A common interest in the confluence of art, fintech, and investment drew Ying Cao (BS ’19), Chan Kang (BS ’20), and Phil Severino (BS ’21) to employment at Masterworks, the first platform for investors to buy and sell shares of iconic artwork. To date, over 500,000 users have joined the platform, which allows investors to own shares of art from legendary artists like Warhol, Basquiat, and Banksy. Learn more about these recent graduates and how their time at Stern prepared them for their jobs. 

 

What does your day-to-day role at Masterworks entail? What drew you to work for a startup?

 

Chan: During my two years here at Masterworks, I had the opportunity to wear different hats including sales, recruiting (briefly), and ad platform operations, before becoming the marketing analyst. Masterworks is a very data driven company where pretty much every decision we make needs to be backed by numbers. I think this emphasis in our work environment intrigued me to pursue data analytics.

 

Ying: I’m the Content Development Manager. I was originally brought on as an analyst for general SEO/SEM, but now I manage our organic content team. I was drawn to Masterworks because of how intrigued I was by the concept of fine art as an alternative investment. I think whenever a firm creates a space as new as this, educating your audience is imperative, which is where editorial comes in.

 

Phil: I am an associate in the Membership division, specifically focused on the onboarding of new investors. Our team provides the critical function of taking any new investor through the steps of completing their initial investments in one of our current offerings. It is our job to make sure that once the initial investment is completed, the investor is equipped to navigate the platform and purchase additional shares on their own moving forward.

 

Were you always interested in art? Has your appreciation for art grown along with your professional career?

 

Chan: At NYU I minored in studio art. More recently, I’ve been interested in furniture design and started taking woodworking classes at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Favorite artistic style/movement changes from time to time, but for now I’d say brutalism. I visited the Noguchi Museum recently.

 

Ying: I was a painter while studying at Stern and sold a few works right after graduation. However my appreciation for the art world saw the biggest increase during my professional career: firstly in my senior year of Stern when I interned at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and secondly from my time with Masterworks.

 

Phil: I have always been passionate about photography as an art form. I took several photography courses at NYU working in both film and digital photography, studying many influential photographers, and briefly considered pursuing it as a minor. Because of this interest, I had exposure to the art world, but it was not until joining Masterworks that I started to develop a deeper understanding of how it actually functions, especially related to the business side of art. On top of that, my knowledge and appreciation of contemporary artists, such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, and their works has increased significantly since I started here at Masterworks.

 

What makes you passionate about the work you do? 

 

Chan: Our mission here at Masterworks is to democratize the art market, so that an average investor can access an asset class that had historically been limited to the ultra wealthy. Having the opportunity to be a part of this and seeing the company grow, for me, is really fulfilling and what gets me going. 

 

Ying: Working in a role at the intersection of art, finance, and tech is so unique. I feel really grateful that I have the opportunity to explore this growing field of alternative investing, especially since it shows me a new way to interact with the art industry from a business perspective.

 

Phil: When I first discovered Masterworks, I was immediately captivated by the exciting new investment opportunity that was being offered to the average retail investor. Now that I am speaking with our investors on a daily basis, and hearing how thrilled they are to be getting involved in this alternative asset class, I see how impactful we have become.

 

What advice would you give to a recent Stern grad who wants to work for a startup?

 

Chan: Really put thoughts into what you enjoy and find value in. You spend a big part of your day at work, so I think it’s important that you find something you want to partake in. Definitely consider joining a startup if you like moving fast and enjoy seeing your inputs quickly materialize.

 

Ying: Read as much as possible: news, books, academic papers, personal essays, etc. Deceptively simple advice, but I cannot emphasize enough how important reading is to contextualizing a startup’s role in the greater market economy. What I always found the most value in at Stern was the emphasis my favorite professors put on reading.

 

Phil: When thinking about working at a startup, it is important to understand the mission of the company and what they are trying to achieve. It can be a very exciting environment to work in, but you want to ensure that your interests are aligned with those of the company. If your interests are aligned, the more likely you are to thrive in the startup space.