An Immigrant Story

A tribute to all the underdogs, misfits, and immigrants of the world.

👋 Friends,

Last week was the perfect storm. It was New York Tech week, and my team had planned 13 events in 4 days, including a series of fireside chats, dinners, and parties at a private townhouse (Lumos House), and a Tech “Palooza” for 2,000+ people!

Coincidentally, the day before Tech Week started, I contracted mild food poisoning, and started getting severe migraines. What a nightmare.

I’m proud of my team: Jacob, Christy, Bartu, Michael - for executing flawlessly. They saved my butt!

A few days ago, my friend Iqram (who is also the Co-founder of Venmo - and now, Jelly) asked to give a keynote speech at his Inaugural Immigrant Gala. I was deeply flattered, and I’m taking a different approach today to share the full speech in today’s newsletter.

I realized that the context of the speech not only applies to immigrants, but also to the underdogs, challengers, and misfits of our world - the folks who have created an enormous impact with minimal resources.

This is a tribute to you all.

If you’d like, you can also listen to it on Jelly here.

As a refresher, this is who I am:

• I’m a proud immigrant entrepreneur, investor, and writer.

• I was born in Hong Kong, but I’ve lived in Taiwan, China, Canada, for 25 years, before moving to the United States

• Four years ago, I arrived in New York City during one of the toughest, and most isolating periods the city has ever known, during the peak of the COVID-19 epidemic

• During this isolating period, I started hosting events to bring people together - and today, I’m recognized for being a community builder, connector, and supporter of the immigrant community

Today, I’d like to share three stories from my journey as an immigrant in this country and a third culture kid in many others.

The first story is about giving without the expectation of return

My parents didn’t have a lot of money growing up. There was a point when our family was broke and about to file for bankruptcy. Yet - both my parents were some of the most generous and giving people I had ever met.

They would often host friends and acquaintances for dinner, buy generous gifts for loved ones, and spend both their time and money giving back to the community.

It’s incredibly rare for people in scarce positions to be so abundant with love and generosity. Yet they were. 

A decade later, it paid dividends when my parents needed support to relocate, move to another country, and build a community from scratch.

Dozens of people offered to help with introductions, sharing resources, and lending a helping hand.

When I moved to the United States in 2020, during the peak of the COVID-19 epidemic, I was incredibly lonely.

New York City was shut down, and the mass exodus had driven everyone out. I had no community and no network.

I started hosting small meetups to bring people together, and years later I had brought over 30,000+ people together, helping hundreds of people raise capital for their startups, find jobs, hire talent, and most importantly - find new friends. 

Three years later, when I needed support to quit my full-time job, start my own company, and get a visa for doing so as an immigrant, I reached out to my community, and they gracefully supported me through the process.

Give generously without the expectation of return, and it will come back tenfold.

The second story is about doing hard things.

My dream was to always live in America.

One of the hardest things about thriving as a 1st generation immigrant is the visa process.

When I first got a job offer from Facebook to relocate here in 2020 - I was elated. But it wasn’t easy. I remember when Trump was president and vowed to ban immigration.

I didn’t sleep that night.

It took close to a year for me to get my first visa to be able to live and work here.

All I wanted to do was live in the US permanently, and when Facebook told me they couldn’t give me a green card, I left and went to Google because they had promised me one.

But after working there for a year, Google wasn’t able to issue me a green card either, so I had to figure something else out. It was incredibly frustrating.

I learned about a new type of visa called the Extraordinary Alien Visa. It would allow you to build your own company, work for yourself, and live here on your own terms…. provided you met the requirements

I won’t go into too much detail, but some of the requirements included getting national press, notable awards, published work, proof that you had a critical role in a large company, were part of an exclusive organization, that your business was thriving, and that you were responsible for judging and evaluating companies at scale.

These were all incredibly hard things that I thought were impossible to attain.

But over the next 12 months, I tried to do all these hard things.

I applied to organizations. I cold-emailed reporters, asking them to cover me. I contacted folks asking for letters of recommendation, which most people wouldn’t think of contacting.

I dedicated every evening and weekend for a year to building, pitching, and working on these requirements.

Today, I’ve been fortunate enough to have my story covered by Bloomberg, Fast Company, Business Insider, and Fortune Magazine for my work in the community, been granted numerous awards, and have been given speaking roles at Columbia Business School, Princeton University, and New York University, and in October last year, my visa came in the mail, giving me the freedom to build my own company and live here on my own terms.

I’ve now realized that our self-perception is created from evidence of our abilities. The more hard things you push yourself to do, the more capable you will see yourself to be.

The ability to do hard things is the most powerful gift you can give yourself.

The last story is about the power of eating bitterness.

Growing up, I had never once heard my dad or mom complain.

Dad never complained about working 100-hour weeks for over 30 years. And Mom never complained about taking care of her family of 4 siblings as the oldest one, half of whom were ill throughout her life.

I have literally never heard them complain once.

In China, we have a phrase called “chi ku”.

It translates to “eating bitterness” - and means to persevere through adversity without complaint.

When you have enormous dreams and aspirations (like most of us do), there are often moments of intense struggle.

I believe that it’s through moments like this that our greatest accomplishments are born.

To others - the hardship might seem like an option. 

But for immigrants, for folks like us - hardship is not usually an option. It is a necessity.

It is only through eating bitterness that you get to enjoy the moments of sweetness that come afterward.

***

As an immigrant - you face many challenges.

• You start with less - less resources, less support, less of a community

• You face tensions with cultural identity and belonging

• You often have to work harder than others to get to the same point

But while these things appear to be obstacles on the surface, they are, in reality, enormous strengths when you dig deeper.

They are strengths that empower us to have more agency, grit, and determination.

I’ve come to realize that being an immigrant is the biggest blessing there is.

📌 Andrew’s Picks

Fascinating internet things I’ve come across…

• Agency – An essay from Scott Galloway on the power of agency in determining your well-being and happiness. Hint: it’s about your relationships.

• How to break into Silicon Valley – I recently had the chance to meet with Andrew Chen. It’s clear that he is an expert in creating networks, brand-building, and all things consumer. This how-to guide not only applies to SV, but any other city or community in the world.

• How to rethink “work-life balance” – A POV thread by Shaan Puri on reframing the idea of “balance”.

💃 Community Perks

• 🏨 Traveling for work? If you’re looking for a hotel with cozy rooms and social co-working areas, check out citizenM. I exclusively stay with them. They’ve even been kind enough to offer this community a discount. Reply here.

• 🚴 Discounted Equinox membership in NYC. Equinox is my second home - I couldn’t live without it. Reply here for a free trial and a discounted membership.

• 🇺🇸 Looking for a US immigration lawyer? Reply here for an introduction to the lawyer I worked with for my O1A visa.

• 🍽️ FREE FOOD! I found an app that gives you 30%+ off fancy restaurants in NYC. AND $50 off your bill every month, plus $25 when you sign up. Not sure how long the offer will last. Sign up here.

• What other perks should I include? Let me know.

🖼️ Behind the Scenes

This weekend really took me out of commission. I’m rarely sick (I’ll get the sniffles maybe twice a year), so when I am, I try to back into my optimal state as quickly as possible.

These are the products I rely on to help me stay rested, relax, and recover.

• Owyn Protein Shakes – nutritious and tasty and give me the macros I need.

• LMNT Zero-Sugar Electrolytes – best-tasting electrolytes on the market to keep me hydrated. Most taste like crap. These don’t!

• Aesop Face Washes, Toners, and Lotions – cost an arm and a leg but frankly nothing helps you feel more relaxed than applying a concoction of “oils enhanced with anti-oxidant rich botanicals and Vitamin E to nourish, fortify and revive the skin.”

• NTASTING Gooseneck Electric Kettle & Viva Bjorn Borosilicate Glass Tea Pot – to brew and serve my loose leaf and herbal teas every morning. Aesthetics on point too.

• Evening Unwind Homesick Candle – worth “splurging” on a candle once in a while and remind yourself to be present and in the moment when you light it.

• Edifier S2000MKIII Bluetooth Bookshelf Speakers – I’ve had this pair of speakers for 5 years now. On days that I’m stuck at home, there’s nothing I appreciate more than listening to good music on a quality stereo system. I used to be a HiFi nerd - and these are by far, the best bang for buck I could find in terms of audio quality.

• Wild Fork Foods Subscription – on days that I’m bedridden, there’s nothing more convenient than a ___ food subscription service. Wild Fork has the highest quality, most affordable frozen meats I’ve come across, including racks of lamb, steaks, chicken wings, etc.

• Endel – a variety of soundscapes, tunes, and musics to keep you focused, relaxed, or energized. Low fi is out, Endel is in!

Enjoy!