Kurated Agency founder Sora Lee turned a decade in Big Tech into a million-dollar pivot. She now links South Korean beauty brands to U.S. shelves while trade flows stay brisk. The timing matters: federal data show consumer demand, and South Korean exporters keep shipping goods to American buyers.
Against that backdrop, Lee told CNBC recently how she raised pay from five figures to six, then built a company that bridges creators and brands across borders—and platforms run by former employers.
From Big Tech To Builder
Lee began her career at video advertising startup TubeMogul—later acquired by Adobe Inc.—after earning a degree in economics and political science from the University of California, Berkeley. She then built her expertise at major tech companies, including Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX), Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) and TikTok before launching Kurated Agency in 2023.
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"Be adaptive and focus on building skills that you can translate to other companies easily," she told CNBC, explaining that tools — including AI — reward workers who keep learning. In just over 10 years, she grew her total compensation from $40,000 to $400,000, then used investing and paid speaking engagements to reach millionaire status in 2024.
Why K-Beauty Fits The Moment
Lee's bet tracks with fresh trade numbers. The U.S. trade deficit narrowed to $60.2 billion in June as imports cooled and exports held firm, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The bureau also reported that June exports totaled $277.3 billion while imports reached $337.5 billion.
Meanwhile, South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy reported earlier this month that shipments to the U.S. rose 1.4% in July, with semiconductors, wireless devices and cosmetics among the gainers.
For agencies such as Kurated, those favorable conditions help South Korean brands meet American demand through creators, partners and distributors.
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Her Playbook For Pay Growth
"You need to pay attention to how things make you feel," Lee told CNBC, adding that interviewing with multiple companies can help identify the roles and cultures that best match personal goals.
She also advised mapping skills to revenue, saying, "Figure out what you're good at that people would pay money for," and noted that aligning strengths with market demand often accelerates pay growth more effectively than passion alone.
Lee stressed that authenticity is equally important. "Be really unapologetically you," she said, adding that a strong personal brand can provide an edge in high-pressure situations.
Her content-creation side work, she said, built confidence and expanded her audience—an asset in discussions with Meta and TikTok because it demonstrated her understanding of both platform mechanics and creator needs.
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