Five years ago, Chris Dixon coined the “Full-Stack Startup” to describe the new wave of companies like Uber looking to upend entire industries through building a new, vertically-integrated stack. The basic idea is this. Traditionally, as startup founders we see ourselves as toolmakers because we build software and that’s what software is best suited for. … Continue reading The “Full-Stack Startup” and Jiro’s Dreams of Sushi
This article was originally written for MarTech Series in April 2018. I changed the title and I’m re-posting it here. Hope you like it! If you are looking for media coverage, you’ve come to the right place. Successful PR is simple. Here are the steps. Generate interesting stories consistently. Pitch your stories to writers who … Continue reading What startups get wrong about public relations
The most anxiety-inducing movie poster ever I just found out that there’s a movie coming out this summer with an all-Asian cast called Crazy Rich Asians and it’s making me very nervous. Is this supposed to be our Black Panther moment for stereotype-shattering Asian-American representation in mainstream media? Ok, that’s probably an exaggeration. I’m happy we … Continue reading Asian-Americans Are Cultural Orphans (aka I hope Crazy Rich Asians isn’t a flop)
When I moved from Taipei to Los Angeles at the age of 11, I had already heard much about “America” and how it’s the best country in the world. My dad and I got off the airplane, got in a car, and went on the 405. I saw the vast freeway traversing through bald, brown … Continue reading A San Franciscan tries the future of mobility — LimeBike, SPIN, Bird, and JUMP Bike
Why “few successful startup founders grew up desperately poor” My co-founder David and I both grew up in poverty and can call ourselves “battle-tested” when it comes to both life and startups, so when the talk in the Valley turned to income inequality, our ears perked up. For a moment, our two worlds were colliding. … Continue reading Privilege and inequality in Silicon Valley
What Steve Jobs meant to me. Having just learned about his death, I'm mustering something together to try to articulate Steve Jobs' impact on my life. Unlike many people here in the valley, I wasn't much of a geek, let alone an Apple fanboy. I came to Stanford because they offered me a great financial … Continue reading What Steve Jobs meant to me
Ricky Yean 