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AGE: 29 |
At six feet six, Martin is often the tallest man in a room. His stature served him well last summer when he spiked his way to a gold medal in volleyball at the Gay Games in Cologne, Germany. Back in Chicago, he’s the director of finance for CouponCabin, a website that publishes discounts, such as free shipping, for a roster of almost 3,000 merchants. Numbers weren’t in the original career spreadsheet for Martin, who, since childhood, was more taken with French culture, language, and food. But an internship in the accounting department at Morton’s, the steak house, put him on track for finance jobs at entrepreneurial Chicago companies, including Rockit Ranch and Akira. “I think I have that left-brain, right-brain thing going on,” says Martin. His passion for helping small businesses succeed ties into his still-brewing plans for the future. “I appreciate all different forms of art and culture—music, film, fashion, and beyond,” he says. “I’d love to help artists establish a base for their business and find ways to monetize their art forms.”
Photograph: Maria Ponce