PODCAST · business
Hyphen Nation with Dave Lu
by Dave Lu
Dave Lu, Silicon Valley tech veteran, startup founder, investor, activist, and Emmy Award-winning producer, talks to influential leaders in the Asian American community and beyond. His intimate conversations will dive into their journeys and explore how they got to where they are today, including all of the challenges and triumphs. The hope is that these episodes will be a form of mentorship and inspire others to write their own stories.
Episodes
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Melody Lee - CMO of Mercedes-Benz USA
What does it take to lead marketing for one of the most iconic luxury brands in the world? In this episode of Hyphen Nation, Dave sits down with Melody Lee, Chief Marketing Officer of Mercedes-Benz USA, to explore her unconventional journey from a $12-an-hour public relations internship to the...
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William Wang - From Plane Crash to IPO
On October 31, 2000, William Wang was one of the last passengers to board Singapore Airlines Flight 6 in Taipei — flying out that night instead of the next morning so he could get home in time for his daughter’s first Halloween. The plane took off on the wrong runway, hit construction equipment…
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Yul Kwon - Overcoming Your Fears
In 2006, Yul Kwon became the first Asian American to win Survivor — a cultural milestone that made him one of the earliest, most visible Asian American men on national television. But behind the strategic gameplay and the "sexiest man alive" headlines was a much more complicated story. In this...
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Julie Kim - Leading from the Front
Julie Kim made history this year as Takeda's first female CEO in the company's 245-year history — and the first Asian American and Korean American to lead a top-tier global pharmaceutical company. Unlike most East Asian American CEOs, she didn't found her company; she rose through the ranks to…
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Neela Montgomery - The Turnaround Queen
Most leaders overlook the power of storytelling—until they realize it’s the secret to inspiring trust, driving change, and embracing leadership authenticity. Neela Montgomery’s journey from a small town near Manchester to leading global brands like Crate and Barrel, CVS, and sitting on the…
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Grant Lee - How to Build a $2 Billion AI Startup
Grant Lee is the CEO and Co-founder of Gamma, an powerful AI tool to design presentations, websites and more. In November of 2025, Gamma raised $68 million at a valuation of $2.1 billion. With a team of less than 50 people, they were generating over $100 million in annualized revenue with over 70...
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Caroline Tsay - Demystifying Corporate Boards
In this episode of Hyphen Nation, Dave sits down with Caroline Tsay—Silicon Valley operator-turned-entrepreneur and board director who has served on four public company boards, including The Coca-Cola Company and Morningstar—to demystify what it actually takes to land a corporate board seat....
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Domee Shi - The Secret to Storytelling
Pixar director and Oscar winner Domee Shi joins Dave to share her journey from drawing anime in Toronto to becoming Vice President of Creative at Pixar. Domee opens up about the real inspirations behind Bao and Turning Red, why good storytelling requires emotional vulnerability, and how a side...
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Vicky Tsai - Overcoming Trauma and Finding Your Voice
Founder and CEO of Tatcha Beauty Vicky Tsai joins Hyphen Nation for one of the most powerful conversations we’ve had yet. Vicky opens up about her childhood in Texas, the racism and sexism she endured across Wall Street and corporate America, and the personal trauma that shaped her path. She also...
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Faye Iosotaluno - Climbing the Corporate Ladder to the Top
Former Tinder CEO Faye Iosotaluno joins Dave to talk about her unlikely path from growing up in West Covina to leading one of the world’s biggest tech brands. She shares her family’s immigrant story, her dual finance and English background at Penn, and the career leaps that took her from Merrill...
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Manny Maceda - King of Consultants
In this episode, I sit down with Manny Maceda, the former Worldwide Managing Partner and CEO of Bain & Company, and now Chair of the firm. Manny’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and leadership across cultures. Born in Boston and raised in the Philippines under a dictatorship, Manny’s...
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Ju Rhyu - Creating a Cross Cultural Cosmetics Success
Ju Rhyu is the founder and CEO of Hero Cosmetics, the company behind the cult-favorite Mighty Patch that redefined acne care and became one of the most successful K-beauty exports in America. Born in Korea and raised in Seattle, Ju’s story spans continents — from her father’s entrepreneurial...
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Lisa Chang - What Does HR Really Look For?
A lot of people are in the job market right now and not sure how to differentiate themselves. On this episode, I talk to my dear friend Lisa Chang, the Global Chief People Officer of The Coca-Cola Company. We talk about growing up in the South as the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants and not…
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Ted Lieu - How We Can Save Our Democracy
Congressman Ted Lieu joins me for a powerful conversation about his journey from immigrant beginnings to becoming one of the most outspoken voices in Congress. We discuss his family’s pursuit of the American dream, his years of service in the U.S. Air Force, and how those experiences shaped his...
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Hans Tung - The Midas Touch
Today’s guest is Hans Tung, Managing Partner at Notable Capital and one of the most influential venture capitalists in the world. Hans has appeared on the Forbes Midas List for 13 straight years—landing in the top 10 five times—and has backed iconic companies including Airbnb, Coinbase, Slack,...
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Jeffrey Pfeffer - How to Play the Power Game
Most of us grew up believing that if you work hard, keep your head down, and deliver results, success will follow. But my guest today argues that’s one of the biggest myths in business. Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer, from Stanford Graduate School of Business, has spent decades studying power and...
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David Liu - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of an IPO
David Liu’s story is anything but predictable. Born in Queens and raised in Westchester, he went from being one of only a handful of Asian kids in his school—navigating racism in 1970s New York—to studying film at NYU, launching CD-ROM projects with the Smithsonian, and co-founding The Knot, one…
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Mike Lee - Staying True To Yourself as a Founder
Mike Lee is the co-founder and former CEO of MyFitnessPal, the world’s leading nutrition and fitness tracking app that helped millions of people transform their health. Mike grew up in upstate New York, studied economics at Princeton while playing Division I volleyball, and started his career in...
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Jane Wu - The Way of the Blue Eye Samurai
Jane Wu — visionary director, martial arts enthusiast, and one of the creative forces behind the Emmy Award-winning animated series Blue Eye Samurai from Netflix. Her credits read like a greatest hits of blockbuster movies: Guardians of the Galaxy, The Avengers, Thor: Ragnarok, Spider-Man: Into…
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Albert Cheng - Building Power in Hollywood
Albert Cheng is one of the most powerful people in Hollywood. Albert runs Prime Video US & Global for Amazon and is responsible for critically acclaimed hit shows such as Fallout, Rings of Power, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and The Boys among others. Albert has made it in an industry where there…
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Debby Soo - Turning Dreams of Becoming a CEO into Reality
Debby Soo grew up from humble beginnings as the only daughter of immigrants from Taiwan living in a two bedroom apartment in San Francisco with her parents, aunt and uncle, and her parents. She would go on to graduate from Stanford, even though her father had not graduated from college. Her dream...
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Jenny Ming - From Immigrant to Inspiring Icon
Most people don’t even know that an Asian American woman founded the clothing brand that most Americans have worn. And even fewer know her story. Jenny’s family fled communist China to Macau when she was a baby and she immigrated to San Francisco at the age of 9. She graduated from San Jose State...
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Kenneth Lin - From Mission to Multi-Billion Dollar Business
Ken's story started in China before he immigrated as a little boy that grew up in Las Vegas. Like many new immigrants, his parents hustled and worked multiple jobs at casinos and restaurants to make ends meet. Ken was entrepreneurial at an early age and started selling greeting cards as a kid. He...
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Deb Liu - Taking Back Your Power
Deb Liu (Former CEO of Ancestry, author of "Take Back Your Power: 10 New Rules for Women at Work", Board Director at Intuit, creator of Facebook Marketplaces and Facebook Pay, and co-founder of Women in Product) and Dave explore the significance of executive coaching, the impact of cultural...
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Introducing 'Hyphen Nation With Dave Lu'
Dave Lu, Silicon Valley tech veteran, startup founder, investor, activist, and Emmy Award-winning producer, is launching an all-new podcast, Hyphen Nation with Dave Lu. He will be talking to influential leaders in the Asian American community and beyond. His intimate conversations will dive into...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Dave Lu, Silicon Valley tech veteran, startup founder, investor, activist, and Emmy Award-winning producer, talks to influential leaders in the Asian American community and beyond. His intimate conversations will dive into their journeys and explore how they got to where they are today, including all of the challenges and triumphs. The hope is that these episodes will be a form of mentorship and inspire others to write their own stories.
HOSTED BY
Dave Lu
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Hyphen Nation with Dave Lu have?
Hyphen Nation with Dave Lu currently has 25 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Hyphen Nation with Dave Lu about?
Dave Lu, Silicon Valley tech veteran, startup founder, investor, activist, and Emmy Award-winning producer, talks to influential leaders in the Asian American community and beyond. His intimate conversations will dive into their journeys and explore how they got to where they are today, including...
How often does Hyphen Nation with Dave Lu release new episodes?
Hyphen Nation with Dave Lu has 25 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Hyphen Nation with Dave Lu?
You can listen to Hyphen Nation with Dave Lu on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Hyphen Nation with Dave Lu?
Hyphen Nation with Dave Lu is created and hosted by Dave Lu.
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