I got bullied as a kid and grew up as an outsider striving to gain acceptance from the world. That led to some troubling behavior in my youth. 

Moving into adulthood, I built a couple startups, recorded music that reached millions of people, and generated investment returns for premiere institutions like Goldman Sachs. I had a lot of fun and made a positive impact through many of these activities. But if I’m being honest, a lot of my motivations were just as misplaced as those in my youth. 

It was only when I started Amasia that what I knew in my head started to take root in my heart. I’ve already got the only acceptance I need, and that’s from the big guy upstairs. It’s been remarkable to see what happens when you live what you believe.

All four of my grandparents hail from North Korea and I’ve been involved in various efforts engaging the country for almost two decades. As one example, I serve on the advisory board at the Choson Exchange, a non-profit that trains entrepreneurs in the DPRK. 

Through the years I’ve been involved with various organizations that sit at the intersection of education and entrepreneurship. I’m a Kauffman Fellow and a member of the Young Presidents Organization.  I am also an advisory board member at the Institute for Carbon Management at UCLA.

I graduated from the Jerome Fisher Dual Degree Program in Management and Technology at the University of Pennsylvania, earning a Bachelor of Science in Economics from The Wharton School and a Bachelor of Applied Science from the School of Engineering. 

I have experienced failure many times, but perhaps amongst the most visible of these were my several attempts at grooming dreadlocks.