Inspired By A Nightmare: How This Tech CEO is Building The Company Of His Dreams

Trilliam Jeong, CEO of WealthBlock. He smiles slightly and is wearing a suit and checked shirt.
Photo Credited to Trilliam Jeong, CEO of WealthBlock

Trilliam Jeong woke from a nightmare. 

The brilliant mathematician had just decided to part ways with his role as the first quantitative analyst, or quant, at the National Futures Association. The dream shook him to his core, casting him 30 years into the future, where he felt old and powerless, plagued by the regret of not pursuing his true dreams. 

This nightmare acted as a catalyst, a resounding wake-up call that propelled him into action. 

Detecting suspicious trading behavior, finding violations, and safeguarding the integrity of the market at the National Futures Association was an exciting gig and perfectly complemented his skills as a financial whiz. However, for Trilliam, the allure of entrepreneurship was undeniable.

The transition from quant to entrepreneur was not driven by financial ambition but rather by a deep-seated desire to bring financial freedom to the masses. For Trilliam, mathematical models, programming, and technology were not just valuable tools but the key to achieving this vision.

His passion for entrepreneurship started when he started his own hedge fund. This exposure to private investment management opened Trilliam’s eyes to a fantastic opportunity – democratizing private investment. 

This vision led him to create WealthBlock, an all-in-one tech stack for investment firms to streamline capital raising, investor management, and deal management. Whatever workflows, investor journeys, or reporting you desire, the WealthBlock platform allows you to digitize and customize them in minutes. And it does it in a way that helps firms delight their investors. 

“Technically, it is about providing great pleasure to customers,” Trilliam said. “When it comes to an efficiency tool, the pleasure comes from allowing customers to accomplish what they want easily whenever they want. That means user experience, interface, and functional design must support the pleasurable experience.”

Infusing his own philosophy on leadership into building the company of his dreams was essential to Trilliam. Drawing inspiration from history, biographies, and mentors, he derived patterns and formed his own ideal – one founded on a simple premise. Be a good person. 

The early stages of his journey were marked by unfortunate encounters with individuals who exploited his trust and inexperience. However, this adversity became a valuable lesson, prompting Trilliam to adopt a trust-but-verify approach and place more faith in his instincts. 

For Trilliam, the focus was on building character, prioritizing it over tactical maneuvers. By focusing on being a good person, he could become a great leader. He had witnessed too many people fixate on profit and short-term strategies at the expense of long-term trust-based relationships. He was determined to nurture such relationships.

He vowed to only pursue win-win deals, taking into account the goals of his business and the client. If there was not a benefit for each party, it was a no-go. 

“I keep promises. Whatever I say, I do regardless if it’s written in a legal contract or not,“ Trilliam said. 

Trust as a pillar was important to Trilliam, and he brought that importance to his team. 

“Once in a while, we would run into prospects or clients who would not keep their word. Despite the fact that we were in need of sales and cash, I would encourage my salesperson to cut ties with those untrustworthy clients. But I leave the final decision to my salesperson.”

His desire to build these relationships has been a boon for WealthBlock and its clients. By building relationships, taking feedback to heart, and listening to his clients, Trilliam and the team at WealthBlock have built an incredibly useful and constantly innovating tool. It’s so helpful that users can raise and manage staggering amounts of money – like $13 million in four hours like Equifund. 

These trust-based relationships are essential for yielding the best feedback possible. Better feedback means Trilliam can apply updates and innovations to WealthBlock that his clients want. Nurturing these relationships and closely looking at how clients use the platform allow WealthBlock to pivot and provide a better experience. 

“If we see a drop in engagement on certain features, we would investigate to see what’s stopping people from engaging. It might or might not be caused by the product design. But the data is informing us to take a look.”

This attention to data analytics and detail sets Trilliam and WealthBlock apart from the crowd. It’s a core idea in his plan to build and improve WealthBlock. 

To aspiring leaders, Trilliam’s advice is simple. 

“Learn to be a good person first with a sound value system. As your competence and responsibility grow, more and more people will come to rely on you, making you the natural leader.”

(Ambassador)

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