We're super excited to be speaking with Justin Kan, currently CEO of Atrium - a start-up hoping to reinvent the way lawyers provide exceptional legal service. 👩🏻💼Previously, Justin was a Partner at YC (Y Combinator) and Founder of many other start-ups, including Twitch (acq. by Amazon in 2014 for almost $1B). 👾
Ep 25: Headfirst into Shortcomings with Eric Feng, Partner at KPCB & Co-Founder/CEO of Packagd
We jam with Eric Feng, Partner at Kleiner Perkins (KPCB) and Co-founder/CEO of Packagd. Unlike previous guests, Eric plays dual roles as both an operator and investor. 📈He is the co-founder of Packagd, a startup improving the mobile shopping experience, and is also a full-time partner at Kleiner Perkins. Eric's career is no short of amazing operational feats - he was also previously CTO at Flipboard, the Founding CTO and Head of Product at Hulu, and founder of a few others startups. In this episode, you will hear about Eric’s exciting journey navigating the world of startups and investing!
Ep 24: Emotion Inspired Productions with Phil Wang, Co-Founder of WongFu Productions
Part 3 of 3 of our LA Series, we'll be interviewing one of our childhood idol’s - Phil Wang from Wong Fu Productions. 🎥
You might recognize his name from YouTube hits such as “Yellow Fever” and “Asian Bachelorette,” as Phil has been a creator of many popular films and shorts that resonate with the Asian-American experience. In this episode, you’ll hear from Phil and his journey to create the media company Wong Fu Productions. Founded in 2006 during the rise of YouTube, Phil capitalized on the growth of the platform to grow his media empire as well. Today the Wong Fu Productions YouTube channel has over 3mm followers!
Ep 23: Investing in LA with Eva Ho, General Partner at Fika Ventures
Part 2 of 3 of our LA Series 🌴 Eva Ho, General Partner at Fika Ventures, a technology fund she started which invests mainly in data-focused and AI-enabled start-ups. 📊As a Entrepreneur-in-Residence of LA, she's betting on the LA ecosystem. A serial entrepreneur and founder at heart, she was previously a founding General Partner at Susa Ventures and founding executive at Factual, a leading location data provider in Los Angeles. Ho comes from an eclectic background: She was born in China, but moved to Mozambique to escape communism with her family. At 7, they moved to Boston, where her parents later opened a small Chinese restaurant near Fenway Park. Soon Ho found herself graduating from Harvard and Cornell and entering into the fast-paced world of tech. Join us next week as we share her adventure and learnings along the way!
Ep 22: Dropout to Successful Entrepreneur w/ Mike Zhang, CEO & Co-Founder of Shift Ventures
Today we'll be speaking with Mike Zhang, CEO and Co-Founder of Shift Ventures. Shift Ventures is home to brands like The Drip Club and strives to build world-class brands in the booming e-liquid space. 🌊 At just 25, he has multiple companies and a solid exit under his belt.
We'll talk to him about his experience dropping out of UC Berkeley as a Freshman to start a multi-million dollar airsoft business, as well as the beginnings of The Drip Club, and why he chose to take the helm as CEO. Tune in to hear about his entrepreneurship adventure and the personal values that kept him motivated throughout it!
Ep 21: Building a team through IPO with Melody Koh, former Head of Product at Blue Apron and Venture Partner at NextView Partners
🎙Today, we release Melody Koh, starting with her decision to join Blue Apron👩🍳 as the first product hire, and ultimately the Head of Product through IPO. The values instilled by her parents in test-taking transferred into her work ethic and contributed her style of leadership, which she translates to her org as she managed more, including her peers early on. After IPO, she joined NextView Ventures, and shares her motivations for being operator vs. investor, now having done both!
Ep 20: Building an Online VC Community with Alex Mittal, Co-Founder & CEO of FundersClub
Alex Mittal is the Co-Founder and CEO at FundersClub, the world's first online VC platform. 💰With the aspiration of removing human bias from fundraising, FundersClub is an online marketplace that uses software and networks to discover, fund, and support founders. Previously, Alex was a serial entrepreneur, having buit everything from Crederity (background checking and data company) to Innova Dynamics (electronic materials and nanotechnology platform). In the episode, Alex also shares his unique upbringing having been raised by Chinese and Indian parents 👪, and how those values of always questioning and being capital efficient is instilled in FundersClub’s values.
Ep 19: Tech-Enabling the Family Business with James Joun, Co-founder & COO of Rinse
Today we're releasing featuring James Joun - Co-Founder and COO at Rinse 👔, previous Investor @Essex Woodlands, product @Genentech, and HBS MBA/Dartmouth BA grad. Growing up, James gained unprecedented industry expertise having worked in his parent’s Laundry store for over 25 years. After a career in consulting, going to business school, and finally investing/building healthcare companies, Joun realized he wanted to pursue his passion of helping his parent’s and other laundry stores be connected through technology to grow their business. Without a doubt, James’s story epitomizes the Fish Sauce Family value of "Love the Things You Make" ❤️, having moved from a steady career in finance to doing what he loves everyday. We're really pumped to share all that we've learned from James with our listeners - stay tuned for the episode next Monday!
Ep 18: A Passion Driven Career with Preethi Kasireddy
🎙Today, we release a new episode Preethi Kasireddy, CEO/Founder of Schelling - a stealth start-up in the blockchain space 📈. If you're interested in taking the plunge into a new career or the world of blockchain, this is the episode for you! 🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast player.
Ep 17: Enabling Communities and Marketplaces with Dave Lu, Co-Founder and President of Pared
🎙Today, we release a new episode with Dave Lu, Co-Founder of Pared and previously Fanpop 📈 💪. Dave co-founded restaurant labor marketplace: Pared. He was also previously founder and CEO of Fanpop, a destination website for fans of pop culture. Dave has also worked at some of the biggest names in consumer technology (Apple, eBay, Sony, Yahoo!). If you're interested in the transition from operator to start-up founder this is the episode for you!
Ep 16: Success through Failures with Elizabeth Yin, Co-Founder and Partner at the Hustle Fund
Today, we release a new episode with Elizabeth Yin, co-Founder and Partner at the Hustle Fund 💪. Join us today to learn about Yin's entrepreneurial journey from starting her own company to helping other start-ups become successful at the Hustle Fund and as a previous partner @500Statups. Yin shares valuable stories on successes and failures in her own life and through her experiences mentoring and coaching dozens of start-ups.
Ep 15: Culinary Entrepreneurship with Brandon Jew, Exec. Chef of Michelin Star-rated Mister Jiu's
Get hungry! 😋 We're super stoked to be kicking off Season 2 of Fish Sauce with Brandon Jew, Chef and Founder 👨🍳 of SF Michelin 🌟 restaurant, Mister Jiu's.
Join us to learn more about Brandon's ascent from a childhood spent in SF Chinatown markets to tours of culinary duty in renowned kitchens throughout Italy, China, and the States. Never before has our guest's "Secret Sauce" been so literal!
About the Guest
Brandon Jew is the Executive Chef and Founder of Mister Jiu’s, a Michelin-rated restaurant in San Francisco’s Chinatown.
A second-generation Chinese-American and native San Franciscan, Brandon started working in kitchens while studying Biology in college. After graduation, Brandon skipped the Soy Sauce for an apprenticeship in the kitchens of Emilia-Romagna, an Italian region famous for its culinary history.
After years honing his craft in California’s finest kitchens and a second apprenticeship in Beijing, Brandon set out to create a restaurant authentic to him.
Since April 2016, Mr. Jiu’s has been defying diners’ expectations of Chinese-American cuisine while revitalizing one of Chinatown's cultural institutions.
This Episode's Family Value: Order Family Style
We define ourselves by our mission; inspiring others to discover their Secret Sauce and take a leap of faith from traditional career paths by sharing the stories of successful Asian-American entrepreneurs, investors and operators.
If our mission resonates with you, please consider forwarding our podcast to others or joining our newsletter for a more personal touch. We can't wait to welcome you to the Fish Sauce Family!
Mister Jiu's
28 Waverly Pl, San Francisco, CA 94108
The Connection
Our good buddy Brian Ko is an investor in Mister Jiu’s. After hearing about the Fish Sauce mission, Brian encouraged us to share Brandon's story through our platform, and put us in touch.
In addition to working with Wilson at Square, Brian is a long-time friend of Wilson’s brother.
Brian’s definitely eating (Kyi) Family Style!
Ep 14: Inspiring VR Dreams with Maureen Fan, CEO and Co-Founder of Baobab Studios
Part 3 of 3 of our summer Female Founder series 👩💼 with our Maureen Fan, CEO and Co-Founder of Baobab, the "Pixar of VR." 🎥
For all her life, Maureen has always bucked the trends. 🌊 Starting at a young age, she wanted to pursue a career in design and animations, but had to overcome societal and practical expectations. After finally interning at Pixar during her time at HBS, she decided to dive into gaming 👾 at Zynga, and climbed from a product manager to a VP of games managing $200M. After experiencing the potential and immersive experience of VR, 🕶 she decided to take the leap of faith with Baobab.
As an Asian female in the workplace, she's learned to "always be asking," 🙋 which is the opposite of her cultural and gender values. Over time, the only way to improve the workplace is to educate men on the "unconscious bias," instead of just having conversations with females. Whether you're an Asian female, this episode will help anyone who's involved in a diverse team by learning our biases and build a more productive team culture. 🤝
Ep 13: Empowering thru Employment with Tenzin Seldon, CEO and Co-Founder of Kinstep
Part 2 of 3 of our summer Female Founders Series. Tenzin Seldon is the CEO and Co-Founder of Kinstep and also dubbed Dalai Lama's 🙏 right hand woman. Kinstep is a platform matching immigrants with employment directly in the local community.
Tenzin is a Tibetan warrior, 🛡 constantly battling the challenges that immigrants face everyday. Her personal challenges of understanding and being comfortable with her identity has been a long time coming. She wrote her thesis on this topic as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. Like many of us, she cannot be described by just one culture, but an almalgamation of experirences around the world. Listen in as she shares her exraordinary upbringing, and her thoughts on humanity and society's future. 🌏
Ep 12: Startup "Moonlighting" 🌛 with Bebe Chueh, Co-Founder of Atrium
Part 1 of 3 of our summer Female Founders Series. Bebe Chueh is the Co-Founder of Atrium. She built her legal chops as the CMO of LegalZoom, after she sold her company to them. She admits that she started her career as a lawyer because of her parents, but shortly after she kept "raising" her dad by leaning towards entrepreneurship until she finally leaped. She has since adopted the idea of "moonlighting" as a method to manage her entrepreneurial risks.
Ep 11: The Dessert (Season 1 Finale)
🎙 In our Season 1 finale "The Dessert" 🍨, we turn the tables around and we answer "What is your secret sauce?" a question we usually ask our guests! Listen to this special episode to hear all the saucey secrets 🙊 you've been waiting for from our favorite episodes to our process, questions we wish we asked, and Season 2 sneaky peaky! We can't say this enough, but we're so grateful for all support from our Fish Sauce Family, and we have a good feeling you'll get a chuckle or two from this no holds barred, delicious season finale! 😋
Ep 10: Builder or Seller with Gokul Rajaram, Product Engeering Lead at Square
Part 3 of 3 of our Veteran Operators Series. Gokul Rajaram is dubbed the "Godfather of Adsense" from Google, Facebook, and most recently he's the Product Engineering Lead at Square. He shares his perspective as a product person, founder, and angel investor. Finally, he closes Season 1 of Fish Sauce's guest by encouraging us to raise our hand for more responsibilities to get a seat in the C-Suite.
Ep 09: Breaking into BizOps with Dan Yoo, COO of NerdWallet
Part 2 of 3 of our Veteran Operators Series. Dan Yoo, COO of NerdWallet, not only survives the tech bubble bubble, but he also builds a 120-person BizOps team at Linkedin. Dan establishes his definition of BizOps, a role that has been a linchpin to the top tech companies. If you're interested in this role, don't miss this one!
Fish Sauce Exclusive Content: Starting Stone Korean Kitchen with Robby Kwok
Today, we release a fireside chat on opening a restaurant! Robby from Slack brings us back to why he started it with his good friend Dan Yoo from Nerdwallet. There are a few surpises in this week's special clip, so don't miss this one, especially if you're thinking about opening up a restaurant! 🍴
Ep 08: Building a Career Thru Organic Networking with Robby Kwok, Head Corp. Ops & Strategy at Slack
Part 1 of 3 of our Veteran Operators Series. Robby Kwok, Slack's Head of Corporate Operations and Strategy shares how the strength of network has guided his career in Yahoo, Linkedin, Tellapart, and Twitter. Also, we learn what makes a great manager.