Second Life Podcast: Sandra Oh Lin

Welcome to Second Life, a podcast spotlighting successful women who’ve made major career changes—and fearlessly mastered the pivot. Hosted by Hillary Kerr, co-founder and chief content officer at Who What Wear, each episode gives you a direct line to women who are game changers in their fields. Subscribe to Second Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you get your podcasts to stay tuned.

As the founder and CEO of KiwiCo, Sandra Oh Lin has transformed a simple idea born from a mother’s love and a desire for hands-on learning into a global phenomenon. Today, KiwiCo is a beacon for educational enrichment, delivering more than 50 million shipments to curious minds around the world. 

The inception of KiwiCo traces back to Lin’s personal experiences as a parent where she quickly learned the importance of early childhood development. Thus, she sought to empower her children with the skills to think creatively and solve problems independently. This was the seed that would grow into KiwiCo, a company dedicated to providing engaging educational activities for kids, delivered directly to their doorsteps. With a chemical engineering degree and an MBA from Harvard Business School, she had pivotal roles earlier in her career at eBay, where she managed a $2-billion-a-year fashion business; PayPal; and Procter & Gamble. Yet it was her role as a mother that inspired her most transformative career move.

Recognizing a gap in the market for enriching, educational projects for children, Lin made the bold decision to leave her lucrative position at eBay. The vision was clear: to create a company that could provide parents and children with the resources to explore, create, and learn together. Armed with her expertise in product development and a keen sense of market demand, Lin embarked on the KiwiCo journey.

Under Lin’s leadership, KiwiCo has soared to remarkable heights, expanding its offerings to include over 1500 products across various subscription lines that cater to children of all ages. Each KiwiCo crate is designed to spark curiosity and encourage learning through play, covering a wide range of topics from science and engineering to art and geography. The company’s commitment to education and development has resonated with parents and educators worldwide, garnering a global distribution network.

Listen to the latest episode of Second Life to hear how Lin has not only changed the way children learn and play but has also redefined what it means to be a modern entrepreneur.

Next: Meet Dianna Cohen: The Founder and CEO Behind Haircare Brand Crown Affair.