Investment banker turned clean beauty entrepreneur, Kimberley Ho is the co-founder of Evereden, a clean skincare line for the whole family. Originally from Malaysia, Kimberley studied Economics and Creative Writing at Stanford University before embarking on a career in private equity and entrepreneurship.
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Shirt, Fleur du Mal ; Skirt, David Koma ; Necklace, Tiffany’s
ON HER MORNING ROUTINE
I wake up at 7AM and either plan out my work day, to-do’s and meetings, or prep for my morning business Chinese lessons. I’ve been taking classes for two years now, six hours a week, via video conference with a teacher in Beijing, who has brought me from zero to business fluency in Mandarin - something I’m very thankful for, as I love the language. I also have a ritual around my morning coffee - I use a simple Chemex pour-over coffeemaker.
on growing up in Kuala lumpur
I had an extremely happy and near-idyllic childhood growing up in Kuala Lumpur. It is a family-oriented and fascinating society that is a melting pot of many cultures, religions and beliefs, which makes for an incredibly diverse childhood. In any given year, my friends and family would celebrate Christmas, Chinese New Year, Eid and Deepavali. I learned tolerance, curiosity, and a general celebration of differences in Malaysia.
on moving to the united states
I first arrived in the US a week before starting classes at Stanford. Funnily, I had zero trepidations about America, even though I had never been to the country, because I thought I would be perfectly well-equipped from just having grown up on MTV and Friends. Obviously, real life was a little different. When my grandfather voiced concern about me leaving Malaysia for someplace so distant I reassured him that I had already rewatched all seasons of Friends, and everyone would be like Monica or Rachel or Chandler. Obviously, that didn’t turn out to be the case, so I had about perhaps two weeks of culture shock, before I built a great group of friends, and I’ve loved it here ever since.
““I started my career as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs in New York — which was a really cool experience with an intense and steep learning curve. I had interned there as a sophomore and then as a junior in various divisions, first in sales and trading, and then in banking. I got my foot in the door by showing up at one of their career events on campus as a college freshman. At the time, they told me I was too young, and to come back the following year, so I did.””
on her role at Goldman Sachs
In my group, we helped Industrial companies raise money for mergers, acquisitions, and other operational needs. I spent a lot of my time pitching potential clients, and at the same time working on “live” deals - ongoing fundraises for companies, managing fundraising roadshows, and creating the financial models and business decks for these meetings. I learned a ton about the fundamentals of finance and what makes a business tick, and ultimately, successful. Of course, the nights were long and the work was difficult, but it was well worth it.
on her transition to skincare and founding a company
During my later years in finance, I invested in many consumer and skincare companies. I became intimately familiar with brands on the market — their processes, formulas and more. I quickly learned that most family skincare brands were using the same questionable ingredients, and unlike luxury women’s skincare, had not really innovated in over 20 years. My background in finance taught me to carefully analyze the market and ask manufacturers the hard questions when formulating my own line. I was told ‘no’ a lot. But I kept pushing, and eventually found partners who were willing to build a better standard, something entirely different for us, from the ground-up.
I have always been passionate about clean skincare, and when I invested in the industry, I learned that many brands that we know and trust were just simply not as clean or safe as they claimed to be. I also believed the products we use on our bodies should not only be highly efficacious, but that they could also be made to be beautiful and feel special. I knew there was a better way, and I so I quit my career in finance to start Evereden. The recent year has been a wild one with a lot of growth. But even though we’ve expanded, our mission has always stayed the same: to reimagine a new standard of skincare for families with products as beautiful as they are safe.
Eden’s favorite books
““Have a relentless pursuit of perfection - not perfectionism at all costs, but create a company and a culture where people refuse to accept mediocrity. Lead in a way that is authentic to you. Pretending will either be extremely uncomfortable to you or come across as inauthentic to everyone else. Both suck. Be decent to people. Treat people with fairness. This does NOT mean lowering expectations or saying that mistakes don’t matter. It means creating a culture where people feel safe to make the off mistake - we are all human. Hire people who care and people who are positive. Building a company is incredibly difficult, so having negative people on your team, or people who are only dialing it in for a 9-to-5 gig, will just never work.””
Jumpsuit, Misha Nonoo
on working with her husband
I love working with my husband! We used to joke that it was a shame that we were married, because we would make such incredible business partners, being so complementary. Now, we joke that we couldn’t have done it without being married. There is so much benefit from having this incredible bedrock of trust that comes from marriage, that we can be 100% transparent, and at times, brutally honest with each other. In a fast paced, startup environment, this means we can be real with each other and do great things better, and fix bad things faster.
on her creative pursuits
I love reading, creative writing, and poetry. I love losing myself in fictional worlds and words. In another life, I would have devoted my life to poetry and linguistics - I love language, and am also fascinated by how people love, hate, and communicate with each other.
on her beauty routine
I am pretty simple when it comes to skincare - I use a natural cleanser from Earth tu Face made from natural oils, and am obsessed with Evereden’s Light Jasmine Baby Moisturizer on my face - it’s lightweight, with simple ingredients made with botanicals. I have sensitive, combination skin, so simple, clean ingredients that are safe enough for baby are perfect for me. At night, I slather on Evereden’s prototype beauty oils which we expect to launch next year. My mother taught me that there is elegance in simplicity, and I’ve applied that to my beauty routine. I also recommend SUNDAY RILEY’s Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment and Drunk Elephant’s Umbra Sheer Physical Daily Defense Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 30. As for makeup I use Fenty Beauty By Rihanna Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation, Yves Saint Laurent’s Touche Echat, Laura Mercier blush and Dior eyeshadow.
on her favorite books
The Hard Thing about Hard Things by Ben Horowitz is a must-read for any entrepreneur. It talks about the unglamorous, painful parts of entrepreneurship that often gets glossed over in the media. The Great Fires by Jack Gilbert is a gorgeous collection of poetry by one of my favorite poets. Never Split the Difference is a great book on negotiation recommended to me by an investor I respect, and have found useful. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy is one of my all-time favorite works of fiction — poetic, and sad beautiful.
kimberley’s favorite films
In The Mood For Love by Wong Kar Wai, Slumdog Millionaire by Danny Boyle, Steve Jobs by Aaron Sorkin, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind by Michel Gondry, Little Miss Sunshine by Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton
Kimberley’s favorite nyc spots
Sant Ambroeus in the west village is one of my favorite spots in the city for a good coffee or brunch. It’s charming yet discreet and perfect for a chat with girlfriends or visiting friends.
Locanda Verde is a great neighborhood restaurant with great Italian and something for everyone.
For drinks, I love Angel’s Share in the East Village, as well as their sister bar just around the corner.
For pampering, I just love Bliss Spa. I’ve never had a bad massage yet from Bliss. For special occasion nails, I love Paintbox in SoHo. WTHN, for acupuncture.
Bodysuit, Fleur du Mal ; Skirt, Self Portrait ; Necklace, Tiffany’s ; Bag, Chanel