Career Launch: How Caddying Helped Donovan Bird Land a Job with Ingredion

Sep 8

Venture Capital and Innovation Finance Analyst at Ingredion, Donovan shares how caddying at Elgin Country Club helped him become an Evans Scholar and land a great job.

Why do you love your job so much?

I enjoy the challenge that is brought each and every day on the job. It requires that I think fast, precise, and with an owners mindset to accomplish the needs of the business.

How did caddying help prepare you for this role?

The country club was a home away from home for me growing up. They have supported me ever since I was 13 years old and said I wanted to be an Evans Scholar. It taught me that anything is possible through hard work and dedication.

Did anyone that you met caddying help you land your dream job? If so, please explain.

No one directly helped me get any job I have had so far. However where they have helped the most is telling me about their careers and being open and honest about their roles. This is actually what lead me to going into business school in the first place and then landing my internship with Deloitte as a freshman.

Can you name someone whose career inspires you and that you'd like to emulate?

Judge Keith Brown has always inspired me and motivated me to want to work harder.

What's the best perk of your job?

Getting to learn and grow every single day! The travel is very fun as well.

Kai Sato

Kai Sato is the founder of Kaizen Reserve, Inc, which exists to foster innovation and unlock growth. Its primary function is advising family offices and corporations on the design, implementation, and oversight of their venture capital portfolios. Another aspect is helping select portfolio companies, both startups and publicly-traded microcaps, reach $10M in revenue and become cash flow positive. Kai is also a General Partner of Mauloa, which makes growth equity investments into cash flow positive companies; an advisor to Forma Capital, a consumer-focused venture firm that specializes in product-celebrity fit; and a fund advisor to Hatch, a global startup accelerator focused on helping feed the world through sustainable aquaculture technologies.

Previously, Kai was the co-president & chief marketing officer of Crown Electrokinetics (Nasdaq: CRKN); the chief marketing & innovation officer of Rubicon Resources (acquired by High Liner Foods); a board member of SportTechie (acquired by Leaders Group); and a cofounder of FieldLevel. He’s the author of “Marketing Architecture: How to Attract Customers, Hires, and Investors for Any Company Under 50 Employees.” He has been a contributor to publications like Inc., Entrepreneur, IR Magazine, Family Capital and HuffPost; he has also spoken at an array of industry conferences, including SXSW and has been quoted by publications like the Associated Press and The Los Angeles Times. He is also the board chairman of the University of Southern California’s John H. Mitchell Business of Cinematic Arts Program. Follow Kai on LinkedIn or Twitter.

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