Michael Ko / Chairman of the board

Michael Ko is the Founder and Chairman of Pulsar Capital Management, where he provides strategic oversight while his executive team manages the firm’s investment funds.

With over 20 years of experience in financial advisory and investment management, Michael has successfully invested in early and growth-stage venture companies across the U.S. and Asia.

Before founding Pulsar Capital Management, he held key roles at Morgan Stanley (Japan & Hong Kong) and Merrill Lynch (Japan), serving as a valuation specialist and risk manager for a $3.4 billion principal investment portfoliospanning private equity, special situations, and structured finance.

Earlier in his career, he played a pivotal role in advising international clients on M&A transactions and valuation services during his tenure at Financial Advisory Services, Deloitte.

Michael is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a member of the American Institute of CPAs. He holds an MS in Financial Engineering from Yonsei University and an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management.

James Kim / Managing Partner, Head of Investment

James Kim serves as the Managing Partner at Pulsar Capital Management, where his wealth of experience and strategic leadership are instrumental. His professional journey took root at E*TRADE Korea, and he further honed his skills in startup investments at LG International and Solborn Investment. In 2004, James ventured into entrepreneurship, founding MAX PARTNERS, a distinguished financial advisory firm.

With a commendable career spanning over two decades, James Kim has been actively involved in orchestrating fundraising and M&A deals for a multitude of startups. Beyond his advisory role, he has demonstrated a hands-on approach by making direct investments in several startups, contributing significantly to their incubation and growth. His diverse portfolio includes a co-founding role in MYDOL, a mobile app-based startup launched in 2012, which achieved a remarkable milestone of 12 million global downloads.

James Kim earned a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea. His multifaceted career trajectory reflects a deep commitment to the dynamic landscape of finance, investments, and entrepreneurship, making him a valuable asset to the Pulsar Capital Management team.

Marlo Oaks / Senior Advisor, CFA, CAIA

Marlo Oaks currently serves as the Senior Advisor at Pulsar Capital Management and also holds the distinguished position of State Treasurer for the state of Utah. In his prior professional capacity, Marlo assumed the role of Senior Vice President at Crewe Capital where he specialized in capital procurement for alternative funds, orchestrating connections between fund managers and potential investors, and executing comprehensive due diligence procedures on both funds and managerial personnel.

He spent nearly 18 years overseeing multi-billion portfolios as an allocator. He has experience managing foundation, endowment, healthcare/hospital system, insurance, defined benefit, defined contribution, taxable, and tax-exempt portfolios, including manager searches, due diligence, risk management, asset allocation, investment strategy, investment policies and guidelines, and reporting to senior executives and boards of investment committees.

As a volunteer Mr. Oaks sits on the investment committee of a large public university’s endowment fund. He also co-founded the Stella H. Oaks Foundation that provides hope to single mothers through educational scholarships. He is a member of the CFA Society of Salt Lake City, the CAIA Association of San Francisco, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Brigham Young University, and completed an MBA at UCLA Anderson School of Management.