The SVYEP Chronicle

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Erica Poon Werkun: Journey from Banking to Research

By Bretton Lam and Isabella Liang

2 minute read

Citi research director Erica Werkun shares how curiosity, mentorship, and perseverance shaped her rise from young analyst to global leader.

Erica Poon Werkun: Journey from Banking to Research

The 2025 Youth Business Venture Challenge: Empowering Young Entrepreneurs

By SVYEP Team

2 minute read

Over 120 students, judges, and industry leaders gathered at Stanford for a global pitch competition entirely organized by high school entrepreneurs.

The 2025 Youth Business Venture Challenge: Empowering Young Entrepreneurs

Tiffany Zhong: What It Took for a High Schooler to Become the Youngest VC in the World

By Bretton Lam and Isabella Liang

3 minute read

Tiffany Zhong became one of the world’s youngest VCs at eighteen by leveraging curiosity, Gen Z insight, and the courage to build before feeling ready.

Tiffany Zhong: What It Took for a High Schooler to Become the Youngest VC in the World

Alan Du: Investing in the Future of Payments and the Next Generation of Builders

By Bretton Lam and Isabella Liang

3 minute read

PayPal Ventures partner Alan Du shares how he evaluates founders, navigates emerging payment trends, and encourages young builders to embrace curiosity and connection.

Alan Du: Investing in the Future of Payments and the Next Generation of Builders

Robert Parker: The Innovation Mindset Behind the Technologies We Use Every Day

By Bretton Lam and Isabella Liang

3 minute read

Robert Parker reflects on his two-decade career shaping products like PowerPoint, Alexa, and SmartThings—and why young innovators will lead the next era of tech.

Robert Parker: The Innovation Mindset Behind the Technologies We Use Every Day

The Global AI Pitch Summit: Silicon Valley 2025

By SVYEP

1 minute read

Over 300 AI startups and 100+ investors gathered for Silicon Valley’s largest pitch event to discuss the future of AI innovation.

The Global AI Pitch Summit: Silicon Valley 2025

Insights on Growth from Baremetrics CEO Luke Marshall

By Maya Sharma and Bretton Lam

2 minute read

Luke Marshall shares lessons from his journey across industries and his advice for building resilient, growth-focused startups.

Insights on Growth from Baremetrics CEO Luke Marshall

Samarth Jain’s Journey to Empower Future Generations

By Bretton Lam

2 minute read

From transforming cancer care in India to founding CALMU, Samarth Jain shares his mission to educate and equip the next generation.

Samarth Jain’s Journey to Empower Future Generations

Q&A with Charles Ojei, HYBR Group Founder and CEO

By Camille Wang

3 minute read

Charles Ojei discusses his career, lessons learned, and essential entrepreneurial skills from building HYBR Group.

Q&A with Charles Ojei, HYBR Group Founder and CEO

Leadways Christmas Market and the YEP Program

By Bretton Lam

1 minute read

SVYEP introduced families to its upcoming Youth Entrepreneurship Program while engaging with students at the Leadways School Christmas Market.

Leadways Christmas Market and the YEP Program

Inside The Bear Cave: Edwin Dorsey's Path to Exposing Corporate Misconduct

By Bretton Lam

3 minute read

Edwin Dorsey shares how he built The Bear Cave into a major force for uncovering unethical corporate behavior through investigative research.

Inside The Bear Cave: Edwin Dorsey's Path to Exposing Corporate Misconduct

GenAI Series: Qian Chen on Hosting GenAI and Her Path from Journalism to Entrepreneurship

By Bretton Lam

2 minute read

Qian Chen shares her experience hosting the GenAI conference and her journey from broadcast journalism to co-founding Valley 101.

GenAI Series: Qian Chen on Hosting GenAI and Her Path from Journalism to Entrepreneurship

GenAI Series: GenAI in the Valley

By Camille Wang

1 minute read

The 2024 GenAI in the Valley conference brought together 700 attendees for panels, keynotes, and discussions on the future of artificial intelligence.

GenAI Series: GenAI in the Valley

Ethics in Business

By Eason Bao

1 minute read

An exploration of how unethical business practices persist and why accountability remains difficult across many industries.

Ethics in Business

From Vision to Venture: The Amino Youth Entrepreneur Mindset Summit

By Bretton Lam

2 minute read

SVYEP and Amino Capital hosted a summit where 30 students learned directly from top entrepreneurs and investors about pitching, innovation, and venture capital.

From Vision to Venture: The Amino Youth Entrepreneur Mindset Summit

From Photonics Engineering to Google Fiber Pioneer: Cedric Lam’s Journey to High-Speed Access

By Bretton Lam

2 minute read

Cedric Lam shares how his passion for physics and optical networks led him from Hong Kong to co-founding Google Fiber.

From Photonics Engineering to Google Fiber Pioneer: Cedric Lam’s Journey to High-Speed Access

Out of the Ashes of Disaster: Homes 4 the Homeless with Steve Schneider

By Jeremy Peng

2 minute read

Steve Schneider shares how losing his home in the 2017 Sonoma wildfires inspired him to build innovative, dignified housing solutions for the homeless.

Out of the Ashes of Disaster: Homes 4 the Homeless with Steve Schneider

Service and Business

By Bretton Lam

1 minute read

An exploration of how service, purpose, and positive impact can coexist with and even strengthen business success.

Service and Business

Government in Business

By Eason Bao

1 minute read

An overview of the debate on how extensively governments should regulate private businesses and economic activity.

Government in Business

Startups vs Big Tech in AI

By Eason Bao

2 minute read

A look at how startups are challenging tech giants in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence.

Startups vs Big Tech in AI

From Startup to Leader: The Rise of AnswerAI, with Leo Zhang

By Jeremy Peng

2 minute read

Leo Zhang shares how AnswerAI rapidly pivoted from a social app to a leading AI education platform after the launch of ChatGPT.

From Startup to Leader: The Rise of AnswerAI, with Leo Zhang

Andy Zhu's Advice: The Man Who Dined With Buffett

By Jeremy Peng

2 minute read

Andy Zhu shares insights on entrepreneurship, personal growth, and leadership drawn from his journey as an entrepreneur and investor.

Andy Zhu's Advice: The Man Who Dined With Buffett

From Mongolia to Silicon Valley: Jun Liu Made It Happen

By Jeremy Peng

3 minute read

Jun Liu shares her journey from a challenging childhood in Mongolia to becoming a Silicon Valley education entrepreneur driven by her “make it happen” philosophy.

From Mongolia to Silicon Valley: Jun Liu Made It Happen

2/25: AI Demo Day

By Jeremy Pang

1 minute read

Over 70 entrepreneurs and 11 students attended the 1st AI Demo Day by the Bay Area Founders Club on Feb. 25.

2/25: AI Demo Day

2/12: Dinner with Congressional Candidate

By Jeremy Pang

1 minute read

The Bay Area Founders Club hosted congressional candidate Rishi Kumar for its 12th AI dinner at the 7EDU Impact Academy on Feb. 12.

2/12: Dinner with Congressional Candidate