Career path of a Co-founder and CEO at Caffe Luxxe
Mark's career path took an unexpected turn from computer science to finance, initially working as a bond trader before transitioning to technology at Citibank, where he helped launch internet home banking. This experience, coupled with an MBA and a shared passion for coffee with a future co-founder, led to the creation of Caffe Luxxe after observing that "this is really good flavor, really good coffee, but look at where we're sitting," noting the disconnect between quality coffee and ambiance.
Career Exploration, Overcoming Challenges, Entrepreneurship, Adaptability, Leadership
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Mark Wain
Co-founder and President / CEO
Caffe Luxxe
UC Berkeley
University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business MBA
Economics
Food, Beverages & Alcohol, Hospitality, Restaurants & Events
Strategic Management and Executive
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Mark's career path highlights a pivot from computer science to economics and finance, showcasing adaptability and exploration of interests.
2. His experience in finance, from bond trading to banking's technological shift to home banking, reflects a willingness to embrace changing industries and leverage technical skills.
3. The founding of Caffe Luxxe demonstrates a successful entrepreneurial venture born from identifying a gap in the market (high-quality coffee in a refined setting) and translating personal passion into a business opportunity.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Please include any internships or jobs you had before your current role.
Coming out of college, I was a computer science undergraduate. I was studying computer science, but unfortunately, I got weeded out by some of the introductory classes. I was trying to figure out what I could do with my credits.
I saw that the economics degree aligned closely with the math and computer science I'd already taken. So, I switched to economics. The thought was that maybe I wanted to do something in finance.
This was back in the day, so I opened up the Yellow Pages for summer break and looked up different brokerages to understand the industry. I then took an internship with some bond traders in Orange County, doing that over summers and winter break. Anytime I was home, I would study and work with them. I started to realize that finance seemed like an interesting place to be.
After graduation, I went to work for them full-time, and the dynamic shifted. They were two of the top-selling brokers in the firm, and we moved from being collaborative to competitive. I didn't really like the sales aspect of selling bonds, calling people and not fully understanding the sales side of it, even though my internship was about that.
So, I leaned back on my computer science background and took a job at a bank doing computer science work. At the time, the technology division was based in LA, and I worked for Citibank. They were in the process of porting their ATM network to home banking, as home banking wasn't a thing then. I was part of the team that put internet home banking up for Citibank.
I also got my MBA in the evenings. That's where I met Gary, who became my best friend and is now my co-founder. We kept talking about what we would do afterwards. Gary and I had discussed cafes and cafe culture, and I expressed my passion for coffee. He shared his experiences with cafes in Europe and Asia, and we bonded over that.
We ended up moving to Seattle for another tech job. Gary came to visit me, and I took him to one of my favorite coffee places. I told him, "This is the type of product we're talking about." We were sitting on a vinyl stool held together with duct tape in the Capitol Hill region of Seattle, a more artsy neighborhood.
Gary and I looked at each other and said, "This is really good coffee, but look where we're sitting. It's a little sketchy, it's artsy. Where do you and I go to get coffee?" That's where the idea for Cafe Lux was born.