As part of our ongoing “Charting the Course” series, we engage with top CEOs, visionary  entrepreneurs, and leading investors to uncover the strategies and lessons learned behind  building transformative tech companies and to discuss and analyze the latest trends and  developments shaping the future of innovation and venture capital investing. 

In this edition, Ivan Nikkhoo sat down with his long-time friend and serial entrepreneur Brian  Lee, co-founder of LegalZoom, ShoeDazzle, The Honest Company, and now Arena Club, a  next-gen collectibles and card grading platform built around blockchain and AI. Brian is also  the founder of BAM Ventures, a seed-stage VC firm backing ambitious consumer and tech  founders. 

Together, they explored what it means to build for longevity, what really matters in a founding  team, and why, sometimes, it’s better not to know what you’re getting into.

Let’s start at the beginning. Can you tell us a little about your background  and how you got into entrepreneurship? 

I was born in Seoul, South Korea, grew up in Orange County, and went to law school in LA. I  worked as a tax attorney at Skadden for a few years, but even though I liked the people, the  work didn’t feel personally fulfilling. I wanted to build something. That’s when a couple of  friends and I started LegalZoom out of my apartment. 

People call it an overnight success – but that “overnight” took 20 years. Today it’s one of the  largest legal services companies in the U.S., publicly traded, and forms more LLCs and  corporations than anyone else. 

And then you went on to found ShoeDazzle and Honest Company. What  was the common thread across all three? 

Honestly, each company came out of a very personal experience – a problem I felt connected  to. With LegalZoom, I saw firsthand how simple legal services could be made more affordable  and accessible. ShoeDazzle came from conversations with my wife – we saw how much  excitement there was around women’s fashion and subscription commerce. And The Honest  Company came from watching my wife become more conscious of what we were putting on  our kids. Jessica Alba had the vision for it, and I could see it was a big opportunity. 

But in each case, we also knew we needed to build trust early. Whether it was Robert Shapiro  with LegalZoom, Kim Kardashian with ShoeDazzle, or Jessica with Honest – we brought in  credible, visible partners who gave the brand a megaphone. That combination of personal  connection and celebrity amplification really helped us break through. 

How important do you think that founder–problem fit is, especially when  you’re investing in others now at BAM Ventures? 

It’s critical. When you’re that close to the problem, your instincts are sharper, your execution  is faster, and you’re more resilient when the inevitable challenges come. You don’t have to be  a deep domain expert, but you need to care enough to stay obsessed with the problem long  after the honeymoon period ends. 

I went from legal documents to fashion to diapers – and I didn’t know how to make any of  those things. But I knew how to learn fast, surround myself with great people, and stay close  to the customer. That mindset has always served me well, and I look for it in founders too. 

Let’s talk lessons learned. You’ve built multiple companies to scale and  IPO. What are the things that really stick with you?

First, it’s all about the team. Know what you’re great at, and be brutally honest about what  you’re not great at. And find co-founders who balance you out. At LegalZoom, my co-founder  Brian Liu and I were total opposites. I was aggressive and fast-moving, he was thoughtful and  detail-oriented. That yin-yang balance was crucial. 

Second, in consumer businesses, brand consistency is everything. You need to deliver on  your promise every time. Brands take time to build, and they’re easy to erode if you  compromise on what you stand for. 

And finally, I’ve learned that you have to make tough calls on people fast. Early in my career, I  held on to hires who weren’t a fit, hoping they’d grow into the role. But they rarely did. Now I  hire fast and fire faster. If they’re not right, move on. Your team is everything. 

Tell us about Arena Club. What are you building – and why now? 

Arena Club is probably the most fun I’ve ever had building a company. It’s a digital platform  for sports card collectors, blending AI, blockchain, and marketplace functionality. As a  lifelong collector, I saw two big issues: card grading was opaque and inconsistent, and online  marketplaces were full of trust problems – scams, non-delivery, you name it. 

So we built Arena Club to fix both. We use AI and computer vision to grade cards with full  transparency. And we’ve built a blockchain-backed marketplace where every card is  authenticated, and trades happen instantly. 

Derek Jeter is my partner in the business, and he brings huge credibility and reach. We’re  growing fast, and the best part is that it doesn’t feel like work, because I’ve loved cards since  I was a kid. 

What’s your investment focus over at BAM Ventures? 

At BAM, we back early-stage consumer-facing businesses – anything where reaching and  engaging the end user is key. We’ve invested in brands like Away, Cotopaxi, and a bunch of  exciting software-enabled platforms. 

Our thesis is simple: we need to love the team, and not hate the idea. At seed stage, there’s  often not much else to go on. Ideas are cheap. Execution is everything. So we spend most of  our time evaluating the founders. Do they have grit? Can they sell? Are they coachable? Are  they solving a real problem they understand deeply? That’s what we care about. 

Everyone’s talking about AI. How are you thinking about it – both as a  founder and an investor?

To me, AI is like air – without it, you die. That might sound extreme, but I really believe it. It’s  that fundamental. Companies that don’t embrace it are going to fall behind fast. At Arena Club, we use AI to automate grading, enhance customer service, and power our  platform. What used to take dozens of people now takes three. 

But there’s a bigger societal question here too: what happens when jobs are displaced at  scale? This isn’t just an efficiency play. It’s a structural shift, and we need to be thoughtful  about the long-term implications. 

Final question: What’s one piece of advice you’d give to founders starting  out today? 

Stay close to the problem. Build with people who complement your skills. And don’t be afraid  to go after something, even if you don’t know everything at the start. Sometimes, it’s better  not to know what you’re getting into, because you won’t get spooked by the scale of the  challenge. You’ll just figure it out, step by step. 

And most of all, have fun. Life’s too short not to build something you love. 

About Brian Lee 

Brian Lee is a serial entrepreneur and VC. He was an attorney with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and a former manager at Deloitte. He attended Servite High School in  Anaheim, graduated with a B.A. in Economics/Business from UCLA, and received his J.D.  from UCLA School of Law. 

In March 2001, Brian, along with Robert Shapiro, Brian P. Y. Liu, and Edward R. Hartman co founded and launched Legalzoom.com, an online legal technology and services company. In May 2009, Brian, Kim Kardashian, Robert Shapiro, and MJ Eng co-founded and launched  ShoeDazzle.com, an online fashion subscription service. Brian, Jessica Alba, Christopher Gavigan, and Sean Kane co-founded The Honest Company, a consumer goods company.  Brian has been a managing partner of BAM Ventures, a venture capital firm, since 2017. In 2022, Brian and Derek Jeter co-founded the Arena Club, which was described as a digital  sports card-collecting platform. 

About Ivan Nikkhoo 

Ivan Nikkhoo is the Founder and Managing Partner of Navigate Ventures, an early growth  fund specializing in partnering with exceptional B2B Enterprise SaaS companies outside  Silicon Valley between Series A and Growth rounds. Navigate employs a risk-mitigated  strategy designed to achieve a short holding period and an accelerated path to Distributions  to Paid-In Capital (DPI). A sought-after speaker, Ivan frequently shares his insights at venture  capital and family office conferences globally and is a regular contributor to several leading industry publications.

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