The Second Act - Magazine - Page 14
THE LURE OF THE
JOURNEY
In 2013 when Cathy Han co-founded
her first company, 42 Technologies, she
already knew it wouldn't be her last.
Written By
BRITTANY HAMBELTON
A
fter seven years, Cathy Han handed off 42
Technologies to her co-founder and started a new
venture in the fintech space, eager to take advantage
of the learning opportunities startups provide.
"Over the past 10 years of watching companies and fellow
founders grow, I always thought I would work on a few
companies in my life. The highlights of startup life are how
much you learn and how many amazing people you get to
meet along the way."
In many ways, starting a second venture has been more
accessible than the first. Having already been through things
1 4 | GRIT MA GA Z I NE
like incorporation, recruiting, and contracts, the mechanical
aspects of a startup have been a lot easier the second time
around. The more challenging part, says Han, is not to overcorrect for lessons you learned during your first venture
because each company is different - different timing, different
people, and different products.
"Fintech moves fast, and the product was more challenging to
build than our last software product due to additional factors
like regulatory and compliance restrictions."
Han says the other big difference between your first and
second startup is your reason for starting it in the first place.