Published inHackerNoon.com·Aug 22, 2017Why You Might Build Your Start-up in China over Silicon Valley 🇨🇳🇺🇸Differences between the tech ecosystem in China vs. the US, from the perspective of a founder that lived in the Bay Area for the last 10 years. — Location matters. There’s a reason that talent from across the world congregated in the 50-mile stretch of land spanning San Jose to San Francisco. (You might be interested to check out Steve Blank’s Secret History of Silicon Valley, a wonderful talk on how this place came to be.) In this…China11 min readChina11 min read
Aug 3, 2017Startups Are Simple. Just Get Two Things Right.Startups are hard. Yet startups are also simple. Don’t overthink it. Thanks to ZhenFund 真格基金 (the world’s largest angel fund, based in Beijing), I got to participate in an EIR program called ZhenResidence 真驿站 over the past 10 days. …Startup4 min readStartup4 min read
Jun 27, 2017Nanjing, Where Dynasties Change HandsHistory Visiting Nanjing helped me realize the grandeur and success of the Chinese empire throughout history. It also showcased the ebb and flow of a civilization — and how dynasties change hands. Nanjing was a renowned historical capital of China for a multiple dynasties. Situated in the fertile southern lands, it…China4 min readChina4 min read
Jun 22, 2017Takeaways from Mary Meeker 2017It’s such a treat to read the KPCB Mary Meeker report every year. It gets me out of my own bubble, and opens a window to the world. We live in a global society and we are all citizens of the world. …Internet3 min readInternet3 min read
Published inHackerNoon.com·Jun 20, 2017Where Technology Meets Culture: Week 1 of Living in BeijingAlthough I visit China about once a year, but until this current trip, they’ve all been short one-week trips. During those trips, I was undeniably a visitor and an outsider, surviving on a roaming T-Mobile SIM card and the Google stack (well, plus WeChat). …China7 min readChina7 min read
May 22, 2017Book Reflection: Decisive — How To Make Better Choices in Life and WorkDecisive — How To Make Better Choices in Life and Work by Chip Heath and Dan Heath INTRO Villains of decision making: Narrow framing (limiting the options we consider) Confirmation bias Short-term emotion Over confidence WIDEN OPTIONS Widen options. More real choices and alternatives. Vanishing options test — now what if we remove…Psychology4 min readPsychology4 min read
May 7, 2017Book Reflection: FlowBook: Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Notes To cultivate flow, one must be active and engaged, not passive and succumbing to desires. It’s an active thing. Overly trusting instinct is not good. Slaves of rewards, whether organic or social. Pleasure vs enjoyment. One is passive, the other is active. It’s impossible to…Flow5 min readFlow5 min read
Mar 21, 2017Cuba: a trip down the time capsuleArrival — There’s no mistake. Landing in Havana definitely is like landing in a different country, and a different time era.Travel10 min readTravel10 min read
Jan 18, 2017Luxury is personal. Luxury is finding peace.2016 had been a crazy year. For those who knew me, the latter of the year had been particularly tough. More than anything else, and more than I needed it out of any other trip, I needed the time and space to disconnect and rediscover peace within. Logistically, Angela and…Travel10 min readTravel10 min read
Jun 20, 2016Book Reflection: Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of ChinaIf you asked me — “which person would you most like to meet?” Deng Xiaoping, the mastermind behind China’s reform and opening, would be on that list in a heartbeat. Growing up in 1990’s Beijing, and having attended school guided by Deng’s philosophy, I’ve long respected him as a leader…China4 min readChina4 min read
