David and I met at an Edtech event in Austin during 2018 SXSW EDU. He had a big smile and I was fascinated by his story; David started in Finance, as an account manager of mutual funds in Boston then spent 20+ years in Asia as a finance and technology leader. He came back to …
Category Archives: Creativity
Jeremy – Big Acts to Save Our Planet
Jeremy loves outdoor; he is an active runner, biker, and hiker. He started Atayne, an active apparel company yet it’s not just another T-shirt company. Each Atayne was made from 100% recycled plastic bottles, certified to be free of harmful chemicals, and supporting local economies: made in USA. Atayne was also a B Corp that …
Sam – Making Life Brighter
When hosting TEDx Millriver: Innovation in 2012, I came across Jane Chen’s Embrace TED talk; it stayed with me and started my interest in learning and supporting social innovation/ enterprise. I read about Stanford’s Design for Extreme Affordability then Sam and d.light. I was fascinated by his story and mission… Sam’s neighbor was badly burned …
Heather – Making it Work!
Heather and I met at MIT Scaling Development Ventures conference in 2017, an event hosted by MIT D-Lab to bring social entrepreneurs and supporters together to make a more equitable world. Heather, who received PhD of Mechanical & Ocean Engineering from MIT, shared her story: Practical Education Network (PEN). I was moved and touched by …
Rich – Multiplier
Rich runs a successful recruiting firm yet he is not a typical recruiter. Rich hasn’t interviewed me, nor placed me for a role. Yet, he has done more than that. We met in Columbus, OH when I was graduating from my MBA program, and we have kept in touch since – for 14+ years. Every …
Amy – Thoughtful Being
If I choose one word to describe Amy, it would be “thoughtful”. Let me give you a few examples… Amy is an amazing chef and a hostess. (Pre-Covid) Every year she threw a holiday (Xmas) party and invited friends to her apartment. She started preparing the “global food tour” days prior, including American favorite, e.g. …
Carol – Building Forward
When you first meet Carol, she welcomes you with a big smile and enthusiastic questions to learn about you. You immediately sense her intelligence and diligence, yet, if you ask what she does, she would simply say, she is a lawyer. What makes Carol special isn’t that she went to Harvard Law School or is …
New Year’s Eve
I called home at 11AM US ET (Taiwan midnight) to wish mom and dad a happy new year. They were watching A-Mei, a local famous singer, singing in her hometown, Taidong. She put up a free concert which brought in NT$3 billion (~US$ 10 million) revenue for the local economy. That’s a great way to …
Christmas Tree and Gift
I heard from the radio that a single mom who was laid-off during Covid felt bad that she couldn’t buy presents to her children, actually, she couldn’t even afford a Christmas tree. I felt sad for her, not only the financial challenges but also the “holiday obligation”. I never had a Christmas tree or gifts …
湯圓Glutinous Rice Balls
Today is winter solstice or 冬至(pounced: Dongzhi), meaning the arrival of winter. Normally in Taiwan, family would get together and enjoy 湯圓(pronounced: tang yuan), glutinous rice balls together. Tang yuan are usually in two sizes: normal, slightly smaller than a plum comes in a variety of flavors. Sesame and peanuts are popular traditional flavors. The …