Brian Cohen

Investor turned founder, building at the intersection of consumer social and AI judgment | New Yorker adjusting to Midwest life

[Brian Cohen @bricohen]

I’m Brian.

Here’s a little about how I got here.

I had the safe path.
1. accounting career at a big firm
2. partnership track
3. stable income
4. a resume that made sense

But I couldn’t shake one thought:

I didn’t want to spend my life as the referee.

I wanted to be a player.

I started my career in accounting and stayed at a top accounting firm for 10 years.

I was good at it.

I won the award for the highest score in New York on the CPA exam.

I was on a respected path.

The problem was not that the path was bad.

The problem was that it was not mine.
_______

Breaking into the investment world from that background is hard.

Much harder than most people realize.

The hedge fund world does not usually look for people coming out of accounting.

It looks for:
• Ivy League resumes
• investment banking backgrounds
• MBA pedigrees
• prior fund experience

I had to fight uphill against all of that.

For a while, people told me the transition was too late, too hard, too unrealistic.

They were not crazy.

They were looking at the odds.

But I kept trying.

A small congratulatory email to someone who had left my group eventually helped open the door.

And that shot changed my career.
_______

I then spent about 15 years in the investment world.

To me, hedge funds are one of the most competitive arenas in business.

It is closer to trying to become a professional athlete than most careers.

Everyone wants the seat.

Everyone is smart.

Everyone thinks they can outperform.

And the scoreboard is brutal.

I survived there for a long time.

I learned how to think under pressure, defend a view, change my mind, and make decisions when the stakes were high.
_______

Now I’m doing it again.

This time, with a startup. Social media has become incredibly good at pushing people apart. I’m trying to build a place where disagreement leads to understanding instead of division.

I’m older now.

I have kids.

I moved to a new city.

I’m not in the obvious place.

I don’t have the obvious background.

In a lot of ways, it feels familiar.

I’ve learned not to let someone else’s view of the odds become my view of what’s possible.

I believe in myself.

I believe this is worth fighting for.

I can’t control how the story ends.

I can only control the effort I put in every day.

I’ve bet on myself before.

I’m betting on myself again.

[Brian Cohen @bricohen]

@sophie_launch Happy to connect

[Brian Cohen @bricohen]

@AyeshaBuilds happy to connect

[Brian Cohen @bricohen]

@bartjawien Happy to connect

[Brian Cohen @bricohen]

@theslowtell @X Let's connect

[Brian Cohen @bricohen]

@launch_llama Following! Happy to connect.

[Brian Cohen @bricohen]

@Guronnimo Let's connect, and I will check out LaunchPanda.

[Brian Cohen @bricohen]

@MacdevM Let's connect

[Brian Cohen @bricohen]

@hello_code_ Let's connect

[Brian Cohen @bricohen]

@marconoiz Let's connect

[Brian Cohen @bricohen]

@oliverjessner Happy to connect

[Brian Cohen @bricohen]

@LukaOnAI Happy to connect

[Brian Cohen @bricohen]

@Liam_McDaniel3 Happy to connect

[Brian Cohen @bricohen]

@Favieedee Thank you, my friend! That means a lot. I tried to be as real as possible. I think that's the best way to connect with people here.

[Brian Cohen @bricohen]

I’m Brian.

Here’s a little about how I got here.

I had the safe path.
1. accounting career at a big firm
2. partnership track
3. stable income
4. a resume that made sense

But I couldn’t shake one thought:

I didn’t want to spend my life as the referee.

I wanted to be a player.

I started my career in accounting and stayed at a top accounting firm for 10 years.

I was good at it.

I won the award for the highest score in New York on the CPA exam.

I was on a respected path.

The problem was not that the path was bad.

The problem was that it was not mine.
_______

Breaking into the investment world from that background is hard.

Much harder than most people realize.

The hedge fund world does not usually look for people coming out of accounting.

It looks for:
• Ivy League resumes
• investment banking backgrounds
• MBA pedigrees
• prior fund experience

I had to fight uphill against all of that.

For a while, people told me the transition was too late, too hard, too unrealistic.

They were not crazy.

They were looking at the odds.

But I kept trying.

A small congratulatory email to someone who had left my group eventually helped open the door.

And that shot changed my career.
_______

I then spent about 15 years in the investment world.

To me, hedge funds are one of the most competitive arenas in business.

It is closer to trying to become a professional athlete than most careers.

Everyone wants the seat.

Everyone is smart.

Everyone thinks they can outperform.

And the scoreboard is brutal.

I survived there for a long time.

I learned how to think under pressure, defend a view, change my mind, and make decisions when the stakes were high.
_______

Now I’m doing it again.

This time, with a startup. Social media has become incredibly good at pushing people apart. I’m trying to build a place where disagreement leads to understanding instead of division.

I’m older now.

I have kids.

I moved to a new city.

I’m not in the obvious place.

I don’t have the obvious background.

In a lot of ways, it feels familiar.

I’ve learned not to let someone else’s view of the odds become my view of what’s possible.

I believe in myself.

I believe this is worth fighting for.

I can’t control how the story ends.

I can only control the effort I put in every day.

I’ve bet on myself before.

I’m betting on myself again.

[Brian Cohen @bricohen]

@TheNickBigar Happy to connect

[Brian Cohen @bricohen]

@coryalthoff Let's connect

[Brian Cohen @bricohen]

@Favieedee Yes, some of the biggest mistakes happen when you rely on other people instead of doing your own work.

[Brian Cohen @bricohen]

@bowora_com Happy to connect. Also interested in learning about the community you are building.

[Brian Cohen @bricohen]

@TECHwithRUDE Let's connect

[Brian Cohen @bricohen]

@joshjfish @X Happy to connect