I’m so happy that celebrating AAPI month has gained the national recognition and momentum it deserves. Growing up, I always wondered why my culture was not celebrated nationally despite also being a part of a growing minority in the country. I would’ve loved to see some of these fantastic female entrepreneurs on TV or even listen to the people around me talk about them. I can’t do much to change the past now, but in the present, we can bring awareness to some of the awesome AAPI founders that truly have had measurable impact in the community.
- Cafe maddy cab
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Source from: cafemaddy on Instagram Cafe Maddy has got to be one of the most soothing accounts ever! It was started by Maddy, a Korean immigrant with a love for comfort food from her culture and a penchant for social impact. As Asian hate crimes rose to an all-time high around this time last year, Maddy started CafeMaddyCab, a service that provides money for safe rides for the vulnerable Asian community. She’s since raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the initiative and continues to grow it across other cities in the country.
- Eva Wong, borrowell
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Source from: eva_toronto on Instagram Founder and CEO of Canadian Fintech company Borrowell, Eva Wong promotes her vision for increasing access to personal finance tools and recommendations to a large consumer base. The company has helped over 2 million subscribers with their credit scores to date and follows its mission to promote financial freedom in the AAPI community.
- Jing Gao, fly by jing
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Source from: jingtheory on Instagram As a foodie myself, this has got to be one of the coolest food startups I’ve ever heard of. Fly by Jing is a condiment company taking various flavors from hole-in-the-wall shops around Chengdu, China and bringing them to the American audience. A first-generation immigrant herself, Jing Gao promotes a mission to bring lesser-known flavors into the American palate and increase diversity across the whole AAPI spectrum, one yummy sauce at a time. Also, their collab kit with Disney’s Turning Red is the cutest thing in the world!
Source from: flybyjing on Instagram
Seeing so many AAPI women come out passionately sporting very unique businesses really strikes home to me on a personal level. Maybe I too will one day start something to complement my AAPI identity and have a social impact on a broader scale. For now, I hope some of these women inspire the rest of you too!