Gleaming Presence of Tremendous Communications Shining an Iridescent Light on AAPI

News, Stories

August 22, 2022

Jeremiah Abraham, the founder and CEO of Tremendous Communications, had bumps in the road in getting to where he is today. Starting his business right before the pandemic, he doubted the path that he created and considered quitting everything that he was doing. But with mentors along his side and his determination to uplift the AAPI community, his company has contributed to protecting and celebrating the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities when they needed it the most.

Working at renowned companies like Disney and Warner Bros., Jeremiah has spent years hustling at the intersection of technology and entertainment. Using his talent in marketing, he has constantly shed light on the AAPI community by promoting films such as Everything Everywhere All At Once and co-producing the Filipino American musical drama film Yellow Rose. He still finds ways to balance work and life by tearing down the systematically ingrained notion of working from 9 to 5.

In this one hour interview, Jeremiah lays out his story of how he entered this industry, experiencing ignorant approaches to different cultures in a white dominant workplace, and his immense passion for AAPI representation.

Blend of Tech and Entertainment

I got my degree in computer engineering from UC Irvine and that was when I needed to decide what I wanted to do in life. I wanted to make a difference in technology back then, so I got that degree. One of my first jobs was in the aerospace industry. I was working there and I realized that I was just really bad at math. I didn’t think I could realistically pursue this as a long-term career. It was one of those moments where you had to have this introspective, realization, or catharsis about what you thought you were going to be and what you want in life.

Then I found this blend of tech and entertainment, which I was always interested in. I ended up being a front-end developer for Disney, which was a nice blend of the programming skills that I learned from school and the entertainment brands that I’ve always admired. Social media was still fairly new at these companies. This was back in 2007, and I would say that the biggest leap from this tech world to this communications world was when I discovered a Master’s program for Digital Social Media and Online Communities at USC. So I worked at Disney full-time, and at night I tried to get my master’s degree. I knew in my head what I wanted to build for myself and that was this intersection.

An intersection of my interest in engineering and social dynamics is interesting because a lot of people didn’t know why I even majored in computer engineering and minored in sociology. Engineers build societies, but you can’t build it without understanding it first. I ended up pursuing this even more and realized that I had a knack for marketing which I ended up pursuing after receiving my degree at USC.

Uplifting the Filipino Community

After I got my master’s degree, I decided to pursue my thesis project as a full-on business venture, which was an online community and editorial group for Filipino Americans called BakitWhy.com. Uplifting the Filipino community has always been a constant in my life. Since high school, I was part of a Filipino club where we celebrated our culture and volunteered for Filipino community organizations. I knew that whatever I did, whether it was engineering or marketing, was in the service of our people.

So I started this website and it was one of the first, if not the first, Filipino American digital destinations for editorial and news content. We were covering events and a new emerging digital identity among the Filipino American community. I called this the golden age of Filipino YouTubers back in 2007. These were the days of HappySlip, NinjaDrops, ndtitanlady, and more. We were able to rally this community both on the digital side and also offline to develop not just a thriving company and brand, but a lifestyle destination that people could relate to. I wanted to create something wonderful for us.

One of the things that I pride Tremendous on is that we’re not just there to engage the AAPI community as a business, but we primarily want to instill genuine progress and impact. We are immersed in our Asian American community. We don’t clock out after a certain time and say “Sorry we’re done today Asians, it’s five o’clock and we’re not going to do anything anymore.” No, this is our life. This is what fulfills us and I think it helps set our campaigns apart. The way we communicate and interact with our clients also influences the strategy we give to them because we’re not just looking at numbers, we’re looking at people. We are all about uplifting authentic Asian American experiences, diasporas, stories and narratives. For us not to be authentic with that presence in our daily lives would be hypocritical.

One of the things that I pride Tremendous on is that we’re not just there to engage the AAPI community as a business, but we primarily want to instill genuine progress and impact
– Jeremiah Abraham

Marketing in a White Dominant Setting

There was one instance where I was the only person of color in the room at a large entertainment company, still very green and inexperienced. I didn’t feel like I had the authority and the voice to chime in and redirect these senior leaders of this space. And they’re sitting around going like, “Hey, it’s February next month. It’s almost Black History Month. What can we do?” And then someone just started listing off all the movies in their catalog that had some resemblance of Black narrative. And I’m just like, “All right, well, that’s very top-level. But what more can we do? Can we bring in more people who actually represent this community in the room and have a conversation about it?” That situation really helped me realize that we needed to be part of that room of decision-makers. Being there that day sparked a drive in me that I’ll never forget.

One of the things that I had issues with while leading the publicity and marketing for Yellow Rose before we got acquired by Sony Pictures, was that people didn’t understand what Filipinos were, that our stories were relatable to all moviegoers, and that we were equally as valuable in Hollywood. People couldn’t wrap their brains around this and asked “Why is a Filipino family living in Texas? Do they really sing country music like that? Will non-Filipinos even relate to this?” They were seeing the Filipino diaspora within one specific lens instead of embracing the spectrum of the Filipino experience. They didn’t realize that there are mechanisms that historically pushed us to these areas that we’re thriving in, to these places where they may not think that there is a large thriving Filipino community. The lead characters are Filipino American, but the story is universal. If you took the lead characters out and made them Latinx or Black, for example, you would still have the same emotion. You’d still have the same humanity. You’d still have the same story. It just so happened that these people are Filipino. This is one of the things that Jo Koy discusses during his interviews for Easter Sunday. The movie isn’t about Filipinos, it’s a movie about his family and his mom. That’s one of the biggest things I appreciated about this film. It’s a story for everyone.

The first movie that I ever saw when I moved to the United States was Superman 2 with my dad and that’s always ingrained in my head. I was in such awe of this superhero and I’ve always wondered how impactful it would have been if Superman was Filipino. That would have made such a big difference for me growing up. I love Christopher Reeve as Superman, but imagine if it was a Christopher Santos or a Christopher Dela Cruz in that heroic cape instead! Today I’m so happy that our next generation can enjoy seeing themselves as heroes with films like Shang-Chi and people like Iman Vellani as Kamala Kahn making a difference.

I think it’s incredibly important for us to make these decisions on how we are portrayed and valued for ourselves, with representation across every part of the process – behind the camera, in front of the camera, in business and below the line. We can bring these little nuances of authenticity to these stories that are so important and help shape the next generation of folks who want to do this work.

They were seeing the Filipino diaspora within one specific lens instead of embracing the spectrum of the Filipino experience. They didn’t realize that there are mechanisms that historically pushed us to these areas that we’re thriving in, to these places where they may not think that there is a large thriving Filipino community.
– Jeremiah Abraham

A Chronicle of Starting a Business Right Before a Pandemic

Starting a business at the cusp of a global pandemic was a big lesson in resilience. There is a lot of strategy, planning, introspection and decisions that need to be made behind the scenes. I had been planning Tremendous for years. I spent so much time creating the structure of it, the business strategy, forecasting our trajectory and all those things that you need to help lay the foundation of a business… then the pandemic hit and I needed to shift very quickly.

Tremendous incorporated in 2019 and started to plant the seeds of studio partnerships. When we were ready to sign a couple of contracts, all the major movie studios suddenly shut down. I had to take a step back and I realized the mission of Tremendous is not rooted in movies and entertainment, but it exists to uplift the visibility of Asian Americans as a whole. We couldn’t work in entertainment at the time but that didn’t stop us from working within the community. That’s when we helped support Racism is a Virus, and co-founded Unapologetically Asian and CollaborAzian. We used our expertise to help uplift Stop AAPI Hate. We were able to leverage our network and our skills and our desire to make change in this very crucial moment of the Asian American community.

There certainly were many surprises along the way. I pitched this movie that was supposed to come out on January 2021. We were ready! We put this beautiful deck together, we brainstormed, we strategized. And then they told me, “Hey, we’re going to make an announcement today that this movie is going to be pushed to January 2022.” I was like, “What am I going to do for a year?” It’s a lot of those things that I learned as an entrepreneur that it doesn’t necessarily go how you forecast, even though you spend so much time strategizing and pulling numbers. And that’s fine because that will push you to be more dynamic as a business and help you imagine new, creative avenues for yourself. But for me, it was a lesson in resilience, being flexible, and not beating yourself up too much for things that are outside of your control.

I had to take a step back and I realized the mission of Tremendous is not rooted in movies and entertainment, but it exists to uplift the visibility of Asian Americans as a whole.
– Jeremiah Abraham

Confinements that Pull us Back

There were many moments where that lingering voice of doubt made me wonder if this was the right path for me. Should I go back to a safe, stable job with benefits and a retirement plan? What if I end up losing all my money in this venture? Is it okay that I decided not to work today?

Even now, I can make my own schedule. I can wake up at noon if I wanted to and keep working until 2:00 am or just take a random afternoon off. And that’s my choice to make. But because I’ve been so conditioned to think that the limits of my brain power need to be confined between nine to five, having this new freedom came with a sense of guilt.

I have such a hard time realizing that you don’t need to operate within those confines to be productive and successful and fulfilled. I just have to keep reminding myself that it’s okay to permit yourself to watch Netflix for an hour at 2:00 pm for you to refocus and recenter. It’s okay that you’re sleeping in until 11:00 am or 12:00 pm today because you worked until 1:00 am last night. I have to keep reminding myself that nobody is telling you what you need to do except for yourself. That’s the life of an entrepreneur and I’m still learning how to adjust to this new level of control, even today.

Shining Leadership Skills for Better Productivity

Throughout the years, I have applied my learning lessons in leadership – especially with how I lead my team and how I conduct business. Sometimes we have many projects to work on at the same time, sometimes we have less. I’ve always told my team, as long as you get your stuff done and you are communicative and responsive, then I’m good with that.

I really encourage them to explore their interests, experience life and bring those experiences back to the company. This helps bring fresh, new ideas during our brainstorms and campaigns. One of the things that I took away from working as a Marketing Director at Condé Nast is that they encouraged you to go travel. Travel changes you, it opens up your mind. It allows you to experience new things so you can bring that experience back into your editorial piece or your marketing strategy.

I’ve never liked the idea that you need to clock in at 9:00 am every day or else you’re considered a bad employee. Just because I’m sitting there physically doesn’t mean I’m mentally there. I’ve never understood that kind of leadership where it’s more important to appease other people and make them feel better about themselves because of your presence. It’s those antiquated expectations and older ways of doing business that I’m constantly reshaping for Tremendous. As long as we get our projects done, we don’t miss meetings, and our clients are happy… who cares if you sleep in an extra hour that day?

Travel changes you, it opens up your mind. It allows you to experience new things so you can bring that experience back into your editorial piece or your marketing strategy.
– Jeremiah Abraham

People that helped along the way

I never had one specific mentor during my career. Instead, I’ve had some amazing senior executives who have taught me different aspects of my leadership skills. One of them taught me negotiation skills, another taught me how to properly communicate my ideas in a meeting, another pushed me to be more assertive with what I need to succeed in a business setting. I’ve really taken these lessons and made them my own.

One of these executives is Terra Potts, who is the Executive Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at Warner Bros. Pictures. We kind of grew up at WB together back in the day. She taught me how to stand up for your worth in situations where people may not immediately see it. I take that into every negotiation that I am part of. Teal Newland, my Senior Vice President at Condé Nast Entertainment helped me hone my creative eye and incorporate different perspectives in my marketing campaigns. Diane Paragas, who is the director of Yellow Rose, mentored me in the filmmaking process. These are just some of the people who empowered me in my journey and I’m happy to give back to others who are working with me today.

Another friend of mine is Jose Antonio Vargas, who is the Founder of Define American. We had many check-ins during the pandemic and I told him straight up once that I was thinking about quitting because I didn’t know if I was doing the right thing. No studios hired me, no movies went out, the movies that were supposed to be in theaters were going out into streaming services. And it was hard for me to see what was coming down the line and the larger picture of it all. He gave me some tough love and said “Jeremiah, you’re building something that doesn’t currently exist. Obviously you’re going to run into these situations where the solution isn’t immediately there because you have to make it up for yourself.” I never thought about it that way. If the path has not always been taken, obviously you have the flexibility and the responsibility to forge a new one to create something that never existed before. That conversation inspired me to realize that I can’t hold myself to the same standard that I had before because I’m creating new standards for myself now. That helped shift my thinking and my perspective about it and, honestly, helped shape the development of Tremendous. I could have easily quit because of the pandemic, but I would have regretted it the rest of my life.

I would encourage people to pursue multiple avenues of mentorship. It was very valuable to me to learn from many very skilled individuals, not just one. And you never know where your new life lesson is going to come from or which experience you’re going to value for years to come. For me, it was the guidance of many people that helped me get to where I am today.

I can’t hold myself to the same standard that I had before because I’m creating new standards for myself now.
– Jeremiah Abraham

How to reach out

I am @jerabraham on Instagram and Twitter, and Tremendous is @tremendous_comm on all those platforms as well.

Interviewed by Tiff Soga

News

Film Portrayals of Asian Men Are Evolving Beyond Stereotypes

For years, Asian Americans have been documented as caricatures through the “white gaze.” They’re often depicted as emasculating tech geeks who are socially awkward, and lacking in romantic appeal, and, if they happen to like someone, they’ll get rejected quicker than they can solve 1+1. Just take a look at Long Duk Dong from Sixteen Candles (1984).

Long Duk Dong from the 1984 film *Sixteen Candles*, widely criticized for perpetuating negative Asian stereotypes, as his portrayal relies heavily on exaggerated accents and mannerisms (Image Source: Universal Pictures).

That seeming lack of nuanced portrayals was increasingly a benchmark for every Asian male cast- side characters that add no value but purely humor for the story. However, the rise of Crazy Rich Asians may not be the perfect stereotype-breaker; it definitely made a change in bringing Asian males to the forefront of romance.

According to a new study from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, there has been a considerable increase in AAPI characters in films, rising from 3.4% to 15.9% between 2007 and 2022. You can see this specific buzz in global blockbusters like Parasite and Everything Everywhere All at Once, which, along with the boom of K-pop, Squid Game, anime, and Indian cinema, contribute to the bursting allure of Asian entertainment.

Simu Liu stars as the title character in *Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings* (Image Source: Jasin Boland/Marvel Studios).

This was one of the few times Hollywood truly let Asians showcase their talent. Their roles are more diverse, multidimensional, and resonant—sometimes even diaristic—as they gradually gain more control over their narratives.

Joel Kim Booster’s 2022 film Fire Island, which he both wrote and starred in, was a self-affirming act of a gay Asian American man, grounded in personal experience and insecurities. Alongside Booster, actors like Randall Park, Kumail Nanjiani, and Simu Liu have taken on roles that challenge traditional stereotypes, playing superheroes and romantic leads that are not always ethnically centric. Sean Wang’s 2024 critically-acclaimed movie Dìdi also looks into the complex growing-up experience of an Asian American man, carving out new territories in the monotonous Asian-led narratives.

*Fire Island* (2022) is a rom-com directed by Andrew Ahn, starring Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang, and Margaret Cho. It follows a group of gay friends on vacation, exploring romance and class struggles (Image Source: Searchlight Pictures).

Yet in spite, representation remains uneven, with many characters still marginalized. The road to diverse and well-portrayed depictions of Asian American men continues, hopefully with more individuals and organizations to create and support the community.

With the rise of streaming platforms like Netflix, more eyes are on the global moviescape, particularly from Asian audiences, the fastest-growing population in the world. While well-rounded representation still has a long way to go, the current strides for AAPI talents are promising and appealing.

Sep 11, 2024
3 min read

Stories

Transforming Communities Through Love: The Story of The Love Tower at Ashah

Every day, we see the effects of division and misunderstanding around the world. Families, friends, and neighbors often find themselves divided by differences that seem impossible to bridge.

The founders of The Love Tower at Ashah understand these challenges deeply. They have dedicated themselves to creating a space where love, kindness, and compassion can flourish and bring people together.

The Love Tower at Ashah was born from a simple yet profound belief: that love has the power to heal and unite us. Through music, art, dance, and meditation, they aim to inspire individuals to choose love over division and kindness over conflict.

We invite you to read their touching story through a heartfelt interview with Asian Hustle Network and join their mission to create a more loving and united world.

The Origin and Significance of The Love Tower

The turmoil of 2020 was a year of immense challenge and reflection. Political unrest and a surge in Asian hate crimes exposed deep divisions within our society. In the midst of this chaos, a group of individuals came together with a shared vision: to address the growing disconnect and foster unity through love and compassion. This vision birthed The Love Tower at Ashah, an AAPI-led non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to promoting mindfulness, kindness, and joy through music, art, dance, and meditation.

“We realized that without recognizing our shared humanity and embracing our differences, the future for our children would be grim. Instead of fueling divisive conversations, we asked ourselves how we could highlight and nurture the aspects of our society that unite us,” Sissy Lee, one of the founders shared. “We believe that love, both for ourselves and for each other, is the most powerful force to bridge divides and heal our communities.”

A Mission Rooted in Love

The Love Tower at Ashah grew organically from a group of individuals from diverse backgrounds, united by the belief in creating a better world. Their mission is to build a community that values love, respect, and unity above all. They aim to create spaces where people from all walks of life can come together, learn from one another, and celebrate their differences.

“It is not just a physical structure but also a symbol of hope and inspiration for all those who seek to make a positive difference in their lives and the lives of others,” Sissy added.

Programs That Transform

At The Love Tower at Ashah, a variety of intentional programs are offered to amplify love and promote mindfulness, kindness, compassion, and joy:

The Music Enhanced Heart Meditation Experience: This program integrates live or recorded music with guided meditations and visualizations to deepen feelings of love and compassion.
Children’s Programs: Designed to promote emotional well-being, mindfulness, and creativity among children, helping them manage emotions, develop self-awareness, and build confidence. These programs are also integrated into schools to support both students and teachers.
Sound Therapy Sessions: In collaboration with local experts, these sessions include sound healing, meditation, and breathwork to foster relaxation, alleviate stress, and enhance mind-heart coherence.
Creative Healing Arts & Body Movement: This program combines mindful music, creative expression, and fluid movement to ignite creativity, alleviate stress, and cultivate a deeper connection with love and self-expression.

Overcoming Challenges with Compassion

One of the most significant challenges faced by The Love Tower at Ashah was understanding that love is multifaceted. It encompasses self-love, love for the community, love for neighbors, and more. This challenge is universal, but the founders have tackled it by creating programs and events that foster a safe and supportive environment for emotional expression.

“We invite everyone to join us in this journey. We aim to attract individuals and communities who align to help us resolve this challenge together, fostering a world where love, kindness, and compassion are at the forefront,” Sissy shared.

Achievements and Impact

The integration of The Love Tower’s programs into elementary schools stands as one of the founders’ proudest achievements. By nurturing the next generation with values of love, kindness, and compassion, they hope to create a ripple effect that will shape a brighter future.

They view themselves as the ancestors of tomorrow, believing it is their duty to lay a foundation for a more compassionate future. By embedding their programs in schools, they are planting seeds of empathy and understanding that will grow into meaningful change.

The involvement of notable figures like Marianne Williamson, André Duqum, and Sol Rising has enriched their mission, highlighting the widespread resonance of their vision.

Founders’ Stories

Sissy Lee

Sissy Lee, a dedicated philanthropist and entrepreneur, serves as the co-founder and Director of Programs at The Love Tower at Ashah. She is passionate about creating a brighter future for the next generation and has made significant strides in supporting children and educators. Beyond her work with schools, Sissy is committed to uplifting homeless and underprivileged communities in Los Angeles, tirelessly raising funds for essential causes.

Crystal Chao

Crystal Chao is a mother, seasoned entrepreneur, and investor. Her passion for spreading love led her to co-found The Love Tower at Ashah, where she serves as the Financial Officer. Crystal is fulfilling her lifelong dream of fostering love and unity to create a better world for everyone.

Michael “Shungunna” Resurreccion

Michael “Shungunna” Resurreccion, a consultant and founder of Resurreccion Media, is a devoted family man committed to catalyzing positive change within humanity. As the Executive Director of The Love Tower at Ashah, he channels his passion to create a meaningful impact.

The Asian Hustle Network played a pivotal role in connecting the key co-founders of The Love Tower at Ashah. Michael joined the AHN community shortly after AHN was formed and soon invited Crystal to join. Crystal attended AHN’s first SoCal event, where she invited Sissy to volunteer.

The Love Rising Festival: Celebrating Unity and Love

A significant part of The Love Tower’s mission is The Love Rising Festival—a festival fundraiser designed to ignite a revolution of love and unity while raising funds for the organization, to be conducted on October 19-20, 2024 at the California Historical Citrus Park. The festival offers live performances by renowned artists, impactful activities with influential speakers, sponsor activations, and a variety of unique vendor experiences.

Visit thelovetower.com/loverising for more information.

How to Support The Love Tower

Here are some ways that you can support and be involved with The Love Tower to help them sustain their transformative programs:

Join The One Million Love Legacy Campaign: Aimed to have 1,000,000 people donate $143 (Meaning “I Love You”) to have a loved one’s name engraved within the tower walls.
Financial Contributions: Donations help cover program costs, construct the tower, and support staff and volunteers.
Volunteers: Passionate individuals can assist with events, programs, and spreading the mission.
Sponsorships and Partnerships: Businesses can sponsor events or programs, providing essential funding and resources.
In-Kind Donations: Contributions of goods and services, such as use of venue spaces, community collaborations, event supplies, online and offline promotions, help reduce expenses and enhance offerings.
Community Engagement: Attending events, spreading the word, and participating in initiatives help build a supportive community.

Join the Journey

The Love Tower at Ashah invites everyone to join their mission to create a more compassionate and united world. For more information, visit their website at www.lovetoweratashah.com or connect with them through their social media accounts:

Facebook: The Love Tower at Ashah

Instagram: @thelovetower

TikTok: @thelovetoweratashah

LinkedIn: The Love Tower at Ashah

Sep 10, 2024
7 min read

Awaken* newsletter

This Founder Raised More Than $115 Million to Make Fertility Care Accessible

Fifty thousand dollars. That’s the average cost of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment in the US. Although the number of employers covering fertility treatment has risen significantly over the past few years, the percentage of employers that provide fertility benefits is still around 40%. This has left many hopeful parents stranded, unable to afford the hefty price tags out-of-pocket.

The good news is that we have many talented people working on this issue. Tammy Sun is the CEO and co-founder of Carrot Fertility, a startup that has raised more than $115 million to help employers, health plans, and health systems provide comprehensive fertility care benefits to people globally. We sat down with Tammy to chat about her work with Carrot and reflections on her founder journey.

TLDR; Key Takeaways

If you only have a few minutes, here are a few golden nuggets from our conversation with Tammy:

Storytelling is a core component of innovation. Whether you’re pitching investors, engaging with potential hires, launching a new product, or closing new customers, it’s critical that you can clearly articulate and curate the value proposition to each of your stakeholders. Practicing this skill will naturally lead to new conversations about how your product/service could be improved.
The best way to build something people want is to listen to your customers’ problems. When talking to potential customers, give them the breathing room to talk generally about problems they are facing. This can provide valuable insight into the meaningful problems that need solving.
Choose a problem you want to work on where you have a personal connection to the issue, especially in healthcare. If your startup succeeds, you will be working on the same problem for 10+ years. Choosing a problem that you will have a lifetime of curiosity about will keep you motivated.
In the early stages of fundraising, focus on discovering your early believers instead of convincing people to care. Your early backers should be people who are as visionary as you are about your problem. Don’t waste time convincing investors who can’t be convinced, move on quickly.
Different stages of company building can require different employees. It’s important to remember that very few people can support your company from day 1 to an exit because most don’t have that prior experience. As a founder, you want to assess if the team you have is able to help you reach your next few milestones and reassess the next key growth stage of your company.
The CEO acts as a culture’s pacesetter. As simple as it may be, you need to reflect on the behavior and aura you would like to see within your company. Alignment around company culture starts with you.

What made you decide that starting a company was the right answer to the lack of access to fertility care?

Before starting Carrot, I spent some time in government, policy, and political work. There’s definitely a huge opportunity through policy to make large-scale improvements and changes to healthcare and other areas that can impact millions of people, particularly around regulatory issues related to fertility care, pregnancy care, and menopause care. But, I think the private sector and companies have a unique sharpness that can impact people in direct ways that nonprofits, legislative efforts, or even judicial efforts can’t.

In this country, whether you like it or not, people get most of their healthcare through their jobs. Employers, health plans, and the partners within the healthcare ecosystem that work with them are very much the primary delivery and distribution mechanisms for healthcare. I really believe that lifelong fertility care–from preconception all the way through menopause, low testosterone, and midlife care–is a vital and fundamental part of human healthcare. In order to bring fertility care to the table as a first-class citizen within the healthcare stack of work, we committed ourselves to making it easy for employers of any size, anywhere in the US and around the world, to customize their products and deliver fertility benefits to their employees in a way that is easy and seamless, and really elevates the experience for those employees.

There’s a place for all different types of work and activity that can impact this space, including nonprofits and public sector work at the federal and state levels. For us, we felt that the private sector and the company vehicle specifically were going to be the most impactful for the change we wanted to see in the world.

What valuable skills did you learn during your time in the public sector that are transferable to what you’re doing now?

In both the public and private sectors, as well as the nonprofit sector, the ability to clearly articulate your ideas with strong and compelling stories is really important. Whether you are in the public sector arguing for a piece of legislation or a specific law, or you’re in the private sector raising capital, launching products, or even recruiting talent and hiring people, it really depends on how good you are at telling your story and articulating an idea about the future. That’s something I was really able to bring with me in that transition.

We know that you played around with a few other ideas including some D2C ideas before committing to your current idea. How did you land on your current business?

It’s a great question. I’m an avid consumer of B2C-type healthcare products. I wear all the wearables and things like that. But as I said, if you’re really talking about healthcare with a capital H, you have to figure out a way to integrate with plans, payers, and employers. We tried many different ideas in the first year and a half of the company. Some of them were direct-to-consumer. We tried to make it really easy for people to access loans and financing. Ultimately, we shut that part down because we didn’t really want to be in the business of financing as the single solution. Medical debt is the number one reason that Americans file for bankruptcy, and we didn’t want to contribute to that. It’s great for some people, but at scale, it’s not a worthwhile solution. We tried all sorts of direct-to-consumer things. I didn’t know anything about benefits, employers, or the many acronyms in the space like ERISA, HIPAA, HRA, or HSA. But what I knew in the early days was that when I started talking to potential customers, all they wanted to do was talk about their problems and what kind of product they would be interested in if we were to build it. The enthusiasm and desire for a product that would make it easy for HR leaders and benefit leaders to meet their needs within their employee population was striking from day one. As soon as we pursued that avenue, we never stopped.

Within the fertility care industry, what do you think founders and other innovators should be focusing on?

I feel like the right match between the founder and the problem is as important as the match between the product and the market. What you want to do if you’re a founder thinking about starting a company is to make sure you have an almost never-ending well of curiosity about the problem you’re trying to solve. You don’t really need to have a clear solution in the early days, but you must have unending curiosity and empathy, particularly in healthcare. You need to understand who is impacted by the problem, who is hurt by it, and who feels pain as a result. Spend a lot of time understanding what that looks like even before you think about trying different MVPs and ways to solve it. If you have a personal connection to the issue, especially in healthcare, it contributes to a lifelong curiosity about how people experience the problem you’re trying to solve. This continuous curiosity allows you to keep innovating even two, three, five, or ten years later, building products and services that add value to people’s lives.

Given that fertility care has only recently seen an influx of venture capital, what do you think are potential exit options for fertility companies?

There are lots of ways along the journey to create liquidity for investors, shareholders, early employees, etc. As the category matures, those opportunities will increase, and we’ll see a lot more diverse outcomes across the category. That’s a good thing; it’s a sign of progress and market maturity. I’m excited about that because I think it’s coming. For early-stage founders, it’s less important to spend time mapping corporate strategy and how you are going to get to an exit. Instead, be maniacal about serving customers and the rest will generally sort itself out. But to your point, this category has been ignored for a long time, so it’s exciting to see how this area of healthcare is getting attention and being prioritized as an area of opportunity for investment.

When you were choosing an idea, was the total addressable market something that you thought about?

Certainly, in the earlier days, it’s almost a conversation that doesn’t really need to be had. Generally, you want to try to solve a very specific thing really well out of the gate and then use that as a wedge and leverage to expand from there. But I did spend a lot of time evangelizing and educating different people, particularly investors, to address questions about how big the TAM would be. I had to explain why egg freezing was not a niche problem and all the things that, in retrospect, I’m sure you could appreciate as well. It’s very clear now and it’s part of the mainstream conventional wisdom that this is a very large area of healthcare. It affects almost every human being—people who are pregnant, and people who are not pregnant. We were the first to launch a menopause product into the employer market a few years ago, and we really think about that as both reproductive and post-reproductive fertility care. If we were to talk about menopause care five years ago, the category hadn’t matured enough where people would even take that seriously.

If you’re new to fundraising, it’s a little bit jarring in the early days to get so many rejections, particularly if you’re generally a high-achieving person. I wouldn’t think about fundraising as convincing. I would think about it more as discovering, especially in the early days. It’s less about trying to convince a lot of people about your TAM and more about moving on quickly from people who you sense can’t be convinced and finding people who are as visionary and evangelical about your problem set as you are.

How did you think about making your first few hires? Why did you hire them, and what lessons did you learn from those first few hires?

The first few hires generally are partially a function of who’s around you. What’s your current community like, whether it’s college or whether you’re in New York or Silicon Valley? What is your immediate vicinity, and who’s in your personal network? An important thing about your first few hires is understanding how to discern when the first few hires have hit their ceiling. You’ll have your first few hires, and then you’ll have your first few fires. The latter is probably as important as the former.

Very few people can scale a company from zero to 100 million and be able to excel for that entire journey. More people will be particularly excellent at a particular stage of the company, whether it’s zero to a million, a million to 10, or 10 to 30. As a founder, you want to be able to hire and understand what the business needs, not just in this moment, but in the next few moments that are coming. And then, regardless of your personal relationships, you have to be able to shake your team up if needed and build it for the next phase. Sometimes that means you stick with some folks from your founding team. Sometimes that means you separate, and that’s okay. They’ll always be part of the story, but hiring and firing is probably one of the most challenging aspects of early-stage company building.

How did you think about culture-building?

The thing that was most important for me was that the people in the early team were as obsessed as I was with customers, users, the product, and the problem. We knew very early on that the product would change and it would change very quickly. You want to be surrounded by people who are just as curious as you are about all the things that really matter. I was very lucky that I had a lot of people around me in those early days where our curiosity matched each other. Our level of intensity and our level of passion were all well-calibrated with each other.

Where you find problems, especially in early-stage company culture, is if that calibration is off and some people are running at different speeds. You want your initial team to be extremely aligned, running at the same speed. Everyone should be equally passionate, curious, and taking advantage of the fact that you are early and minimal; so information, knowledge, and insights can travel very fast within the team. As a CEO, you are generally the pacesetter when it comes to progress and culture. I would encourage early-stage founders to think of themselves as pacesetters and examples so that others can see what kind of behavior comprises the culture of a company.

How has your identity as an Asian impacted your founder journey?

The area where it has impacted me is representation, meaning I didn’t have that many Asian role models coming up. That absence has really emphasized the need for empathy, not just for other founders, but also for users and members. For example, considering where our users come from. Where do they feel like there are no role models? Where do they feel like there is no precedent? Where do they feel like it’s lonely? I think my own experience has enlarged and augmented my sense of empathy in all directions with other founders, but also within my customer base and my membership base as well.

Can you share more about the policy-related work Carrot has been doing or that you’ve personally been doing in Alabama to expand and protect access to IVF and other fertility benefits?

What happened in Alabama was bad. We anticipated it and moved very quickly to make sure that our members who were impacted in Alabama were supported. While the change didn’t affect a huge number of members, it was significant from a cultural and media perspective. We made sure that members were communicated with, that customers who were impacted felt supported, and that we were able to answer lots of questions from our partners within our ecosystem.

A silver lining of the Alabama situation is that a strong bipartisan consensus emerged in favor of access to IVF. You saw Democrats, Republicans, and independents all speak up in favor of IVF and fertility care as a fundamental part of healthcare. This is medical care. I saw almost no voices trying to restrict access to it from a political or policy perspective. That is a significant silver lining and an area where we’ve tried to center ourselves and expand the consensus in favor of support. We believe that anything that prohibits or decelerates access to care is bad, and the Alabama event was certainly in that category.

Lastly, is there anything that you’d like to shout out or promote?

My friend April Koh. She’s the founder and CEO of Spring Health, which is a mental health company. She and I have known each other for a long time. She’s done such a phenomenal job in the mental health space with Spring, so I’d like to shout out April.

Sep 5, 2024
14 min read

Stories

A Mom’s Struggle Led to MIKO Eyewear: Finally Glasses for Low-Bridge Kids

Have you ever struggled to find glasses that fit just right? If you have a low-bridge nose, this challenge might be all too familiar.

For many people, especially in the Asian community, finding eyewear that stays comfortably in place without constant adjustment is a common struggle.

Megan Miyamoto, founder of MIKO Eyewear, knows this experience all too well, and it’s what inspired her to create a brand that finally addresses this issue head-on.

The Inspiration Behind MIKO

Growing up, Megan often faced difficulties in finding glasses that fit well. She felt frustrated by the lack of options that accommodated her facial features.

“I was often told to ‘just shop the rack,’ which left me feeling like I needed to fit in or that there was something wrong with my facial features,” Megan shared with AHN.

When she became a mother, she was determined to give the best for her daughter, including the right eyewear. She didn’t want her daughter to go through the same difficulties that she did.

Through her research, Megan discovered that up to 80% of lifetime UV exposure occurs before the age of 18, leading to serious eye health concerns like cataracts and eyelid cancer. Yet, when she went searching for suitable eyewear for her daughter, she found the options disappointingly limited, especially for children with low bridges.

After trying countless samples, including private label options that didn’t meet her standards, Megan decided to give it a go and design a product using high-quality materials that she could feel good about. And that’s how MIKO was born.

Overcoming Challenges with Community Support

One of the toughest challenges that Megan faced as an entrepreneur is the sense of isolation that can come with building something from the ground up.

“There were moments when doubt would creep in, and it was easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work and decisions needing to be made,” she said.

Megan found strength in the community that rallied around her. She pushed herself out of her comfort zone, connecting with mentors, fellow entrepreneurs, and communities like Authentic Asian.

“If you took the time to connect with me, spread the word about MIKO, or made a purchase, sincerely thank you for being a part of our MIKO journey.”

The Creative Process

Seeing her idea turn into a tangible product that her daughter and neighborhood kids genuinely love is one of the milestones that Megan is most proud of. What started as a quest to fill a gap in the market for low-bridge kids’ eyewear has evolved into a brand that brings confidence and joy to its young wearers.

The design process was particularly special for Megan, as it was a collaborative effort involving her daughter and the neighborhood kids, and turning her kitchen island into a mini design studio.

During these sessions, Megan paid close attention to the kids’ feedback, particularly when it came to the fit of the glasses. They tried on various prototypes, providing insights into what felt comfortable and what didn’t. They also got to select the colors for the frames, giving a fresh perspective and opening Megan’s eyes to combinations she probably wouldn’t have considered on her own.

Seeing the kids’ faces light up when they tried on glasses that fit perfectly was incredibly rewarding for Megan. Their creative process reinforced the idea that MIKO isn’t just eyewear made for kids—it’s made with them.

MIKO’s Mission and Vision

MIKO Eyewear is dedicated to empowering the next generation by providing inclusive, stylish, and functional eyewear specifically designed for children with low bridges.

Megan’s vision is to redefine what it means to wear glasses, turning them from a mere necessity into a source of pride and confidence for kids. By addressing the unique needs of low-bridge children, MIKO not only fills a gap in the market but also celebrates the diversity of facial features, empowering the Asian community and beyond.

Connect with MIKO

Instagram: @miko_eyewear

Website: mikoeyewear.com

Get a complimentary eyeglass strap with your MIKO Eyewear sunglasses purchase! It will be automatically added to your cart. Available for the first 100 customers only!

Sep 4, 2024
4 min read