Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) are making an economic difference in our country.
I experienced that notion firsthand while attending The Circle: The Premier Gathering of Leading AAPI Entrepreneurs last weekend in Las Vegas. I was honored to be among the select group of “millennial entrepreneurs, business and thought leaders and trendsetters” to be invited.
AAPIs have some incredible stories to share. At a networking event Friday night–hosted by Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh’s Downtown Project–I met the CEO and founder of FiscalNote. In just three years, he’s landed investments from major names such as Mark Cuban, and he’s grown his staff to more than 400. Even better, he was so humble about his accomplishments.
Saturday’s agenda was a mix of professional development and figuring out how we can “advance the conversation” in terms of providing resources and assistance to AAPI business leaders. In my food entrepreneurs break-out group, I was impressed with the mantra of transparency and helping the next generation instilled by the founders of Boba Guys in their company.
Sometimes small businesses need help from big businesses, so I was pleased by the sponsorship and presence of corporations such as McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Verizon. Their representatives were all ears in terms of how they can further make a difference.
Finally, my trip was made possible by The LAGRANT Foundation (TLF), which generously sponsored me and two fellow former scholarship winners to attend. Words cannot express my gratitude. In addition, I was happy to reconnect with Bill Imada, who sits on the board of the Foundation and is the Chairman and Chief Connectivity Officer of IW Group.
Bill Imada and TLF Chairman & CEO Kim Hunter have done so much to put minorities in positions to succeed, and I hope to continue their cause.