Entrepreneurship

Right out of Brown University, I joined a startup technology company called Open Environment Corp as a software engineer. We went from a small startup to a publicly traded company in about 4 years (after which we got acquired by Borland) and I had the time of my life. After that, I was hooked on startups, and have been working on one or another ever since then.

My most recent startup is Empact Solutions, which I co-founded as its founding CEO back in 1999. We were funded in the summer of 2001 by M/C Venture Partners. I left Empact in 2003 to pursue other dreams and seek new challenges.

I volunteer as the President of the East Coast chapter of KASE, a non-profit organization for Korean-Americans and others interested in entrepreneurship. I've also helped out at NFTE as a mentor for young entrepreneurs.

I hope to be involved in entrepreneurship and with entrepreneurs for as long as I can. If you're one yourself, or are interested, please drop me a note.

The Research Board

The Research Board is a technology think-tank for the CIOs and their direct reports at Fortune 100 companies. Our members vote on the issues that matter to them most for us to then do research and presentation. As a program director, I am priviledged to meet lots of interesting people, including high-profile entrepreneurs. Needless to say, it's fun! :)

Dancing

I love to dance, especially social dances like the salsa, mambo, and swing. My current favorite is mambo, a salsa variant developed in NYC by mixing salsa with swing, or so I've been told... When I'm not dancing, I'm happy to attend dancing performances, whether it's Tango, Flamenco, or even Riverdance. ;-) . Most recently went to see a fantastic show called Latin Madness, which I highly recommend.

Triathlons

A more recent passion is triathlons. My first was a 1/2-Ironman on 5/10/03, which I completed in 7:57:07. I've been hooked ever since and have run in two shorter-distance races in 2003. This year, I've signed up to do the Lake Placid Ironman in July. A huge and exciting goal for me. If you're into triathlons or other endurance races, please feel free to drop me a line.

Recent Books

Title	Author	Comments/Quotes
Autobiography of Richard Branson	Richard Branson	HIGHLY recommended for all would-be entrepreneurs!
Behind Deep Blue		It's a book about the people that built the machine that defeated the World Chess Champion, a fascinating and humano-centric view on the quest to build Deep Blue.
Autobiography of Lance Armstrong	Lance Armstrong	An excellent inspirational book about having hope and overcoming odds.

Other Favorites and Inspirations

Eddie Izzard, IMO the funniest comedian today

Extreme Scrabble (ask me for game instructions)

Slashdot and the Poll that I submitted

The Grameen Bank, and a related site, BIOS

7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey; and The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

Aphrodite by Isabelle Allende; and Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson

Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jack by Genndy Tartakovsky

Prague, and Tortola

Santana!!, and Dave Brubeck

A Quote I like

YOU must be the change you wish to see in this world.
-Gandhi

Another Quote I like

I smile in your general direction...
-My friend, Alex Shah

Some amazing quotes by Lance Armstrong

If there is a defining characteristic of a man as opposed to a boy, maybe it's patience.

To believe, when all along we humans know that nothing can cure the briefness of this life, that is a form of bravery.

One of the redeeming things about being an athlete is to redefine what's humanly possible.

Pain is temporary... If I quit, however, it lasts forever.

Dotcom I miss the most

Kozmo.com (do it again, Joe!!)