Over 25 years in Asia as an entrepreneur, exec, investor and advisor across:
- Web 1.0 - (1995-2005) Read era
- Web 2.0 - (2005 - 2020) Read/Write era
- Mobile - (2000 - present) Services
- Web3 - (2020 - present) Read/Write/Own
As Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Animoca Brands, I'm about empowering users to own and leverage digital assets across blockchain games and metaverses.
Previously with 8 startups as a co-founder or senior exec, and with dozens of others as an investor, board member, advisor or mentor (HAX, Chinaccelerator & 500).
First a senior exec at 3 companies from private to public, then went on to found 5 companies: 3 exited to publicly listed companies and 2 blew up.
I eagerly/gratefully teach Entrepreneurship in China as a Clinical Professor of Entrepreneurship at Peking University's Guanghua Int'l MBA program.
Have taught 'pracademics' to senior execs at Tsinghua University's BI-Tsinghua program and the Spirit of Entrepreneurship at Alibaba University. Have frequently guest lectured globally at Harvard University, University of Southern California, Technical University of Munich and RSM at Erasmus University, etc.
Active in the geek-o-system in Asia/globally and am a sought-after keynote speaker and event MC in the tech, startup and innovation space (NFT.NYC, Web Summit Lisbon & Dublin, TechCrunch Beijing, Rise Hong Kong & TechInAsia Singapore & Jakarta, etc)
Grew up in Greater Boston and my Boston accent and I went 'wicked fah away' to study at USC in L.A. and Cambridge University in the UK.
After college, I was a wild-eyed backpacker working my way around the world as a bartender in the Virgin Islands; a concierge/ski bum in the Swiss Alps; an English teacher in post-revolution Prague; a house-painter in Norway; a grape picker in France; and a BMW factory worker in Munich.
In '93 I traveled overland from Switzerland to Hong Kong via Beijing on the Trans-Siberian and fell in love with China.
Got an MBA at the Rotterdam School of Management in The Netherlands '94-'96 & fell in love with the interwebs.
After grad school did a solo 4,000km African bicycle trip from Nairobi to Cape Town
vimeo.com/22348199
Labors of love to exercise/exorcise my creative muse:
- Write children's books through Creatribute - all money goes to charity;
- Produce/MC stand-up comedy shows across Asia with top comedians like Jim Gaffigan and Russell Peters
Now happily based in Bali, Indonesia - the Island of the Gods - since Covid. Loverly entrepreneur wife. 3 children all 'Made in China'. Perpetual Mandarin & Bahasa student.Over 25 years in