The Uplifted Conference

We're back and we're better!

Join us at the Uplifted Conference 2023!

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Location

The INDUSTRIAL Event Space, Las Vegas

Dates

Thursday April 27–Friday April 28, 2023

What is the Uplifted Conference?

Join us from Thursday, April 27 to Friday, April 28 for Asian Hustle Network’s 2nd annual conference, kicking off Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) at The INDUSTRIAL Event Space in Las Vegas!

Celebrating 3.5 years since our founding, the Uplifted Conference will be a global reunion for our community. All hustlers—Asian or non-Asian—are welcome to enjoy over 2 days filled with keynote speakers, networking sessions, workshops, special performances, food and drink, and much more.

In this space, community members new and old will network, be inspired and build meaningful, lifelong relationships. Come and learn from industry experts and influential entrepreneurs & professionals, and support your favorite Asian-owned businesses.

Attire: Business Casual

Unlock limitless opportunities and network

Will we see you there? 👁👁

Early Bird: $300 (SOLD OUT!)

General Admission: $450

Meet the Speakers

Michelle Wong

CMO of Sprinkles Cupcakes

Sean Pan & Sharon Tseung

Real Estate Investors & Co-Founders of Good Sweet Homes

David Zhao

Co-Founder of Chubby Cattle / X Pot / NIKU X

Linda Chiou

Founder & CEO of IVY Swimwear

Patrick Chiou

Real Estate Developer & CEO of Upstate General Construction

Ace Watanasuparp

Founder & CEO of Swish Capital

Rick Hu

Wealth Management Advisor at Northwestern Mutual, Founder & CEO of Midas Wealth

Eric Wei

Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Karat

Meet the Emcee

Meet the Moderators

Jane Lee

Investor at RPS Ventures

Randy Char

President & Corporate Broker of Las Vegas Sotheby’s International Realty

Conference Schedule

Day 1 • Thursday, April 27

9–10amBreakfast
10-10:30amIntro by AHN & Sam Li
10:30-11amNielsen Noodles Game Show
11-11:30amSpeaker #1: Michelle Wong
11:30-12pmSpeaker #2: Sean Pan & Sharon Tseung
12-1pmLunch
Marketplace & Exhibition Hall
1-2pmSponsor Branding Integration
2–3pmBreakout Sessions
3–4pmBreakout Sessions
4–4:30pmSpeaker #3: Eric Wei
4:30-4:45pmClosing by AHN & Sam Li
4:45-6pmReception: Happy Hour & Networking

Day 2 • Friday, April 28

9–10amBreakfast
10-11amIntro by AHN & Sam Li
11-11:30amSpeaker #1: Linda & Patrick Chiou
11:30-12pmSpeaker #2: David Zhao
12-1pmLunch
Marketplace & Exhibition Hall
1-1:40pmTop 50 Unsung Heroes Awards Ceremony
1:40-2pmSponsor Branding Integration
2-3pmBreakout Sessions
3-4pmBreakout Sessions
4-4:30pmSpeaker Panel: Rick Hu & Ace Watanasuparp
4:30-4:45pmClosing by AHN & Sam Li
4:45-6pmReception: Happy Hour & Networking

Breakout Sessions

Over the course of 2 days, we will host 8 total breakout sessions. Each day there will be two 1-hour-long slots for breakout sessions, and each attendee can choose from 2 concurrent sessions during each slot.

The goal of each breakout session is to give participants the chance to learn from experts and come away with actionable learnings, or even a mini project.

Start Up Your Personal Style: How Entrepreneurs Create Confidence in Their Wardrobes & Bring It in the Business World

Hosted by Ashley Capps, Founder and Chief Stylist for AC.Styles

Date/Time: April 27th at 2pm – 3pm PT

Description: In this workshop, we’ll cover how you can find confidence in your closet and translate it to your business or entrepreneurial life. Then, we’ll show real-world ways to transform your everyday looks with our proprietary style on the fly demonstrations. At the end, we’ll have time for personal style Q&As with founder Ashley Capps.

Create Strategic Partnerships That Become Your Revenue Multiplier

Hosted by Dennis Yao Yu, Merchant Success Lead at Shopify

Date/Time: April 27th at 2pm – 3pm PT

Description: In this workshop, you will learn what strategic partnerships are, what are some of the most successful business partnerships, and how we can all explore various ways of working together. The beauty of partnerships lies in creativity, knowing what we are trying to achieve, understanding the partners’ objectives (empathy), and the most critical component – synergy. This workshop will be fun, interactive, and most importantly leave you with takeaways that you can apply to your own business. As they say, if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.

Achieving Freedom While Scaling Your Business Past $1M

Hosted by Kevin Felix Chan, Executive Director at ACE NextGen

Date/Time: April 27th at 3pm – 4pm PT

Description: It is possible to scale a business past seven figures and have the freedom to live the life you want to live! Learn about the systems and mindsets to do so, and create a plan that gets you closer to your business and life goals.

Creating Community With Mixed Asian Media

Hosted by Alex Chester-Iwata & Sam Tanabe, Co-Founders of Mixed Asian Media

Date/Time: April 27th at 3pm – 4pm PT

Description: In this workshop, we will have an engaging and transformative conversation about creating community and the mixed AAPI experience with an emphasis on the entertainment industry and how it is all intersectional.

Building Your Real Estate Empire

Hosted by Brenda Chen of Conventus, Jennie Lok & Calvin Chin of Zen Coast University, Elisa Covington of Transform Real Estate & Nan Lin of Kaizen Capital

Date/Time: April 28th at 2pm – 3pm PT

Description: In this workshop, let’s dive into the strategies case studies and numbers in real estate through the lenses of investor, lender, coach and entrepreneur!

Always Be Creating: Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn

Hosted by Jerry Won & Justin Nguyen, Co-Founders of Always Be Creating & Asian Creator House

Date/Time: April 28th at 2pm – 3pm PT

Description: Are you leveraging your LinkedIn to build a profitable personal brand for your business and career? Learn from Justin Nguyen and Jerry Won of Always Be Creating and Asian Creator House on how they built powerful and profitable six-figure earning brands and businesses on LinkedIn!

Access to Capital: Insights for Founders from Seed to IPO

Hosted by Priscilla Lim of JP Morgan Chase, George Cen of Capital Connect & Ian Walsh of Financial Sponsors Group

Date/Time: April 28th at 3pm – 4pm PT

Description: Building a startup during periods of economic uncertainty can pose difficulty in access to funding. How can founders evaluate the potential for market disruption, and what strategies can be used to identify opportunities for growth and innovation? Join our distinguished speakers as they bring their institutional knowledge and broad perspectives to discuss Access to Capital: Insights for Founders from Seed to IPO, exploring key takeaways for entrepreneurs at every stage in their fundraising journey to connect and grow.

Blazing Nontraditional Careers While Honoring Traditional Cultural Values

Hosted by Jennifer Oh, LCSW & Angel Wang, Head of Growth at Anise Health

Date/Time: April 28th at 3pm – 4pm PT

Description: This workshop will share evidence-based research about living as a minority in a majority culture. We will unpack the effects on one’s holistic mental health and dive deeper into your own journey through a series of interactive exercises led by a licensed therapist and moderated by Anise Health, a culturally-responsive mental health platform for the Asian community. The goal of this session is to learn practical strategies to nurture self-awareness and calm in one’s professional and personal life.

About the Location

The INDUSTRIAL Event Space
2330 S Industrial Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89102

Google Maps Link

Nearby Accommodations

SAHARA Las Vegas
2535 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Ratings (TripAdvisor): 4/5 stars
Distance from venue: 0.8 mile (3 minute drive)
Google Maps Link

Resorts World Las Vegas
3000 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Ratings (TripAdvisor): 3.5/5 stars
Distance from venue: 1.1 miles (4 minute drive)
Google Maps Link

Wynn Las Vegas/Encore at Wynn Las Vegas
3131 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Ratings (TripAdvisor): 4.5/5 stars
Distance from venue: 1.7 miles (7 minute drive)
Google Maps Link

Sponsorship and Media Partners

If you’re interested in sponsoring or becoming a media partner during the conference, please fill out our sponsorship or media partner forms!

Our Sponsors

Verizon Small Business Digital Ready

Verizon is committed to helping 1 million underserved small businesses thrive in today’s digital economy. We know how difficult it can be to level up your business when you’re short on resources and tools. That’s why Verizon Small Business Digital Ready is designed to make small business learning free and accessible to all. From courses and live coaching sessions to personalized learning plans, it’s a free and easy way to bump up your skills and knowledge.

The House of Suntory

Founded in 1899, The House of Suntory was built on the dream of its founder, Shinjiro Torii. Embodying the harmony that exists between Japanese nature and Japanese people, The House of Suntory is a unique fusion that establishes Suntory Whisky as not only a product, but an art form.

Chubby Cattle International

In 2015, David Zhao co-founded Chubby Cattle Hospitality, which specializes in creating and operating technology-enabled food and beverage ventures. Through their concepts such as Chubby Cattle, The X Pot, NIKU X, the group is elevating traditional Asian cuisines with technologies from projection mapping to robot servers to membership programs backed by NFT. Chubby Cattle has scaled to 10 locations across the U.S., and is tracking $80MM in annual revenue across all locations. The group is aiming to open 50 locations by 2025 to bring people of all cultures closer together through their culinary offerings.

Capital Connect by J.P. Morgan

JPMorgan Chase is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.6 trillion and operations worldwide. Our rich history spans over 200 years. We are a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small business, commercial banking, financial transactions processing and asset management.

Over the past two years, J.P. Morgan has built Capital Connect which brings together its network of founders and private market investors. This innovative digital platform provides members with five modules: networking, benchmarking, capital raising, cap tables, and ecosystem. Through these tools and capabilities, founders and investors have the opportunity to connect, raise capital (or invest), and grow their businesses. Hundreds of companies and investment firms are currently being onboarded onto Capital Connect so they can benefit from the tremendous value the platform hopes to bring to the venture industry.

IW Group, Inc.

IW Group is a fully integrated communications and experiential marketing agency that focuses on multicultural and multi-generational markets. For nearly three decades, IW Group has represented some of the best-known brands in the world. The agency’s extensive experience includes advertising, multicultural/multigenerational marketing, crisis communications, experiential/event marketing, augmented and mixed reality, cross-cultural training, activations, media relations, traditional and digital media planning/buying, market research, and community relations.

AT&T

AT&T helps millions of people and businesses across the U.S. connect to greater possibility. From the first phone call 140+ years ago to today’s 5G wireless and multi-gig offerings, AT&T innovates to improve lives.

Walmart

Walmart Inc (Walmart) is a retailer that operates grocery stores, supermarkets, and neighborhood markets. The company’s stores offer grocery and consumables, health and wellness, technology, apparel and home categories at everyday low prices.

Uehara Financial & Longevity Planning

For the last 22 years, across multiple generations, Uehara Financial & Longevity Planning (UFLP) has worked with clients to plan for and progress towards their most important financial, life, and organizational goals. When you entrust your financial affairs to UFLP, you’ll find that we address the management of your wealth with the utmost level of care and specialized support – tailored to your unique needs.

Northwestern Mutual

Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a holistic planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what’s most important.

Nielsen

Nielsen shapes the world’s media and content as a global leader in audience measurement, data, and analytics. Through our understanding of people and their behaviors across all channels and platforms, we empower our clients with independent and actionable intelligence so they can connect and engage with their audience.

Coffee Meets Bagel

Coffee Meets Bagel is for the dater who’s ready for something serious – and tired of wasting time on the people who aren’t. With over 91% of the CMB Community looking for a committed relationship, our daters won’t be stuck wading through singles who aren’t on the same page. We’ve been named one of the best dating apps for relationships, and have made over 150 million matches and counting.

Conventus

Conventus is a private lender, providing personalized financing for real estate investors. Conventus has funded over $4 billion since its inception and is active in 42 states.

Zen Coast Homes & Zen Coast University

Zen Coast Homes, led by National Association of Realtors Honoree 30 Under 30, Jennie Lok, is a top real estate agent team that inspire families to build generational wealth and leave doors better than how they found them.

Zen Coast University: Millions of Americans spend their time and energy working for someone else, Zen Coast University offers coaching, mentorship, and community on how to create passive income using real estate investing . This way you can use your time and energy with the people you love doing what you love.

National ACE

National ACE advances Asian American and Pacific Islander business owners by building capacity and fostering economic development through advocacy, partnerships and programs. In 2022, they distributed 217 grants to AAPI-owned small businesses and supported over 30,000 AAPI small business owners with their programs and resources.

Patranya Media

Patranya Media LLC is a certified woman-owned media consulting agency specializing in helping clients showcase their stories through compelling narrative marketing strategies. The agency, founded by a 3 time Emmy Award winning journalist, also offers public speaking coaching and customized media training, both virtually & in-person.

Always Be Creating

Always Be Creating is the premier membership community built to engage, elevate, and elevate Asian creators and entrepreneurs who work within the creator economy.

Clique-Now

Clique-Now is a talent management and production company devoted to building the careers of top influencers since 2012. We offer full service talent management in all categories including branded entertainment, consumer products, film and television, publishing, and live events and appearances. Our mission is to “clique” communities together both in front and behind the scenes to audiences all over the world.

Lance Sherman Real Estate Group

Lance Sherman is a highly experienced residential realtor based in Las Vegas, specializing in serving buyers, sellers, and investors across all price ranges. With a deep understanding of the dynamic local real estate market, Lance is known for his commitment to achieving his clients’ goals, backed by 5-star service and the #1 real estate company in the world – Keller Williams.

In-Kind Support and Partners

Meta Prosper

Prosper is Meta’s commitment to the Asian Pacific Islander (API) community. What started as an idea grew into a movement– fueled by the intent of giving voice to the array of diverse stories. We are here to create a place where our community has the space and the power of self determination. API-owned businesses are the heart and soul of our communities – and right now, the fight for survival continues to be the reality for far too many. Prosper aims to unlock economic opportunity and enable these businesses to achieve success.

Asian Founded

Our mission is to promote Asian & Pacific Islander businesses, invest in new ventures, and provide valuable resources for those looking to invest in the API business community. We amplify the API business community through partnerships via events, marketing & promotional campaigns, brand awareness, and social media.

Sanzo

Sanzo is the first Asian-inspired sparkling water made with real fruit and no added sugar. Founded by Queens-born Filipino American, Sandro Roco, Sanzo has a simple goal: To bridge cultures by connecting people with authentic flavors and celebrating Asian fruits like Lychee, Calamansi, Mango and Yuzu with Ginger.

SANS

First Asian-themed, alcohol alternative and mixer, health beverage infused with adaptogens. Created by Kevin Kreider from Netflix hit “Bling Empire”, Sans is a “conversational beverage” that empowers and normalizes sober lifestyle to represent strength, health and confidence.

Nguyen Coffee Supply

Nguyen Coffee Supply is America’s first specialty Vietnamese coffee importer, roaster and proud champion of the resilient robusta bean. Founded in 2018 by Sahra Nguyen, our mission is to build a diverse and inclusive coffee culture for all while uplifting robusta coffee producers worldwide.

Pho’nomenal Bowl

In our family we eat the very same stuff that we sell, so it had better be phenomenal. We don’t put gluten, dairy, MSG or artificial flavoring into our restaurant phở or Pho’nomenal noodle bowls, unlike the other guys.
Each Pho’nomenal Bowl flavor features its own distinct broth. Unlike other quick noodles, ramen, etc., we don’t re-purpose the same old broth peppered with a couple of add-ins. Chicken means chicken, beef means beef, and our veggie broth is truly vegetarian.

Sprinkles

Sprinkles offers premium cupcakes, cakes and cookies that are baked fresh in small batches throughout the day and handcrafted with only the finest ingredients. Sprinkles opened its first bakery in Beverly Hills in 2005, drawing long lines of loyal cupcake fans and celebrity endorsements. Passionate innovators, in 2012, Sprinkles debuted the world’s first Cupcake ATM and has grown to over 70 bakeries and ATMs coast to coast.

Hot Boi Chili Oil

Hot Boi Chili Oil is the crunchiest garlic chili oil that brings the flavor and heat. Their mission is to create the perfect chili oil to bring people to the table and have an open dialogue for the issues that matter.

Love, Bonito

Love, Bonito is in the business of inspiring, uplifting, and empowering women to pursue their dreams, at every stage in her life. As an Asian female-founded and female-led womenswear brand, they create thoughtfully designed, modern, yet timelessly chic pieces, to promote confidence in women through fashion.

Anise Health

Anise Health is a culturally-responsive mental health platform built for and by the Asian community. We provide the gold standard of care for Asian individuals through our evidence-based clinical protocols, diverse network of specialized providers, robust data-driven technology and community-powered passion.

12 Pell

Located in Chinatown NYC, 12 Pell is a lifestyle store dedicated to personal care and style. We aim to redefine and reinvent the standard retail and grooming experience. 12 Pell is a place for relaxation and leisure. Our mission is to build a community that shares a passion for what we do – in art and in entrepreneurship.

Cold Tea Collective

Cold Tea Collective is a media outlet sharing the real stories of the next generation of the Asian diaspora in North America. Our mission is to tell stories that will amplify, inspire and empower our community to live their most authentic and fulfilled lives. We tell it from the heart and dig deeper for the truth in every story. Cold Tea Collective is a place for us, by us.

After Hours Sponsors

Kaizen Capital

Kaizen Capital is a real estate investment firm specializing in value-add multifamily investments and real estate developments. With a disciplined approach to investing, we create value and generate long-term wealth for our clients.

YouthBio Therapeutics

Kaizen Capital is a real estate investment firm specializing in value-add multifamily investments and real estate developments. With a disciplined approach to investing, we create value and generate long-term wealth for our clients.

Covid Information

Current Status: Nevada Statewide Mask Mandate Lifted

As Nevada continues to recover from the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 pandemic, and tools to combat the severity of illness are more widely available, Emergency Directive 052 lifts the requirements for face masks statewide. (Source: nvhealthresponse.nv.gov)

Although masks will not be required at the event, they are still recommended for individuals who are not fully vaccinated, those with underlying health conditions and in healthcare facilities.

Attendees will be asked to stay at home if they are feeling sick, experiencing the below COVID-19 symptoms, or have come into contact with a person who has been diagnosed with COVID-19.

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported — ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus.

People with one or more of these symptoms may have COVID-19:

  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Fever of >100.3 degrees F/37.9 degrees C
  • Cough
  • Chills
  • Muscle pain
  • Sore throat
  • New loss of taste or smell

About Asian Hustle Network (AHN)

Asian Hustle Network (AHN) is a global online and offline superconnector for diasporic Asians crafting creative and entrepreneurial roads to success.

Through our engaged community of 200,000+ members around the world, our storytelling, and our programming, we create an ecosystem to inspire and connect members to the people and resources who will take their pursuits to the next level.

Since our founding in November 2019, we’ve played a part in connecting passionate founders with business partners, zany innovators with new customers, beloved brands with rising talent, mentors with mentees, and even a few people with long-lost relatives!

Our mission is to uplift creative and entrepreneurial Asians around the world whose pursuits are changing the world for the better. If you’re interested in learning even more, check out our About page!