Defying Confucius: Tales of Risk Taking from Asian Entrepreneurs

To many young Asian entrepreneurs, starting a company is an act of rebellion. It means defying the lessons of parents, teachers, and culture, who say: Be proper. Find a stable job. Risk taking is foolish. It means – in many cases – feeling uncertainty, shame, and fear of failure. It’s a struggle they will continue as they gun to compete with US companies, get funding from US investors, and partner with US corporations.

Today, Tech Cocktail is releasing a special report about their journey. For American entrepreneurs and investors, it’s a peek into the culture of potential competitors and portfolio companies. For Asian entrepreneurs, it’s a discussion of issues that can hobble the growth of startup communities. And for anyone, it’s an inspiring story about overcoming the fear of failure with risk taking, determination, and passion.

Defying Confucius: Tales of Risk Taking from Asian Entrepreneurs is based on over 100 interviews that I conducted over six months in Asia, across Hong Kong, China, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. It includes:

  • Real-life stories about the struggles, risk taking, and successes of bold Asian entrepreneurs.
  • How organizations in Korea, China, Malaysia, and Singapore are trying to change the culture and kickstart entrepreneurship.
  • Why risk aversion in the United States is different.
  • Why excitement about Asian entrepreneurship is at an all-time high.

Enter your name and email below to gain access to the Defying Confucius report
After you hit submit, you will be directed to the report and it will also be sent to your inbox.
First Name:
Last Name:
Email Address:

Pro tip: Check your spam filter, as our message may end up there. To help prevent it from happening, please add news@techcocktail.com and news@tech.co to your email address book so it isn’t mistaken for spam :)

 

Did you find this article helpful? Click on one of the following buttons
We're so happy you liked! Get more delivered to your inbox just like it.

We're sorry this article didn't help you today – we welcome feedback, so if there's any way you feel we could improve our content, please email us at contact@tech.co

Written by:
Kira M. Newman is a Tech Cocktail writer interested in the harsh reality of entrepreneurship, work-life balance, and psychology. She is the founder of The Year of Happy and has been traveling around the world interviewing entrepreneurs in Asia, Europe, and North America since 2011. Follow her @kiramnewman or contact kira@tech.co.
Back to top