
Tejune Kang
CEO · Board Director · Operator
31+
Years
F50
Clients
5
Countries
2
Languages
Available for advisor & consultant retainers
📈
Public Markets
Public-company founder/CEO. SEC, IR, board governance — from inside the chair.
🌎
Global Operator
US · Korea · Argentina · Costa Rica · Australia. Fluent EN/KO. Real, not performed.
🔀
M&A Operator
12 acquisitions across founder, buyer, operator, advisor seats. Sourcing through PMI.
Credentials & Affiliations
  • 🎓
    Harvard Business School — Alumnus
    Owner/President Management Program · OPM 50 · Class of 2017
  • 🔬
    MIT · EO Entrepreneurs Masters Program
    Entrepreneurial Masters Program · Class of 2017
  • 🌐
    Young Presidents' Organization (YPO)
    Active — Manhattan NY, Pacific Rim & AU Chapters
  • 🚀
    Singularity University
    Executive Education · Exponential Technologies · 2018
  • 🏛️
    Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO)
    Alumni Member · New York Chapter
THE THREE LESSONS I STILL HEAR

Lessons from my father.

Three things my father told me that I still hear every single day — more than 40 years later. They shaped who I became as a person, as an operator, and as a father myself.

  1. 1
    Be a student for life.Always keep learning. The day you stop being curious is the day you start going backward.
  2. 2
    Always do your best.If you're going to try something — anything — do your best at it. Don't do it halfway. Half-effort is worse than not trying at all.
  3. 3
    Be a good person.Think of other people. Doesn't matter who they are or what they do. Treat them like they matter. Because they do.

Six ways CEOs and founders put me to work.

Most engagements are monthly retainers — direct access for the calls that don't go in a deck. Most CEOs get more value in the first 60 days than they do from any deck or report. Selective on what I take. Direct, no-fluff format.

Strategic Advisor on Retainer
01
Strategic Advisor on Retainer
Direct access for CEOs and founders — pricing decisions, hiring calls, deal structure, fundraising prep, board prep, AI strategy, market entry. Monthly retainer, 3–6 month minimum. Two calls a month plus async on Signal/WhatsApp. The fastest way to engage me.
Most Common
Board Director and Board Advisor
02
Board Director / Advisor
Independent director or board advisor for public companies, PE-backed portcos, and pre-IPO founders. I've been the public-company CEO across the table — I know what a board should be asking and when to act. Cash + equity.
Best Fit
Enterprise Tech and AI
03
AI & Enterprise Tech Strategy
31 years in enterprise tech — data warehousing, KPI architecture, SAP S/4HANA, ERP, digital transformation. Now layering AI as a force multiplier so lean teams outperform bloated ones. Modernize without blowing up what works.
Specialty
LatAm and Asia Market Entry
04
LatAm & Asia Market Entry
Fluent EN/KO. Operated across Korea, Argentina, Costa Rica, Australia, and the US. If you're entering LatAm or Asia Pacific and want someone who's built there — not just advised on it from a slide deck.
Rare Skill
Fractional CEO COO
05
Fractional CEO / COO
Part-time executive leadership for companies that need a real operator in the chair. Make the hard calls, stabilize or scale, hand it back stronger. 6-month minimum. Equity + cash. Limited capacity.
Limited
Turnaround Advisory
06
Turnaround Advisory
Burning cash? Team misaligned? Product dead? Honest diagnosis fast, cut what needs cutting, build the 90-day plan. No politics. No fluff.
High Demand

Engagements that
changed the trajectory.

Every case is anonymized. Names change. Outcomes don't.

Founder Operating Reset

From Burn Crisis to Profit Path — $35M Founder-Led SaaS

$9.3M
New ARR / 12 mo
16 months
Runway extension
−22%
Burn rate / 90 days
Public Market Advisory

Compliance Recovery — Public Mid-Cap, $180M Market Cap at Risk

89 days
Compliance restored
$180M→$310M
Market cap
+127%
Daily volume
Read full case study →
Turnaround Advisory

Stabilizing a $185M Enterprise Tech Company After a Contract Collapse

$34M
New contracts / 12 mo
+28%
Revenue / 18 mo
−15%
Opex · $22M cost-out
LatAm Market Entry

First Enterprise Contracts in LatAm for a $420M US Enterprise SaaS Co.

$14.8M
9 months
Kickoff to first close
$38M
Qualified pipeline
Read Full Case Studies →
Resources

Free playbooks. From the field.

Frameworks and guides built from 31 years of operating, not theorizing. Enter your email to unlock — I'll never spam you.

Turnaround

The Turnaround Playbook: First 90 Days

Week-by-week framework for stabilizing a company in crisis. The operating system that works when everything is breaking.

Board Service

Board-Ready in 12 Months: A CEO's Guide

The practical playbook for landing your first corporate board seat. Positioning, networking, materials, and compensation benchmarks.

Cross-Border

The US-LatAm Business Expansion Playbook

Market entry, entity setup, hiring, culture, and the costly mistakes everyone makes when expanding between the US and Latin America.

Stay Sharp

The Back 9 Briefing

Lessons from 31 years of building, buying, and turning around companies — plus wealth strategy, board governance, and the occasional hard truth about leadership. One email per week. No fluff.

From the Field Notes

What I'm writing about now.

Operator essays on the calls that matter. New posts every other week. Same content lives on YouTube · TikTok · Instagram.

Read all field notes →

If we're a fit, here's how the conversation usually starts.

A 30-minute intro call on the calendar — direct with me, no associates. Tell me the situation in two sentences. If we're a fit, we set up a retainer the same week. If we're not, you'll get a referral to someone who is.

Best fit: CEOs, founders, and boards navigating growth, hiring, pricing, M&A, market entry, AI strategy, board prep, or fundraising. Every inquiry read personally.

Or — send a private note

Replies typically within 48 hours. No newsletter, no automation, no spam.