McGuire Alumni 5 Questions | Ted Kay ('97)

Ted Kay graduated with a B.S. in Finance and Entrepreneurship from the University of Arizona in 1997. He worked in the San Francisco area for 10 years in both the finance and technology sectors before moving to San Diego in 2007. He co-founded DLK Investment Management, a SEC Registered Investment Advisor, in 2008, and is currently a managing partner and Chief Investment Officer. He lives in Point Loma with his wife and two children. 

5 Questions with Ted Kay ('97)

Q. What is most surprising about being an entrepreneur? 

A.  The amount of happiness I get from "working" every day. My company has become part of my identity and I can't imagine doing anything else every day.

Q. What was the most important lesson you learned in the Entrepreneurship Program? 

A. I believe there is no substitute for experience. It was the connection to graduates who had started a business and came back to speak to our class about their experience. Those were great opportunities to get a flavor of what it might be like to be an entrepreneur. 

Q. What impact has the Entrepreneurship Program had on your career or life? 

A. I doubt I would have had the confidence to start a business without the experience of going through the program.

Fun Fact: “I once flew to Cuba on a Russian airplane.”

Q. What do you consider your biggest entrepreneurial success? 

A. Not giving up in the early years of starting our firm. There were a lot of sleepless nights for the first five years, but I can now appreciate the lessons learned as I look back on those days.

Q. What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs? 

A. Have a plan B, C, D and E. You can never be too prepared for what might happen when you launch your own business. Also, only work with people you trust and can depend on being good partners when things are not going as planned.