We sat down with the first-annual Women of BMW honorees to find out about their careers, insights and what drives them each day. We invite you to take a moment and learn about these dedicated women and congratulate them with kudos on Twitter with #WomenOfBMW.
NAME: Samantha Huang
POSITION: Senior Associate, BMW I Ventures
LOCATION: Mountain View, CA
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WITH BMW? 2 Years
Q: DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE AT BMW:
A: I invest in disruptive technologies that shape the next-gen mobility ecosystem.
Q: WHAT PATH LED YOU TO BMW?
A: I previously worked at Bosch Ventures, so I was quite familiar with investing in the car ecosystem and knew quite a bit about BMW i Ventures’ investments. When BMW i Ventures closed their most recent fund, that jump for me was a natural and happily-embraced trajectory.
Q: DESCRIBE A DEFINING MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER AND HOW IT SHAPED YOUR PATH.
A: I graduated from Berkeley Law School and received my CA attorney’s license, but I decided not to practice law. Instead, my first job out of law school was in venture capital. If I had taken the typical path–going into law like 99% of my classmates today–I wouldn’t have been here.
Q: WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER WOMEN INTERESTED IN YOUR FIELD?
A: Don’t doubt yourself.
Q: WHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING MOST OUTSIDE OF WORK? WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
A: I love reading very random things–everything from 19th century novels, behavioral economics, and sometimes a randomly thrown-in book explaining a scientific topic.
The thing that makes me laugh the most is when I remind myself how random and nonsensical life is and just embrace it.