Vivian Lin is a startup founder driven by curiosity, purpose, and the desire to live a life with no regrets.
Some people plan their founder journey like a roadmap. For Vivian, it felt more like a free fall.
"I need advice. I'm jumping off a cliff… I'm leaving a six figure job, very well paying, to make no money, to do what? To follow basically my dreams."
Vivian’s story isn't just about risk. It’s about awakening. A confrontation with grief. A decision to stop waiting for readiness—and to start building before it’s too late.
Vivian chased every marker of success society handed her—elite college, homeownership in her 20s, retiring her mother.
"My life's goal… was that I wanted to retire my mother. But… I realized I was too late. I could have taken vacations with her in my teens or 20s. And I felt regret."
Her mother’s illness became the moment of reckoning. She had reached the milestone—but missed the moment.
"I got to a point of success, retired my mother… and my mother got to a point where I was mourning a person that’s still around."
That’s when Vivian chose to pivot her life from safety to meaning.
Like many first-time founders, she made early mistakes—building first, validating later. But Vivian isn’t afraid to admit when she learns the hard way.
"I did the wrong thing first and then I learned the right thing… Your goal is to catch the tips of the iceberg and drill down more. Theories help you stay sharp."