Jessica Shen
Co-Founder of Asian Founders Club
Entrepreneurship, while rewarding, can be emotionally taxing. For an Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) founder, it can have additional layers to navigate.
These challenges didn’t stop Jessica, though—she shared that connecting with other AAPI founders was crucial in her own experience as a small business owner: "I started the Asian Founders Club back in 2022 as a newsletter featuring young Asians' stories. I got to know a lot of people who shared their stories about entrepreneurship, and these empowered me to turn AFC into a community when I moved to NYC."
The Asian Founders Club hosts a curated series of events in New York City and San Francisco for young Asian founders and creators. From small meetups to larger networking events, AFC has become a hub for connection and support.
This month, Novo and the Asian Founders Club co-hosted a NY Tech Week Mixer & Fireside Chat with Janet Ho, COO of Hume.ai. Jessica reflected on this collaboration, saying, "Two years ago, when I hosted my very first event for Asian Founders Club during Tech Week, I just needed a simple, free platform, and that was Novo. Now, I'm partnering with them to host my third NY Tech Week event!".
The event took over the amphitheater of the Grand Central Tech for a night to remember. Guests mingled with light bites and flavored Sojus by Neat, and event coverage was done by Daniel Huie, two other Novo customers. Attendees spent the evening building their networks and left with a variety of connections.
"We're the only Asian tech week event happening out of these 800 events for the week. I think a lot of people that come to these events have just been super floored by how unique the community that we brought together has been, as well as the quality of the people that we met here", said Jessica.
Meeting the right people early on can make all the difference. Establishing a community of like-minded individuals can help build a foundation of support that lasts throughout your career, ultimately creating a network of successful founders. "It has never been just about representation. It's about creating a space where everyone just gets it and can support each other", said Jessica.
The AFC community continues to grow, now boasting more than 100 AAPI founders and creators with a collective following of over 20 million. Recently, they expanded their chapters to Austin. "We hosted our very first event in Austin two weeks ago, and being able to expand to other cities that are also tech hubs and maybe have fewer Asians has been a huge milestone”, said Jessica.
When asked about her plans for the future, Jessica said: "Hopefully, we become a nationwide network of unicorn companies. Our goal is to foster a new generation of confident, resilient, and successful Asian business leaders".
Jessica's story is a testament to the power of community. By building a supportive network and sharing experiences, we can all cultivate confidence and pave the way for future entrepreneurs.