The Living Lab
real-time experiments shaping the future of work
Karma Yangchen Is Building Tech With Heart
BY CAMMANEX EDITORIAL
When Karma Yangchen first walked into her college Python class, she wasn’t chasing a career in tech. She was pre-med, simply ticking off a requirement. But what happened next didn’t feel routine. “It ended up being one of the most fun and intellectually stimulating classes I’ve ever taken,” she says now. “That course became the catalyst—it changed everything.” It wasn’t a dramatic pivot, but a quiet awakening. Karma discovered she had a natural inclination for programming and a deep satisfaction in solving problems. One class turned into a new major, and that new direction led her down a path she hadn’t imagined as a child. “I thought I’d be a doctor,” she reflects. “My path now is definitely a beautifully unexpected one.” Born and raised in Queens, New York, Karma carries herself with grounded presence and thoughtful clarity. In December 2024, she graduated from Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business as a Macaulay Honors Scholar—a full-tuition scholarship that opened more than academic doors.
“That course became the catalyst—it changed everything.It wasn’t a dramatic pivot, but a quiet awakening.I thought I’d be a doctor, my path now is definitely a beautifully unexpected one.”
“Macaulay shaped the human side of my growth,” she says. Community service, peer mentoring, and student leadership experiences helped her cultivate empathy and a genuine appreciation for collaboration. Zicklin, on the other hand, sharpened her business instincts and prepared her to think strategically in complex environments. Together, these dual experiences offered Karma a well-rounded view—analytical, human-centered, and impact-driven. The seeds were already there, though. When she was 12, she made homemade ice cream and came up with the idea of selling it. “I didn’t launch it—my mom thought I was too young—but it sparked something. It was the first time I saw myself as a builder, someone who could take an idea and make it real.” Today, Karma works full-time as a data analyst, while devoting her evenings and weekends to side projects.
One of those side projects is a smart assistant app for client-facing professionals which was born out of a simple question: how can we better remember and act on the things that matter most in human relationships? The idea is elegant and intuitive. The app captures key details from client meetings, helping users build stronger, more personalized connections. “It’s like having a smart assistant who understands your clients as deeply as you do,” she says. “Human memory has limits—this fills in the gaps.” What makes the tool special is not just what it does, but how it does it: Karma designed it to be seamlessly embedded in a professional’s workflow, an invisible yet impactful extension of their intelligence. For Karma, customer experience isn’t a buzzword—it’s a philosophy. “It’s about every interaction a user has with a product, from the moment they first hear about it, through to support,” she explains. “It has to be intuitive, smooth, and accessible. From day one, I focus on simplicity, clarity, and support.” That human-centered ethos carries through everything she builds. Her creative process is deliberate and reflective. She begins with note-taking—writing out the problem, who it’s for, and how the solution might take shape. From there, she sketches out a minimum viable product (MVP), tests early, and builds iteratively based on user feedback. She doesn’t chase perfection; she seeks evolution. And she knows what it means to show up even when the room feels like it wasn’t designed for you. In her college IT courses, 80% of the students were men. “I felt the weight of underrepresentation,” she says.
But I still showed up every day, sat in the front row, took detailed notes, and focused on the possibilities—not the limitations.”
That quiet resilience has carried her through. “There’s always a risk it might not work,” she says of launching new products. “But the risk of regret from not trying is greater than the risk of failure. Even if I fail, I gain valuable lessons. But if I never try, I lose the opportunity to grow.” While some founders talk about hustle, Karma talks about presence. Her leadership values are rooted in empathy, clarity, and a willingness to acknowledge uncertainty. She isn’t posturing for perfection. She’s building for connection. When asked where she sees herself in five years, Karma doesn’t hesitate. “I hope to have launched at least one product that meaningfully solves an important problem. I want to build a legacy of purpose-driven innovation—where technology is used to make lives easier, more efficient, and more human-centered.”
And to other women or non-traditional founders who might be wondering if there’s room for them in tech, her advice is simple: show up. “No matter what the statistics say, focus on your goals and what excites you. Pay attention to what keeps you energized—what you’d stay up late working on just because you love it. Once you find that, pursue it relentlessly. Take the chance.” If she could speak to her younger self now, Karma would simply say: “You’ve come a long way. You’ve learned so much, and I’m proud of you. Every late night, every early morning—it was all worth it. Keep going. The future you’re building is bright.”
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You’ve come a long way. You’ve learned so much, and I’m proud of you. Every late night, every early morning—it was all worth it. Keep going. The future you’re building is bright. “
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