How a Cambodian American Entrepreneur Founded a Long-Term Care Platform
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February 5, 2025
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Most people often overlook long-term care until they are older or faced with no other choice. Unfortunately, by that point, it may already be too late. Lily Vittayarukskul was pursuing a degree in aerospace engineering when she witnessed both her oldest brother and mother battle with an illness that required extensive long-term care. The situation became even more challenging when her aunt was later diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. The seek for quality care became daunting, even for those fortunate enough to have some form of insurance.
As a member of a Cambodian immigrant family, Lily experienced the challenges of caregiving firsthand, but the financial burden became unbearable. In a recent interview with TechCrunch, she exclaimed, “It wiped us out financially.” The profound emotional and financial impact of the experience ultimately led her to shift her focus to genetic and data science.
Finally, in December 2021, she decided to take action by founding Waterlily, a San Francisco-based startup aimed at helping individuals and financial advisors navigate long-term care planning through cost modeling and funding strategies. Using artificial intelligence (AI) to forecast a family’s future long-term care needs and expenses, Waterlily predicts a family’s future long-term care needs and expenses, guides them in creating a care plan, and identifies the most suitable ways to finance it. Options may include purchasing life insurance with a long-term care rider, investing in a dedicated LTC policy, utilizing annuities, or self-funding.
Lily explains, “Most people begin thinking about long-term care between the ages of 65 and 70, or only when they need it, but by then, it can be too late.”
Leveraging more than 500 million data points and machine learning algorithms, Waterlily delivers highly personalized care and cost predictions. The platform forecasts when long-term care may be required, how it will unfold, and the potential expenses involved. Lily proudly states, “We have formal data-sharing agreements with long-term care providers, government databases, academic research studies, and individual users.”
Waterlily’s vision is undeniably compelling, and Lily isn’t the only one who sees its potential. She initially launched the company as a solo founder, but it soon caught the attention of angel investor Evan Ehrenberg, the former founder of Clara Health. Evan became intrigued by Waterlily’s early research and the industry’s reaction. Curious, he tested the platform himself and was stunned by its long-term care predictions—so much so that he hired a personal trainer, adjusted his diet, and revised his financial plans. Impressed by its impact, Evan, who became MIT’s youngest neuroscience PhD, officially joined Waterlily as a co-founder.
Evan Ehrenberg [left] and Lily Vittayarukskul [right] together (Image Source: Evan Ehrenberg)
Lily believes Waterlily differentiates itself from competitors by providing a more personalized experience through deep predictive modeling integrated into a user-friendly platform. Although it only launched in March 2024, the company’s monthly recurring revenue (MRR) has already grown to more than 22 times its initial level. Waterlily now serves eight major clients, including several Fortune 100 insurance carriers and Prudential.
Looking ahead, Waterlily aims to expand its services to include disability, critical illness, hospital indemnity, and Medicare planning, enabling families to make more informed health coverage decisions. Additionally, the company is exploring opportunities for international growth, with plans to enter markets in Asia, Canada, and the U.K.
John Kim, former president of New York Life and investor of Waterlily, sees the platform as the first AI-native guidance tool addressing one of the most pressing challenges of an aging American population.
Kim concluded, “Long-term care insurance is a growing and largely underserved need among trusted advisors today. Waterlily’s guidance tool stands alone in its ability to provide customized, personalized recommendations for long-term care needs. I believe it will be a game changer for the LTC insurance marketplace.”
SHUMINGYU is an esteemed designer womenswear brand that finds its roots in the poetic essence of Chinese art.
Alvina Ding and Laura Ding, the talented sister team behind the brand, have embarked on a remarkable venture to preserve and interpret the artistic lineages of China through the medium of fashion.
With their deep personal connection to their heritage as second-generation Chinese Americans, their brand serves as a heartfelt expression of their cultural journey and a platform to share the cultural memories passed down through generations. The name SHUMINGYU holds great significance, as it pays tribute to the profound Chinese saying “落叶归根”, which invokes the powerful imagery of autumn leaves falling towards their roots, returning to the soil that once nurtured it.
Throughout history, Chinese artists have expressed their poetic selves through various art forms such as painting and poetry. SHUMINGYU draws inspiration from this legacy. Alvina, as the designer, and Laura, in charge of marketing, collaborate to create a collection that captures the elegant beauty inherent in Chinese aesthetics.
In an exclusive interview with Asian Hustle Network, Alvina and Laura walked us through their journey of preserving Chinese artistic lineages through fashion.
WHAT INSPIRED THEM TO CREATE SHUMINGYU
Alvina and Laura: We always had a passion for Chinese culture. As Chinese Americans, we were fortunate to grow up in a household that gave us exposure to the beauty of the culture such as its poetry and the arts, despite not being able to visit that often.
The fact that we were physically removed from the country of our cultural heritage, in many ways enabled us to appreciate the culture even more. We spent the next decade in between the U.S. and China, completing our undergraduate degrees in Beijing, kickstarting our early professional careers, and finishing graduate school in the U.S. It was during this time that the idea for SHUMINGYU was conceptualized.
Alvina: The idea for SHUMINGYU was first planted in my mind in college, where I was formally introduced to the canon of Chinese artistic lineages as a Chinese art history major. I thought it was odd that despite the breadth and nuances of Chinese aesthetics that were crystalized over thousands of years, it was rarely reflected in modern fashion products. To me, culture should not be relegated to a museum. It has meaning only when it is a part of one’s daily life. While I was studying fashion design at Parsons and Laura was in business school, we began to turn this idea into reality. I want this type of beauty to be seen, not only in rarified spaces such as classrooms and museums but by more people through a medium such as fashion that can be a part of our everyday lives. This fuels me as a fashion designer.
HOW SELF-DISCOVERY INFLUENCED THEIR AESTHETIC AND VISION
During our young adult years living between China and the U.S., we came to understand that identity is multifaceted.
There isn’t one way to be American, Chinese, or Chinese American. Cultural identity and heritage are not limited by where you were born or what period you are living in. It is something that is constantly evolving, passed down through generations, and shaped by the people who are currently living and breathing it.
This motivated us to combine the cultural fluency we gained over the years with design as a universal language to create SHUMINGYU. This is our way of sharing our perspectives on the beauty of Chinese aesthetics and the artistic lineages that have come before us with a global audience.
THE CREATIVE PROCESS
Alvina: I first decide on a particular theme, which is either a genre of Chinese art or a type of craft. Then I dive into research on the theme for a month or two. I read academic papers and art history books to understand the significance of this kind of genre, the elements that influenced its formation, what type of art it had an impact on later, its philosophical underpinnings, where the colors come from, and literary references. I look at the most representative pieces of art from the genre and identify the most distinctive characteristics that will define the overall feel of the collection.
During this process, I am looking at art objects that have graced the courts of emperors, the gaze of connoisseurs, and the hands of skilled artisans. From the free-spirited brushwork of ink paintings, the rhythmic flow of poetry, and the delicate luster of ceramics, all of this informs my final design decisions.
As I do the research, I see designs in my head. I visualize the images and colors and capture what I see into sketches, which I then translate into prints. Once I finish my prints, I think about what silhouettes they would work best on. From then on, it’s about deciding what fabrics work best for each design and seeing how different designs fit together into an overall collection.
SHOWCASING CULTURAL HERITAGE INTO THEIR DESIGNS
Each of our collections has a specific theme, and then we incorporate that theme into the custom prints that we develop, as well as the silhouettes of our designs. For example, our first collection ‘Of Blue Mountain and Verdant Forests’ was designed around the theme of Chinese landscape paintings. Therefore, each custom print that we developed is rooted in a piece of artwork, literature, or philosophy that is connected to landscape paintings. Our hope is that with each piece a customer wears, they can discover a new piece of culture.
Example 1:
The print of our Brushwork Dress is inspired by a brush stroke technique from the Southern Song Dynasty landscape painting The Joy of Harvest. Developed by the painter Li Tang from the Northern Song dynasty, the technique is called the “axe-cut stroke” and uses angular, staccato brushstrokes to depict the rocky surfaces of mountain peaks. The brush stroke derives its name from its visual resemblance to chopped wood and is one of two major brush strokes used to depict the texture of rocks in landscape paintings. The color of the dress is inspired by the golden brown hue of the painting scroll and the style lines are outlined in the shape of mountain ranges. The skirt hem shape is symbolic of the reflection of mountains in the water.
The Joy of Harvest is a masterpiece by Song Dynasty artist Ma Yuan (1160 – 1225), one of the most influential landscape painters of his time.
Example 2:
The print of our Spring Mountains Set is inspired by the mountain ranges from the Sui Dynasty painting Spring Excursion, widely cited as the earliest surviving work of Chinese landscape painting. The print traces the delicate, twisting brush strokes that outline the rise and fall of spring mountains in the distance. The colors are inspired by the luxurious powdered gold, malachite green, and azurite blue pigments used in the painting.
Painted by artist Zhan Ziqian, Spring Excursion was one of the first paintings to give prominence to mountains and rivers over human figures. It is considered a seminal work that marks the genesis of the most influential category of Chinese art for thousands of years to come.
FOSTERING A DEEPER APPRECIATION OF CHINESE AESTHETICS AMONG A GLOBAL AUDIENCE
We want to share the breadth, depth, and nuances of Chinese aesthetics with a global audience through our clothing. By offering an alternative aesthetic view to the exotified and caricatured version of Chinese fashion that has been perpetuated throughout the past century, we want to move beyond the set of narrow motifs that have defined what Chinese fashion can look like and open the door into a world where design is created by those who live and breathe the culture and comes from an informed and nuanced perspective.
Perhaps one of our prints will spark someone’s interest in understanding a particular artistic movement in history or thinking about how Chinese aesthetics is perceived today. If our pieces can inspire people to value culture more and spark conversations, then we’d consider that a success.
WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR SHUMINGYU
We already have a lineup of themes for our future collections, and some designs are already in the works for our second and third collections. We also want to integrate more types of fabrics, silhouettes, and crafts into our designs.
In addition to clothing, we have future plans to expand into accessories, including handbags and fragrances. We are excited to bring our vision to life, step by step, and hope that others are excited to come along on this journey as well!
Born in Indonesia, Ferdian Jap’s upbringing in a Chinese restaurant fostered his passion for culinary arts and his desire to share the richness of Asian cuisine.
As the owner of Zukku Sushi and Astro Craft Ice Cream, Ferdian is not only continuing his family’s legacy of running restaurants but is also on a mission to showcase the diverse cultures and flavors of Asia to the local community.
With his entrepreneurial spirit, Ferdian is set to revolutionize the dining experience in Tampa. In addition to his current ventures, he is working on a Korean BBQ concept that promises to be a unique and upscale establishment. He envisions a dining environment that goes beyond Tampa’s expectations, immersing guests in an extraordinary atmosphere while savoring delectable Korean dishes.
Beyond his influence in the culinary world, Ferdian has actively participated in initiatives to revitalize downtown Tampa, demonstrating his dedication to the community. As the former project manager for Friends of the Riverwalk, he played a crucial role in fundraising efforts that contributed to the development of downtown Tampa. Inspired by his involvement, Ferdian launched “Big City Events,” an organization that focuses on organizing festivals and concerts in Tampa.
Ferdian has also established a subsidiary called “Pier Events,” which aims to bring the same dynamic energy to St. Petersburg. Notably, he is the event manager for the iconic St. Pete Pier, overseeing a diverse range of engaging activities.
Ferdian Jap is eager to introduce new concepts and plans to expand his restaurant empire both locally and nationally. Through his endeavors, he continues to celebrate the diverse cultures of Asia while leaving a lasting impact on the dynamic landscape of Tampa’s restaurant and entertainment industries.
Renowned fashion designer Rahul Mishra has emerged as a leading advocate of ‘slow fashion’ in the industry, redefining bridal wear with his unique ethos.
Since his debut in 2017, Mishra has seen a remarkable rise in demand for his bridal lehengas. Today, eager customers face an almost five-month wait to own one of his coveted designs. Mishra’s talent has also caught the attention of international celebrities. He recently made headlines for dressing Zendaya in a stunning blue sari at the opening of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Center in Mumbai.
Image Source: LBB
Mishra’s accomplishments include being the first Indian designer to showcase his collection at Paris Haute Couture Week in 2020, a feat he continues to achieve year after year.
Drawing inspiration from ancient Indian designs that utilized calico textile, an unbleached fabric made from cotton fibers, Mishra creates lehengas that embody an off-white, ecru aesthetic. The brides who choose Rahul Mishra lehengas appreciate the uniqueness of his designs, characterized by intricate embroidery and unparalleled craftsmanship.
The surge in wedding attire sales, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, has helped Mishra support and provide employment to over 1,200 embroiderers from rural communities in India. The impact of his creations extends beyond fashion, creating meaningful opportunities for artisans and their families.
Rahul Mishra’s journey started from a small village in Uttar Pradesh. Although his initial aspirations to become a cinematographer were met with rejection, his decision to enroll in an apparel design program opened doors to a fulfilling career in fashion.
While preparing to open a new cafe in Chicago’s vibrant Uptown neighborhood, pharmacist-turned-entrepreneur Lan Ho is also competing on Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars, a reality show featuring aspiring chefs and culinary innovators.
The cafe will showcase her own brand Fat Miilk and will pay homage to Vietnamese culture through its space and food offerings.
Vietnamese coffee holds a significant place in Vietnamese culture, and Lan Ho is determined to offer an elevated coffee experience that truly captures the essence of this rich tradition. By working closely with local farmers throughout Vietnam, Fat Miilk ensures that only the highest quality Robusta beans are sourced for their coffee.
According to TimeOut, these organic green beans, renowned for their sweet and fruity flavor, are cultivated at different elevations and roasted using the traditional Vietnamese slow drip method. By focusing on Robusta beans, Fat Miilk stands out from other coffee brands, striving to serve the most authentic and flavorsome Vietnamese coffee.
Ho’s Vietnamese heritage and her family’s entrepreneurial spirit have been influential in her journey. As the child of Vietnamese refugees, she witnessed the determination and resilience of her family members who started businesses to provide for their loved ones. This upbringing instilled in Ho a strong sense of purpose and resilience, which helped her in starting her own business.
Participating in Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars has been a transformative experience for Ho, teaching her valuable lessons in self-advocacy and self-care.
As the opening of Fat Miilk’s flagship cafe approaches, Lan Ho remains committed to creating a space that authentically represents Vietnamese coffee culture. The cafe will not only serve an array of Vietnamese coffee options but will also feature Vietnamese meat pies and other delicacies.
