Before I could live as a woman in real life, I had to find myself inside virtual worlds.
I’m the founder of Adler, building the infrastructure for the future of Virtual Reality.
I’m a trans woman (MTF). I officially came out at 27, but I made the decision back in elementary school. I kept it a secret for decades—even from my closest family and friends. Growing up in conservative South Korea, I didn’t feel safe sharing it.
The only place I could live as a woman was inside 3D games—Overwatch, and Korean titles like Mabinogi and Cyphers.
I spent over 10,000 hours there.
Those games became my second life—and gave me the courage to live as myself in the real one.
Many say the Metaverse is dead.
I believe the opposite: it’s undervalued, and still one of the biggest opportunities ahead.
It’s my “secret,” as Peter Thiel puts it in Zero to One—the kind of overlooked truth that can build a great company.
Our company is named after Alfred Adler, the psychologist often mentioned alongside Freud and Jung.
I was deeply inspired by the Japanese book The Courage to Be Disliked, which builds on Adler’s philosophy.
In the real world, being yourself can feel dangerous. But in virtual worlds, the risks are lower—virtual reality is the perfect space to practice the courage to be disliked.
He hoped his ideas would one day become common sense—even if his name was forgotten.
Just like most people forget Tesla was a person, I hope Adler will be too—because his ideas will live on in the foundations of our virtual reality.
To make that vision real, I did whatever I could.
I was born with the wrong gender, outside the U.S., in a poor family—but I never let that stop me.
I want to shift the entire VR paradigm—and build one of the most meaningful companies in the world.
That’s why we’ve built our own 3D engine and programming language from scratch.
This is my Dharma. I’ve promised myself at least 30 more years on this path.
Along the way, I’ve faced failure, bankruptcy, restructuring, heavy debt, and the loss of key teammates.
I even had to walk away from a company I started.
Some call me one of the craziest founders in Korea’s startup scene.
Maybe they’re right. I’ve always challenged the classics and questioned common sense to find bolder, more original answers.
Over the last 14 years, I’ve built products and companies, raised $4M+ from 100+ investors, read 8,000+ books, consulted for 20+ companies, hired 100+ people, and learned from people across the world.
But I’m still far from where I want to be.
Many of my thoughts go against the mainstream—and for a long time, I stayed quiet out of fear.
Inspired by Hindu philosophy, I’ve finally found the confidence to speak out.
I want to meet people who believe in the same direction—especially beyond Korea.
This feels like the right moment to share my story.
If you relate to this, stick around—there’s more to come.
