Kevin Li

Critic
DISC Type : C

Founding Member at District

Alameda, California, United States

Overview

Kevin is the CMO at jo (YC W24) and the co-founder of Farmstead (YC S16), with a background in engineering from the University of Waterloo. He has a proven track record in growth and product management at companies like Yahoo. Colleagues describe him as honest, blunt, and a "fire-hose of information" connected to Silicon Valley.

Outside of his professional life, Kevin is a dedicated Judo practitioner. He is described by peers as a solid family man who maintains his entrepreneurial drive. He is also actively involved in exclusive founder communities and interested in new networking platforms to connect with his professional circle.

Kevin is a Judo practitioner, which is reflected in his professional social media profiles.

Personality Overview

ROI Driven

Information Seeker

Critic

They prefer to do logical analysis and value evidence over emotions.  They are quite likely to negotiate on pricing or other key terms. They don’t appreciate bells and whistles unless backed by data.

Topics They Care About

Startup Growth
He has a history of driving growth, from optimizing email at Yahoo to running the marketing team at his own successful startup, Farmstead.
Founder Communities
He is a founding member of District, an exclusive community for top founders, investors, and c-level operators, showing a passion for high-level networking.
Y Combinator Ecosystem
Having been through Y Combinator twice with Farmstead (S16) and jo (W24), he is deeply integrated into its network and methodology.

Media Appearances

Kevin has no verified media appearances

Work History

2-2025
Founding Member at District
8-2023
CMO at jo (YC W24)
5-2016 - 5-2023
Co-Founder at Farmstead
10-2014 - 2-2016
Product Manager, Growth & Emerging Products at Yahoo
1-2014 - 9-2014
Product Marketing at MessageMe

Education

2016 - 2024
Education details unavailable from Y Combinator
engineering from University of Waterloo

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 11 Location : Alameda, California, United States Job Level : Leadership Designation : Founding Member at District
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Insights For Selling To Kevin

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • If you can, show them industry reports or analyst comments instead of sharing anecdotal stories
  • Don’t forget to mention how you compare to competition on both features and pricing
  • Be ready to answer many clarity-seeking questions and requests for information

DONT's

  • Avoid phrases like ‘trust me’, ‘others just love’ etc.
  • Avoid pushing them too much to involve other stakeholders unless it is critical
  • Don't give superficial answers, they are easily rattled by them

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Kevin is

  • Strong evidence of ROI, effective pricing, and proven data points matter the most to them.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Kevin

  • It is not very hard for them to say no if they are not convinced about the decision.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Kevin move?

  • They are neither the fastest nor the slowest decision makers, they are somewhere in the middle.
  • Can Kevin take some risk or not?

  • They can bear some risk if their analysis backs the decision.

You And Kevin

Personality Compatibility


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