We had the good fortune of connecting with Tina Ho and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tina, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I grew up in a family of immigrants. From an early age, I heard or witnessed the risks my family took. My dad took a leap of faith and traveled to America – a country where he knew no one and did not speak a word of English – for a better life. My mom stayed behind in Vietnam with three young girls. For context, during that era and after the war, being a lone woman with young girls meant little to no protection and constant harassment from men. She did not even sleep at night, afraid of men breaking into her home and attacking her and her kids. My parents both survived for three years before my dad got the paperwork and money needed to bring my mom and my sisters over to America. Then, growing up, I saw my dad excel in real estate and my mom excel in nail franchising. My dad taught me risk-taking and my mom taught me resilience. Because of them, I have a strong affinity for starting businesses, taking risks, and pulling through. Hence, when I was trying to remodel my home and noticed how frustrating and overwhelming the many steps and costs involved before construction could even start, I saw an opportunity for improvement. With that, Curie Craft was born.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Professionally, I am a senior software engineer who has worked at top tech companies in the pinnacle of tech location: Silicon Valley. My story is a mixture of failures, hard-work, and luck. I actually did not have any prior experience in computer science until the end of my sophomore year in college. In fact, I grew up in a community ridden with crime and gang violence. My high school even lost its accreditation during my junior year. I was about to not even be allowed to go to college. Luckily, our school district recovered our accreditation before I graduated. But that was the quality of the education I received growing up. Once I went to college, it was a reality check. I immediately went from a straight-A student to barely passing. Yet somehow, my delusional self fell in love with an Intro to Computer Science (CS) course and I quickly switched my major — believing I could do it, when in reality, it was the first time I ever heard of computer science. I flunked the course. I switched out of the major, defeated. After doing so, there was this little voice inside my head that kept whispering that I gave up too easily and I should try again. Pride made me switch back to CS and this time, I gave it my all — attended office hours, tutoring, etc. – resulting in my graduating with honors in this field. Upon graduating, I then landed top offers from my dream companies and continued to excel in my career. I also managed to publish a book chapter in AI for Medicine while holding a full-time job.
What I learned during this journey is that the defining line between reality and delusion is determined by willpower and hard-work.
After working as a senior software engineer for six years at Amazon and one year at a seed startup, I felt that it was time for me to take on a bigger challenge and create something of my own. Curie Craft is the next chapter that I am most excited about. I am excited to start writing the story of Curie Craft – the brand where a woman is making waves in a male-dominated field.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My best friend and I are very much into the beach and the outdoors. The ideal itinerary would be: Day 1: We would check out North of LA.
We would start off with a day hike in Topanga and then explore the Getty and Will Rogers State Beach.
Day 2: We would check out the infamous Cathy’s Corner in La La Land and the Griffith Observatory.
Maybe in the evening, see a show at the Hollywood Bowl.
Day 3: Explore UCLA and have fun at Universal Studios
Day 4: Explore Beverly Hills and Hollywood.
Day 5: Explore Santa Monica and walk along the pier for the sunset.
Day 6: Explore The Jungle — a local area in Venice Beach (which I particularly love! It has a lot of character and a quiet beach.) Walk along the Canals and the boardwalk at Venice.
Day 7: Check out Manhattan Beach, the pier, and the local shops in the neighborhood.

And maybe, if we’re feeling up for it, on one of the days do a cycle along the Strand!!
Also, a must-eat place would be Leo’s Tacos Truck!!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my partner! When my life was at its lowest point, he came in and became a constant source of inspiration and encouragement. Even though the year has not been treating him kindly, he still has the energy to encourage and support me to reach my full potential. His optimism is contagious. His favorite quote of the year that he finds every opportunity to tell me: “everyone has a happy ending; if you’re not happy, it’s not the end.”

Website: https://curiecraft.ai/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinaho417/

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