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  • Samarth Jain’s Journey to Empower Future Generations

    By Bretton L - February 2, 2024 The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Growing up in India, Samarth Jain moved to the United States to pursue his undergraduate studies in Illinois. Following graduation, he worked on Wall Street for a while before returning to India in 2012 to start his own business focused on advanced cancer testing. His company, PositiveBioscience, aimed to bridge the gap in access to technology for cancer patients in India. Even for those who could afford it, testing to determine the next stage of cancer treatment was not easily accessible to patients in India. PositiveBioscience offered affordable and advanced testing that enabled quicker diagnoses and personalized treatment plans for cancer patients in India. After his journey leading PositiveBioscience, Jain founded a new SBJain School of Global Management in the Bay Area, known as CALMU or California Miramar University. SBJain School of Global Management has campuses in Mumbai, Dubai, Singapore, Sydney, London, and now three in California. I had the opportunity to speak with Samarth Jain, a person who revolutionized the healthcare industry in India and is now working to educate the next generation. After learning about Jain’s background and journey, I shifted our conversation to his current venture of founding CALMU. Q: What steps did you take to establish CALMU’s location? A: “Starting a project in the U.S. involves obtaining state approval and, if necessary, education approval for loan titles. International students also require approval from the Department of Homeland Security, adding another layer to the heavily regulated industry, comparable to banking and healthcare. Each country has its own regulations, so compliance with local laws is essential while maintaining an integrated system for innovation. For the physical location, from the start, we’ve been fortunate to work closely with the San Jose Mayor’s office, which has helped us navigate the process efficiently. We had to build classrooms and ensure compliance with city permits, including fire safety. When selecting the space, we prioritized proximity to housing and walkability to ensure students have easy access and activities. Our goal is to create a space that meets various needs where students will be happy to learn and engage.” Q: How does this university differ from others in its mission or approach? A: “If I had to pick two things, I would say firstly, our focus is really around getting our students job opportunities. 95% of our students are hired usually within three months after graduation because employers trust that we're doing a good job, selecting and training the students to succeed in that job and industry. Secondly, we recently launched more than 20 AI courses in the last year alone and we've also just rolled out an AI tutor we programmed ourselves. The AI tutor allows students to ask the tutor to clear up concepts they don’t understand and is available to students 24/7. We utilize the AI tool to help guide students on specific courses, accessing our own materials and resources instead of searching the internet. We really want our students to be fully aware of how to use AI technology so that they succeed out there in the world.” Q: What impact do you hope the university will have on its students and the community? A: “The impact of the university on its students and the community depends on the individual student and the career path they want to pursue. For example, I met a military student whose goal was to earn a degree to improve his chances for promotion within his company. Another student, originally from Egypt, completed his bachelor's and master’s degrees in computer information systems with us, but he exceeded his goals and landed a job at Apple. The university's courses are tailored to meet the diverse needs of students, with both required and optional courses that align with their interests and goals.” Q: Do you have any advice for students pursuing a business degree and how they can prepare for future job opportunities? A: “I’m hesitant to give general advice to all students, as each individual’s path is unique. However, I can share that skills like AI are becoming increasingly valuable. AI presents a great opportunity for students to set themselves apart by mastering AI and applying it to business cases and solutions. At our university, we’re working on incorporating AI into some projects, such as automating certain processes or improving efficiency, though we still rely on human oversight for things like admissions. We’re constantly exploring ways to improve with AI, like using it to review PowerPoint slides for errors. It's an evolving field, and staying adaptable will be key for future job opportunities. If students are able to adapt to our fast changing world and use newfound skills and technology, they have better opportunities to prepare themselves for future success.” Samarth Jain’s impact extends beyond his success in revolutionizing cancer testing in India. He shifted his focus to helping the new generation in education by founding CALMU.  The university’s commitment to preparing students for future jobs by integrating AI into their curriculum shows Jain’s dedication to creating accessible education that meets today’s fast changing world. Through his leadership, Jain continues to help others by educating future generations of students to ensure they are better prepared to face challenges in their professional careers.

  • Pre-Alpha K-12 Innovations Pitch Summit

    By Jeremy P, Camille W - January 19, 2025 SVYEP hosted the New-Star Showcase: Pre-Alpha K-12 Innovations Pitch Event at the Global AI Pitch Summit hosted by the Bay Area Founders Club on Jan. 12. Over 1000 entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and students attended the summit at the Plug & Play Tech Center in Sunnyvale. SVYEP hosted a booth and boba fundraiser for visitors, and officers Bretton Lam and Camille Wang presented the pitch for SVYEP to a panel of investors and judges. SVYEP Design Manager Sophia Liu also presented her own business, EcoFamily. The young entrepreneurs and student organizations presented their projects to investors with the opportunity to secure funding The morning before the pitch event featured an informative workshop, “Mastering Your VC Pitch: From Vision to Value,” with professors from Stanford University who shared their insights into crafting a winning venture capital pitch based on personal experiences. The afternoon pitch event provided a platform for young entrepreneurs to showcase their innovations and ideas in front of a panel of investors, startup mentors, and industry leaders. Each participant had a set time limit to present their concept, outline their strategy, and highlight their impact. The judges evaluated the pitches based on not only the product but also the pitch, offering valuable feedback to the contestants to refine their ventures. Through this competition, the vent fostered connections between students and professionals. The event not only allowed participants to receive feedback, but it served as a stepping stone for gaining mentorship, funding, and future opportunities. It combines creativity, innovation, and ambition to highlight the next generation of entrepreneurs, reinforcing SVYEP’s mission to empower students through business and leadership.

  • Q&A with Charles Ojei, HYBR Group founder and CEO

    SVYEP officer Camille Wang interviewed founder and CEO of HYBR Group Charles Ojei last month. HYBR is a boutique business development firm which empowers African entrepreneurs to work with corporations and governments to make impact. Here's Charles on entrepreneurship. Camille: Do you mind telling us a little bit about yourself and your business? Charles: Thank you so much for inviting me and giving me the opportunity to talk about entrepreneurship. It's something I'm very passionate about. My name is Charles. I grew up in West Africa. I started coding in my teenage years and went on to university to study industrial relations, personal management, in today's modern age, it will be called Human Resources. I did that in my undergrad days, and then never practiced it, because my first job was in sales at PG, Procter and Gamble. And then I also did marketing and strategy for a few years, and then I moved on to a science company and help them build their food and agriculture business in Africa. Did that for a few years, and then moved on to GE where I helped set up some of the high technology businesses in West Africa, and help expand their healthcare service business as well in Africa. And after that, went to grad school, to business school, came back and did my last job, incorporated with Samsung and led one of the subsidiaries and after that, I started my company today, which is HYBR, which is an innovation development firm. Camille: What sparked your interest in business or entrepreneurship, and how did you get started? Charles: So that's a very interesting question. Now that I think about it, I would say I never really set out to become an entrepreneur from when I completed my studies in university, my first job in corporate was in sales, and you know, it led from one job, you know, to the next. And I realized that in all the companies I had worked for, I was always given assignments that were focused on building innovations, building markets, building new products, building new customers. So I was always building things from scratch. I had a good appetite for risk, and I knew how to navigate uncertainties. So doing my doing my last job, which was at Samsung. And you know, after business school, I really picked up interest in entrepreneurship. So I said, You know what? Let me learn more about entrepreneurship. I enrolled in a program during my time at Samsung. I wrote in a program in the Netherlands, and I was really trying to figure out, okay, if I were to start my own company, what would it be? What would I be doing? So every six weeks I would fly into into the Netherlands, and then over, over a period of six months, and one day, we were doing a visioning session. It's really a time to reflect on your past and really look at some of the learnings and some of the things that you have picked up as you go along your career. So I reflected a bit, and I realized that, hey, I was, you know, I was always building and scaling solutions in the companies that I was working for. So I told myself, you know, why don't I help startup founders? Why don't I help leaders build and scale their businesses? So I was like, Okay. And then HYBR, was born, and our initial focus was really to help companies build and skill, and that was how I started my entrepreneurial journey in full. Camille: Can you share a specific challenge that you faced and what you took away from it or learned from it? Charles: Well, there are so so many, entrepreneurship is not a straight line. They are many, many ups and downs. There are days that you will be so excited, the days that you will be depressed, like, oh my god, what am I doing here? So there's really a lot of things that I've learned as I walk through this journey, I think some of the most important ones to me are as entrepreneurs. It's very important to understand the market that we are focusing on in the early days of HYBR, the market we serve were generally entrepreneurs, were generally startup founders, startup companies. But we realized that, you know, for the services that we were offering them, they really couldn't afford our services. So hence we ended up having a lot of cash flow issues that they weren't able to pay, even though our services were really good, but we struggled. And one thing I would say is that when you as an entrepreneur, you find out that whatever solution you're building is not really working the way you anticipated. Anticipated it to work. It's important you pivot very, very quickly. There's a very popular saying, fail very fast. So we needed to pivot. We needed to become a venture fund that will provide the cash or the financing that our customers needed, or we completely change our entire business model and the people that we serve. So for me, if I were to, you know, speak to entrepreneurs today is to identify the right market, identify the potential of that market and ensure that whatever you're building, you're building it for people that want it and can afford it. Camille: What do you think are some of the most important skills to have as an entrepreneur? Charles: You know, an entrepreneur is, especially in the early days, you would do everything, you would be your HR, you would be your finance, you would be your sales. You'll be sales. In some cases, you even be the engineer building the product. So you definitely would, you know, have skills in many, many areas. There definitely is a core thing that you probably are good at. Some founders are very good in engineering, and some founders are very good in sales. But I would say that these are, I would say more of, like, hard skills, you know, skills that you get you learn from from school and you pick up along the way. As an entrepreneur, I think what is really, really, truly essential are the soft skills, alright? And let me highlight two that I feel are really, really very important, irrespective of what you're building or which market you're serving or which industry you're in. I think the first one is your ability to solve problems, because you're going to see them on a daily basis, like problems are just going to be coming towards you, even when you're not looking for them. So you must be able to really learn how the world works very quickly. To be a good entrepreneur is really about solving real world problems. Because out of those problems, merge your products and your services, so you need to be able to, I would say, pick the right problems and the right people that have those problems. This is really very, very important. And problem solving requires a lot of observation. It requires you to be able to listen, listen to the market, listen to your team, listen to your customers, and learn, and then begin to craft and design solutions. You can build a good solution. If you don't have a good problem, the solution is a reflection of the problem you're actually trying to solve. So your ability to spot problems and solve them, I think, is a very essential skill. The second thing I think is important is your ability to work with people, because at the end of the day, building a business is really about interacting with people. Your customers are human beings, your investors are human beings, your employees are human beings, your partners, your colleagues, they're all human beings. The business is people interacting and, you know, doing business with each other, so as an entrepreneur, it’s very important to understand what drives people and what is the best way to communicate and engage, to motivate and to influence them. So working with people is really, really, very, very important, whether you're an introvert or you're an extrovert, you will interface with people, and you must be able to to work with people. So, problem solving and working with people. I would say, amongst many other skills are, quite important. They're very important. Camille: If you could start over, what is one thing, or like, maybe multiple things that you would do differently? Charles: So many, well, so many, I tell you the truth, so many. I wish I could restart the clock and go back eight years. And we fail to realize time moves very quickly. You know, it goes very, very fast. I would say that I wish I researched the space more, the space I was focused or working on. I wish I researched it more, because a lot of times we have this dot, right? We have this instinct, ah, there's this thing, there's this spark, there's this great idea that we have. We make these assumptions and we say we are onto something, but sometimes we need to just, you know, slow down a little and really try and understand the space that we are trying to work in, whether it's a tech, AI, FinTech, what is the true context of the problem or the dynamics of that specific environment or issue that we're dealing with? So I wish we did more research to truly identify the problem we're trying to solve and deepen our understanding of that problem. I wish we did that, and spent more time doing that. I also, you know, in learning about that space. Secondly, I wish we really went ahead to understand people that had walked the journey, specifically in that area, people that had succeeded and people that have failed, and why? Really trying to understand what are the existing models? So we don't end up trying to recreate things that have already been created. What models already exist? And where are the gaps in those models? And where do we truly innovate so that we can solve the problem that we are addressing in a better way. So I think gathering more intelligence around the problem that we're trying to solve, I mean not going into what you call the paralysis of analysis, where you're just, you know, soaking yourself deeply in so many facts, and not trying to move. There is a good balance between understanding the space you're in and moving forward in taking things into motion. So you know, doing better research to properly identify the problem and doing better research to see what already exists so you can innovate better. Camille: How do you measure your success? Charles: You know, it's tricky, right? Because in the early days of building a company, you really don't know what you're building. You are trying to get to a point where you have something that customers want. So depending on the stage you are in, as you build your business, your success will, the meaning of success will change. So in the early days, when you're trying to understand the problem, it's really about how many interactions are you having with customers or prospective customers, and what are you learning? All right, you know, what are you learning? And as you begin to build a solution, it's now about, you know, how quickly are you building it, and how are your customers using, you know, but as things begin to take shape, and you have a product that customers want to buy or want to exchange for value, then some really definite matrix for success now begins to emerge so things like, how many customers do you have? How many of these customers are active? What kind of revenues are you generating from these revenues? What do your margins look like? How satisfied are your customers? So net promoter score, NPS, how satisfied are your customers? What kind of profits are you able to generate from each transaction and over a period of time? And you know, apart from the financial and commercial and economic success measures, what kind of impact are you creating, either socially or environmentally, because these things are also important. How many jobs are you creating? What kind of environmental footprint do you have as a result of your products being, you know, produced and sold? So I would say that, you know, a founder or an entrepreneur should understand what stage they are in, in terms of their growth or their stage of development, and then understand for that stage what are the required success measures. Alright, because you know, you might say a success measure is, for example, revenue, but you don't have a product yet, right? So it's important for founders to, you know, be very clear what stage am I at right now? And based on that, what is the required success measure?

  • Leadways Christmas Market and the YEP Program

    This past weekend, our SVYEP team participated in the Leadways School Christmas Market Winter Festival. Meeting with young students and their families from around the Bay Area, we explained our mission of offering students professional experience and connecting them to entrepreneurs. Explaining the benefits we provide students with, we received huge interest from families. With our Youth Entrepreneurship Program (YEP) launching soon, families learned how the program could help their children gain entrepreneurial exposure at a young age while exploring their creativity.  Launching in winter of 2025, SVYEP is hosting a Youth Entrepreneurship Program (YEP) for young kids from grades 4-6. Throughout the span of 8 weeks, students will design a product, service, or business revolving around a cartoon character of their choice. They will learn how to design, promote, market, and financially manage their creative innovation. This will allow for young students to be introduced to a new field of study at a young age, broadening their scope by exploring areas like product design, marketing, promotion, and financial management in a simple and fun way. Please stay tuned for our upcoming program by joining us today at https://www.svyep.com/join .

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

    By Bretton L - November 27, 2024 The interview has been edited for length and clarity. The Bear Cave is a widely-read newsletter and business created by Edwin Dorsey, dedicated to uncovering unethical practices within major companies. By shining a light on corporate misconduct, it not only informs the public but also creates opportunities for short sellers. So, what exactly is short selling? It’s when an investor borrows shares of a stock and sells the shares, betting that its value will decrease. If the price falls, the investor buys back the shares at a lower cost, profiting the difference. I had the privilege of interviewing Edwin Dorsey—a trailblazer whose investigations can shift market trends. His work not only challenges powerful corporations but also holds them accountable for unethical practices, establishing himself as a powerful voice in the world of finance. Background Prior to founding the Bear Cave, Dorsey attended college in Stanford. During that time, he interned for various hedge funds. His main internship that gave him a lot of experience doing investigative work in companies was in a short selling company, Sophos Capital Management, interning on and off all 4 years of college. Q: What was your motivation for starting the Bear Cave? A: “My plan was when I graduated I was going to work for them [Sophos] but they were in the process of shutting down when I was graduating so I needed to find a job. So the main reason I started the Bear Cave in February of 2020 my senior year of college was to get attention and hopefully get hired. The thing is the newsletter became really big really fast during the pandemic. Looking back at it, February 2020 was literally the best time in history to launch an email newsletter so I got very lucky with the timing.” Q: What is the Bear Cave’s mission? A: “The Bear Cave is focused on exposing corporate misconduct and actively going and trying to figure out what is going on in the world. The mission today is exposing bad companies and showing people how they can do the same type of research themselves.” Q: How do you find companies to research and how do you research them? A: “Anywhere and everywhere. I’ll find companies that interest me; my friends will come with stories of bad experiences with companies. I also track a lot of litigations, press releases, and lawsuits. I’m addicted to Twitter, so oftentimes I'll see somebody tweet something and I’ll want to start poking around. I track a lot of board members that I think have bad histories where if they have been involved in a lot of failed projects, I think future projects are more likely to fail. Sometimes readers will reach out to me and recommend companies that I should look at. Sometimes I’ll try to find themes like winners and losers because of AI. Once a company gets on my radar, the thing I’m uniquely good at is I use the Freedom of Information Act to go to state regulators to get consumer complaints people file against businesses." The Freedom of Information Act is a set of laws that allows any citizen to go to government agencies and request records from the agencies, specifically for Dorsey, consumer complaints about businesses. Success and Growth Dorsey states, “When I started the Bear Cave, I thought it would be a niche publication.” Today, over 70,000 people including students, investors, and law firms read the Bear Cave. Dorsey never marketed out the newsletter. Its growth entirely stemmed from word of mouth and the newsletter being spread online. However, his journey was not always the easiest. As someone who is constantly criticizing people in power, Dorsey is surprised he still has not been sued. Nonetheless, he has received cease and desist letters from companies and a private investigator has even showed up at his parents house before. Sticking to the facts and showing the evidence of what he reports on, Edwin Dorsey helps maintain the integrity of what he is reporting on. Although many of his readers are short sellers and Dorsey has a proven track record of successfully exposing companies with bad practices, he never shorts the companies he reports on. This helps him add a level of integrity to what he does. Q: What is the most successful breakthrough you have reported on? A: “When I was a college student, I started criticizing this babysitting company called Care.com , a platform where parents could find safe and trusted babysitters for their children. By signing up as Harvey Weinstein, I was able to prove they aren’t doing background checks they claim to be doing. I reached out to dozens of journalists and the Wall Street Journal ultimately had a front page story about how Care.com babysitters with criminal histories were hired through the platform and led to the killing of 8 children. My work caused the Care.com stock to collapse, the company was acquired by another company, and the management was replaced. That was the first major breakthrough that I think really changed the trajectory of my career. Along with the larger following I received, it gave me the credibility where people trusted what I reported.” Q: How do you envision the Bear Cave growing in the future? A: “The thing about newsletters is scale. It's the same amount of work whether 10 people or 10 million people read it. By consistently reporting quality content, It will naturally grow. Once I have a big audience, the main way for the Bear Cave to grow is for me to continue going on podcasts so more people can learn what I do and what the Bear Cave is.” Advice Q: Do you have any general advice for other young people who are looking to become entrepreneurs or looking to start their own business? A: ”You could always start small. Once you start taking the first step, everything becomes easier. Being willing to not just go to seminars but to send a cold email to a person you admire, to reach out and introduce yourself, just go one step further than expected, that will make all the difference in life.” Edwin Dorsey took the first step that transformed his journey from searching for a job after college to founding his own newsletter business that is read by tens of thousands of people. Through determination and perseverance, he turned his passion into a powerful platform exposing companies with bad practices.

  • GenAI series: Qian Chen on hosting GenAI and her path from journalism to entrepreneurship

    By Bretton L - November 9, 2024 Previously, we posted an article discussing the GenAI in the Valley event, hosted by Valley 101. Following the event, we had the opportunity of interviewing Qian Chen, one of the co-founders of Valley 101. We learned about her perspective of hosting the event and her successful entrepreneurial journey from being a television anchor to becoming a co-founder! First, we asked Ms. Chen questions pertaining to hosting the GenAI conference which drew such large interest. Q:  What were your main goals you wanted to accomplish at the event? A: “Previously, I generated a large audience of listeners through Youtube and my podcast, but I had no opportunity to have a face to face event to inform people about Valley 101. My first goal was to bring people together and have my Youtubes’ and podcasts’ audiences gather together at the GenAI conference. With there being so many events about AI in Silicon Valley, I wanted to do something different aside from generic events interviewing people about coding. My second goal was to have a media perspective about AI, inviting multimedia elements to the event, and understanding how storytelling would add a new perspective to GenAI. You could see this in how we had diverse conversations about AI in different topics including jewelry, music, and education.” Q: How did you market out the event to ensure high attendance? A: “With our platforms already having 3 million subscribers, we mainly promoted the event through our Youtube channel as well as the podcasts. Across 10 different channels, we told our viewers and listeners about the event and encouraged them to attend the GenAI conference on October 19th. In addition, we have third party collaborations and partnerships with different organizations and businesses. We offered discounts to partners to promote the event.” Q: How did you reach out to the different speakers? Were they people you already knew? A: “Most of the speakers we invited were already close with us or we already knew through mutual connections. This is one of the advantages of being a media company as many of our speakers we previously interviewed were easy to reach out to. Some speakers also helped introduce us to other guests for speakers depending on the different topics.” Q: What was the most challenging part about the whole process of setting up the event? A: “Since this was the first time we ever hosted a big event, managing the process was the most difficult part of the process. The details were extremely important throughout the entire planning, preparing things including what venue to book and how to broadcast the event and record it. Simultaneously having to manage so many different aspects of hosting the event made it challenging. We thought we had everything ready but there are always last minute changes which affect the original plans. One of our key speakers canceled the day before, causing us to have to adjust our events’ agenda, redesign the questions, and replace the speaker with another one.” Q: Would you consider the GenAI conference a success? A: “Yes I would give the conference’s success a 9/10 since although this was the first time we hosted an event, it went really smoothly.” Excited to learn more about Ms. Chen’s background and her successful career path, we shifted over to questions about Ms. Chen’s career from working in broadcast journalism to becoming an entrepreneur. Q: What is your background prior to founding Valley 101? A: “Prior to founding Valley 101, I had a career in television. I studied broadcast journalism at Syracuse. After graduating from college, I worked in Wall Street for 2 years in the New York Stock Exchange as a reporter for public markets. After 2 years, I became a bilingual reporter in Singapore for CNBC, where I reported 2-3 minute time segments on air. However, I wanted to broaden my professional career from cable news to the more modern internet media. I quit my job as a reporter and went to Stanford for my master in data journalism where I met my co-founder. Together we joined forces in 2022 and built Valley 101 from there.” Q: What is Valley 101’s mission? A: “There has always been a cultural gap in Mandarin content and we wanted to create shorter videos around 30 minutes or shorter with different types of content. Nobody was making well-designed content about tech and finance so we wanted to reach the Asian American audience who wanted to learn more about certain topics and have more segments. We wanted to produce content to fill the language gap while still entertaining our followers.” Q: What inspired you to co-found Valley 101? A: “I always wanted to produce good content, and being an anchor limited my creativity. I also hosted another segment called “Asia Market Minute” where we had 1 minute segments talking about Asian markets, which didn’t let us talk about much in detail. I wanted more in depth investigative journalism, getting into the details about core parts of businesses. Once I moved to Silicon Valley, I learned more about research and development of tech and wanted to build a bridge between cutting edge technology and the public. Co-founding Valley 101, we were able to find a fun, easy, and understandable way for the general public to know more about advancements in technology and industrial developments while having our own unique creative approach.” Q: What is the most valuable piece of information you have learned throughout your career? A: “Do something you like and are good at. For a long time I knew I wanted to do videos and decided to focus on visualization and data-driven storytelling. Stay consistent with what you want to focus on. Valley 101 was able to grow fast because of our good team but also because we understood our advantages compared to other competitors and media creators.” Q: What advice do you have to students aspiring to become future entrepreneurs or business leaders? A: “Specifically to students in Silicon Valley, the youth are often encouraged to try to start their own companies. There is a large failure rate in entrepreneurship, but the strongest who survive are those who are most talented in their field. Make sure to use your special strengths and insights on the future of an industry because it will give you a significant advantage over others. Have a passion for what you do because if you don’t enjoy the business you run or its mission, you won’t have the motivation.” The interview with Ms. Chen offered our team valuable insights into the entrepreneurial mindset required for hosting events and navigating career challenges. Her advice to others was very inspiring, showing how entrepreneurs need to be ahead of their competitors and enjoy what they are doing to find success. Additionally, her unique journey from broadcast journalism to entrepreneurship demonstrates that anyone can successfully pivot careers, leveraging their existing skills to create new opportunities and achieve their goals.

  • GenAI series: The Value of Discussing AI

    The second GenAI Summit Silicon Valley on Nov. 2 was an inspiring event that showcased the latest advancements in artificial intelligence and how it's reshaping technology and business. I learned about how AI is becoming more accessible, faster, and more effective for real-world uses. This includes everything from helping companies make better decisions to creating AI systems that can understand and process different types of information—like images and text—at the same time. A key takeaway was how AI can be applied to many fields, including education, healthcare, marketing, and business. There was a focus on the practical side of using AI responsibly, like ensuring data privacy and maintaining security in AI applications. This understanding of both the potential and the ethical responsibilities of AI was valuable and highlighted how essential it is to have a balanced approach when using these powerful technologies. The event was well-organized and offered a great mix of talks, panels, and networking opportunities. I appreciated the range of topics, from technical insights on how AI systems are built to big-picture discussions about AI's role in the future. The live demos and pitches from various startups were especially exciting, as they showed AI applications being developed in real time to solve everyday problems. I also enjoyed the networking sessions, where I got to connect with people from all parts of the AI industry. Meeting people who are passionate about using AI for positive change was inspiring and made me feel more connected to the AI community. It was encouraging to see so many innovative ideas from both established companies and startups. As a leader in SVYEP, attending the summit gave me a new perspective on how innovation can drive positive change. I saw how AI can be used to create solutions for real-world challenges, which inspired me to encourage more creative problem-solving within SVYEP. This experience made me realize the importance of staying curious and open to new technologies to help our community adapt to a rapidly changing world. I also want to bring what I learned about responsible AI use back to SVYEP. Seeing the importance of privacy, ethics, and transparency in AI made me want to emphasize these values in our programs. I hope to add sessions where our youth can learn about not just how AI works, but how to use it responsibly. Overall, the summit reinforced my commitment to empowering young people to explore and use AI in ways that positively impact their communities.

  • GenAI series: GenAI in the Valley

    The GenAI in the Valley 2024 conference, which took place on October 19, brought together about 700 people, including top professionals working with AI, autonomous driving, new energy, fashion, and investment industries. Three SVYEP officers were invited to attend. The event featured a unique lineup of panels, keynote speakers, and networking opportunities. They talked about a range of topics, including large language models (LLM), and AI-generated content. They highlighted both the potential of AI, as well as the challenges, giving us a range of perspectives on the future. Something that stood out was the mix of technical insight, with real-world applications and predictions. The conference was dynamic and well-organized, it worked as both an educational platform, but also as a great opportunity to speak and listen to other attendees and professionals. I left the event not only learning more about the future of AI but also with lasting industry connections.

  • Ethics in Business

    A common complaint about practicing business is absence of ethics. We all learn about ways to improve your business by employing good marketing tactics, doing proper outreach, and obviously, creating a profitable product, but when you get to the real world, a good way to save money (to some) is to simply cut corners. This comes in many forms, whether it’s sacrificing product quality, underpaying workers, false advertising, or ignoring environmental responsibilities. Bad business practices also don't need to be illegal: many times, legal, yet anti-consumer policies are created simply because a company has the power to do so. The usual argument against such practices is that one’s actions will always come back to haunt them. If, for example, someone compromises on quality, sooner or later they’ll get caught. However, some statistics show the contrary: a study conducted in 2023 finds that a third of restaurants get away with using low-quality food. Additionally, there are upwards of a million people being paid lower than the federal minimum in the United States. Even more studies have shown that over 90% of “environmentally friendly” claims on products are vague, misleading, or have no proper support at all. On top of that, companies with monopolies can simply shrug off complaints about its bad practices, forcing people to continue using its product. These statistics point to a horrifying truth: perhaps it’s harder than we’d expected to catch people conducting bad business practices. And when they do, it’s even harder to prosecute: it’s estimated that 90% of white collar crimes aren’t even reported, much less taken to court. And, once again, this statistic is ignoring the number of technically legal, yet unethical conduct. This isn’t to say that all bad business practices go unnoticed. Ubisoft, a gaming development studio often criticized for its anti-consumer policies, has lost 87% of its peak market cap. However, the overall trend seems to indicate that many malpractices often aren’t called out. The lack of accountability in many business industries can often be attributed to insufficient oversight from the government. In many cases, regulatory bodies are under-resourced, influenced or paid-off by the very corporations they are supposed to oversee. This leads to an environment where unethical practices can flourish without consequence. Furthermore, when penalties for misconduct are minimal, businesses may view them as the cost of doing business rather than a genuine deterrent. Part of this may come from the difficulty small businesses have in competing with monoliths. Small, local, or family-owned businesses often can’t match the sheer production efficiency of monopolies. As a result, they may feel pressured to compromise their values and ethics to stay afloat, resorting to questionable practices that can undermine their integrity. However, this doesn't mean that unethical behavior is the solution. Rather, it highlights the urgent need for systemic change that levels the playing field. By supporting fair regulations, fostering a culture of accountability, and prioritizing ethical practices, consumers can help create an environment where all businesses, regardless of size, can thrive without sacrificing their principles or morals. Ultimately, nurturing a marketplace built on integrity not only benefits individual businesses but also strengthens communities and promotes a healthier economy for everyone. How this is done, however, is hard to answer.

  • From Vision to Venture: The Amino Youth Entrepreneur Mindset Summit

    By Bretton L - August 13, 2024 In collaboration with Amino Capital and CalColor Academy, SVYEP cohosted the Amino Youth Entrepreneur Mindset Summit on August 4–a landmark event that selected 30 exemplary students to attend. The event was headed by Sue Xu, a managing partner of Amino Capital, and founding CEO of CandyHouse and CyteSi. The event commenced with a brief introduction by Dr. Xu, before diving into what drives a successful business pitch, and the thought process behind it.  Xu then provided an overview of Amino Capital and introduced the students to the VC firm. Founded in 2012, Amino Capital is a venture capital firm that manages over $1 billion in capital. Its founding team includes Larry Li, Sue Xu, and Huican Zhu. Among the hundreds of businesses Amino Capital has funded, notable investments include being an angel investor of Zoom and investors of Replit and Chime. Collectively, Amino’s portfolio is valued at around $540 billion. Xu then discussed the rationale behind their investments and how Amino’s support has propelled these companies to success. Focusing on their 3 most successful investments, Xu first dived into how Amino contributed to Zoom’s success. Currently valued at over $17 billion, Zoom received its angel investment in 2011 from Larry Li, founder and managing partner at Amino Capital, funding the early developmental stages of Zoom. Likewise, Amino was also an initial investor of Replit, helping fund the software platform to achieve a valuation exceeding $1 billion and an user base of over 22 million people. Lastly, Xu explained Amino’s early investment in Chime in 2013 before they had any users, launching Chime into one of the largest fintech companies in the world, now valued at $25 billion. In addition to the funding provided, Amino also gave guidance and consulting to companies they invested in. The event then transitioned to guest speakers, where students had the opportunity to hear from several pioneers in the business world. Among them were the founders of HuhuAI, an AI platform that enables users to visualize how clothing will look on users before making a purchase, and Kyros AI, an online platform designed to help high school students get admitted into their dream colleges. Additionally, Huican Zhu, another previously mentioned Amino founder, spoke to the students about his success as an entrepreneur, advising students on how to navigate the challenging road that is building a business. As one of the initial members of the Google team, Zhu spearheaded the development of Google Image Search, an algorithm allowing users to search the web using images. The session concluded with a live Q&A, engaging students with a panel of speakers, who answered questions about their experiences and lessons in the entrepreneurial field. Before wrapping up the event, students were tasked with transforming their newfound knowledge into business ideas. Collaborating in teams, they developed innovative solutions to address real-world problems, including AI healthcare, business consulting, and entertainment streaming services. Students then pitched their ideas to the entrepreneurs and investors, gaining valuable feedback and praise. The summit, led by the founding members of Amino Capital, exposed high school students to the world of business and entrepreneurship, connecting them with successful industry leaders whose insights and personal feedback inspire and guide students to one day become their very own entrepreneurs and leaders.

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

    Preston Crawley, "Google Fiber Center Street, Provo", 2021, via https://universe.byu.edu/2021/01/15/google-fiber-and-provo-city-negotiate-new-agreement/ By: Bretton L - July 23, 2024 Today, Google Fiber provides high-speed internet to millions of people and businesses in the US. Google Fiber’s story can be traced back to Cedric Lam and his mission to revolutionize America’s broadband connectivity.  I had the honor of being invited by Cedric to have dinner on the Google Campus where I interviewed him on his journey. The Journey to Fiber Cedric grew up in China before moving to Hong Kong at age 15. Throughout high school, Cedric excelled in physics, placing first in many physics competitions and all his physics classes. Cedric’s passion for physics and his practical mindset led him to major in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Hong Kong. His dedication to learning and academic excellence earned him a scholarship to study in the US, where he received his PhD in Electrical Engineering from UCLA. After graduate school, Cedric started his career at AT&T and subsequently joined a startup and became the Chief System Architect. Faced with the difficulty in fundraising for the startup company due to the 2008 financial crisis,  Cedric joined Google, initially as a staff optical network engineer.  During his first year at Google, the founding CEO of Google, Larry Page was annoyed by the limited data capacity cap that Comcast imposed on his home internet plan. Page envisioned the possibility for Google to jump-start the lagging broadband access network infrastructure in the US and allow people to benefit from blazing-fast data networks nationwide. Mr. Page turned to his team to find qualified employees at Google to help start that project. Since Cedric had previously written a book on broadband access technology, Passive Optical Networks: Principles and Practice , he was given the opportunity to investigate the feasibility of the GFiber project, which initially was his 20% exploratory project. As the first and lead engineer on the project, Cedric quickly assembled a team of knowledgeable Googlers, eager to contribute their expertise and make a difference in the world, and many of them eventually became his good friends. Insights for Emerging Entrepreneurs Throughout our dinner, Cedric shared his experiences with me from his immigrant story to his success at Google. Additionally, he spent time explaining the technology behind how fiber can carry high-speed internet data to homes and businesses. Nonetheless, I had some questions of my own about advice he might give to younger generations of entrepreneurs. Was there a specific moment that drove you to take the lead and start Google Fiber? “I studied optical communication networks at graduate school and I already had the vision to use fiber for broadband access networks.  Later when I joined AT&T Labs, I was doing research on the techniques to employ fiber optics for low-cost broadband access.  Nonetheless, the US already had a pervasive copper-based access network, whether that’s the DSL network operated by the telecom operators or the coaxial cable network operated by cable TV operators. Without a compelling demand and application, there is very little incentive, including AT&T who allowed me to do research on the subject, to actually build a new fiber-based access network because of the high infrastructure construction cost. When I was approached to start fiber optics at Google, it was the opportunity I had been waiting for.” Could you describe a time when you faced a significant challenge while working on the project and how you overcame it? “Although it doesn’t directly relate to working on the development of GFiber, the greatest challenge I ever faced was having to take on that manager role while managing a large team full of friends. This was my first time officially being a manager and many early team members were my good friends who followed me and supported my vision.  It was always a struggle to balance my personal friendships with my coworkers while having to look at their productivity and the work they did from the view of a manager, wanting to see success within my team and the overall Fiber project as a whole.” Do you have any advice for aspiring young entrepreneurs? “Find your passion and pursue it. Only when you are truly passionate about something, you can become really good at it and you can become successful in what you do.  So always follow your heart but make sure to use some intuition and logic to help guide you to finding success. Whenever you are presented with opportunities, seize them because you may never find that opportunity again.  Also, build a strong analytical capability through your school training, because no matter what you do, it is a very important skill on the path to success.”

  • Out of the ashes of disaster: Homes 4 the Homeless with Steve Schneider

    Homes 4 the Homeless is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating homelessness globally through innovative housing solutions. Today, SVYEP officers interviewed its founder and CEO, Steve Schneider. Steve’s story started in 2017, when the Sonoma wildfires destroyed his home in California. Inspired to help others who had similarly lost their homes, Steve set out to found Homes 4 the Homeless. What are the specific housing innovations that Homes 4 the Homeless uses to address homelessness? The idea started almost two decades ago, when I was in China for business. And I noticed: there’s no homelessness there—they’re housing a billion and a half people. How are they doing that? So I discovered they were making hotels and apartment buildings and all kinds of housing out of shipping containers. And so when I started this project, we got all these inexpensive houses from China, these little units for $1,200. And they would fold up and pop up in what was called a flat rack, and you could fit about 10 of those houses in a single shipping container. That was a great solution. What challenges has Homes 4 the Homeless faced in its mission, and how did you overcome them? Well, we had gotten the houses at that point, but if you look in the news, there was a big emphasis on dignified housing—every other word is dignified housing for migrant workers, dignified housing for the homeless. And so when we looked back at our housing that we provided that was fully code compliant, but still looked like, you know, a prison without bars. To solve that, we approached Vessel, a luxury tourism manufacturer for luxury tourism market, nothing to do with homelessness whatsoever. We showed them what we could do, and said, what if we could add a lot of technologies—sustainable technologies—to the equation, and come up with one of the greenest, most dignified houses on the market. And we did; in order to do so we had to commit a lot of time and money to making these new houses fully code compliant and meeting all the US standards, but we did it. And next thing you know, we had signed a government contract for exclusive distribution of these new houses from Vessel. How do you reflect on the success of your nonprofit? First and foremost, as a business acumen, when you start a project, you stay on the project. If it's a real project, and it has real merit, and there's a path from the beginning of the middle to the end, you have to stay focused on it until you get it across the finish line. Most people get close to the finish line on their projects, and then they get derailed by something and they end up abandoning it. My successes have always been making sure that everything gets across the finish line, and they stay on it and stay on it and stay on until it gets across the finish line. This housing project is something I’ve looked at from every different angle: affordable housing is 100% needed. The state needs it, the counties need it, the cities need it, the world needs it. But on the other hand, that's not enough: it's not just these goals but the real business models that made it happen and got us over the finish line. So I would say, this is a trap for many businesses, especially nonprofits, but you have to consider it from both sides. Homes 4 the Homeless, I think is an example of a business view of how you can positively impact the world. Everybody wins: philanthropy investors earn a return, the community is being enhanced, dignified housing is being provided, somebody's off the street. That's how you make a good business, making sure everyone gets something out of it. I’ll leave you with that.

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