On February 22, the San Francisco Bay Area Taiwan Junior Chamber of Commerce held a seminar titled “Across the Ocean – Silicon Valley New Immigration” at the Overseas Community and Education Service Center, attracting over 80 chamber members and featuring four successful young entrepreneurs sharing their experiences.
The event featured Deputy Director Zhu Yongchang of the San Francisco Office, Director Zhuang Yashu of the San Francisco Bay Area Overseas Education Center, and four guest speakers: Katie, Chairperson of the North America Taiwan Tech Year Conference, Nico, Senior Scientist at AbbVie, Michael, Founder of Mochiholic, and Sunny, Founder of PawPaw Barkery.
During his speech on behalf of the office, Zhu Yongchang mentioned the various changes and challenges faced by immigrants in the United States, highlighting the support that local communities and professionals in the Bay Area can provide to encourage new immigrants to make good use of available resources and draw inspiration from successful experiences.
Zhuang Yashu emphasized the importance of such events in not only uniting youth forces but also promoting cultural and business exchanges between Taiwan and the United States. She introduced the main services of the Overseas Education Center, which assist overseas compatriots in rooting and developing businesses locally, and announced upcoming business invitation tours and workshops to promote Taiwan-US cooperation.
Robin Tan, President of Taiwan Junior Chamber of Commerce, shared his own entrepreneurial journey in the United States, acknowledging the challenges faced by immigrants and expressing the Chamber’s commitment to helping young immigrants build networks and work together to achieve their entrepreneurial dreams.
First, Katie inspired the audience with her rich interdisciplinary experiences. Starting from a cook to a technology media person, she founded HowLiving Delicious Life, received millions in funding, and then entered the technology field, hosting the “Why Silicon Valley” podcast and interviewing technology leaders. She founded the North America Taiwan Tech Year Conference and operates a media company, promoting Taiwan’s technology and startup ecosystem. Katie’s journey proves the motto “If you never try, you will never know,” encouraging entrepreneurs to dare to try, break through themselves, continue learning, and progress.
Nico reviewed his academic journey from Taiwan to the United States, sharing how he overcame language and cultural barriers, adapted to changes in the academic environment, successfully shifted to structural biology research, and smoothly entered the industry as a senior scientist. He believes that the value of new immigrants lies in constant learning and adaptation. As long as they bravely face challenges, make good use of their strengths, they can create their futures in a foreign land.
Michael discussed the process of establishing the Mochiholic brand of donuts. From market research identifying the demand in the American market, to successfully launching a dessert brand that combines innovation, health, and high quality. He believes that the key to entrepreneurial success lies in focusing on the uniqueness of the brand and adapting flexibly to market changes. He advises entrepreneurs to leverage their passion and experience to focus on creating a distinctive and scalable brand in order to stand out in the competitive market.
Lastly, Sunny shared the founding story of PawPaw Cake, a pet bakery brand. Combining her love for pets with entrepreneurship, she provides natural gluten-free pet cakes and has successfully established a foothold in the Bay Area market. Sunny stressed the importance of details and quality in entrepreneurship, mentioning the challenges faced during the startup process, especially in time management when starting a business alone. She encourages other entrepreneurs to stick to their original intentions, focus on personal growth, and quality improvement.
Robin Tan told Epoch Times that the Taiwan Junior Chamber of Commerce aims to help young people from Taiwan and new immigrants succeed in their careers by providing networking, resources, and knowledge support. They welcome more young people to join and achieve their career dreams together. ◇