In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month this May, we’re showcasing some of the standout founders from our entrepreneurship suite of programs over the past year that are part of the AAPI community.
We encourage you to learn about these exceptional entrepreneurs, and think about their asks of the broader IVMF community. Be sure to follow and connect with them on social media!
Marguerita Cheng
Army ROTC Parent
Blue Ocean Global Wealth
BBiE Alum
Blue Ocean Global Wealth is a minority women-led financial planning and investment advisory firm. The mission of Blue Ocean Global Wealth is to help women, families and entrepreneurs plan and protect their money so they can make rational decisions about their finances. Blue Ocean Global Wealth empowers clients to have the confidence and clarity to take control of their financial future. We envision a world where everyone has access to competent ethical financial planning advice.
Marguerita’s Ask: Blue Ocean Global Wealth is seeking partnerships to provide financial planning education to employees and retirement plan participants. Our focus on financial planning advice helps improve financial capability and financial confidence. By partnering with Blue Ocean Global Wealth, organizations can demonstrate their commitment to improving the financial wellness and resilience of their most precious resources: their people. We invite interested parties to contact us to discuss opportunities to collaborate. After all, everyone deserves the opportunity to become financially confident, resilient, and empowered.
Jan Gorospe
Army Veteran
Hiro Services Inc.
CEOcircle Alum
Last year, 264 shootings struck U.S. schools, and just a few months into 2025 the number has already climbed to 89. Hiro aims to reverse this trend. Our True Prevention platform harnesses computer vision to recognize early behavioral and environmental warning signs, delivering real‑time alerts to school staff so they can intervene before violence occurs.
Jan’s Ask: We are now in Phase One—building the infrastructure that will bring True Prevention to every campus. To speed deployment, we’re seeking introductions to superintendents, district administrators, and local leaders who share our commitment to student safety. We are also raising capital to fund this roll‑out: individual supporters can invest through our live crowdfunding campaign, and warm connections to mission‑aligned venture capital firms would be equally valuable. If you are interested in supporting our journey and owning a part of our mission, please connect with me directly at jan@urhiro.com.
Haotian Bai
Army Veteran
Patriot Conceptions
EBV-A, Acceleration Chhallenge, VPPCE, and CEOcircle Alum
At Patriot Conceptions, we believe everyone deserves the joy of welcoming a child into their life—no matter their journey. We connect caring surrogates and generous egg donors with hopeful parents, offering compassionate guidance, cutting-edge technology, and unwavering support. This isn’t just a medical process—it’s about building families, realizing dreams, and creating bonds that last a lifetime. When you partner with us, you join a family of experts and advocates dedicated to helping your love grow into new life. Let us stand beside you, turning your hopes into a beautiful reality you’ll cherish forever.
Haotian’s Ask: My journey has been shaped by the support of friends, mentors, and colleagues who believed in my vision for Patriot Conceptions. Now, I’d like to ask for your continued partnership—whether it’s sharing our story with someone in need, introducing us to clinics or donors, or simply offering your guidance as we expand our mission to help every hopeful parent realize their dream of starting a family. Your encouragement and connections mean more than I can express. If we can elevate one another and continue the tradition of veterans lifting veterans, we’ll make an impact far beyond the walls of this conference. Thank you for being part of my story, and for letting me be a part of yours.
Joey Mac Dizon
Marine Corps Veteran
The Mobile Cigar Lounge
Ambassador, CEOcircle Alum
The Mobile Cigar Lounge curates personalized, premium cigar experiences for events. They turn great gatherings into unforgettable memories. You can also learn more about Joey’s story at our blog!
Joey’s Ask: Smoke Em, If You Got Em! The Mobile Cigar Lounge seeks to build meaningful and impactful relationships with wedding and event planners. We offer unique cigar experiences that make any event memorable and fun. If you’re looking to make your birthday, wedding, corporate, or golf event special for you and your guests, please feel free to reach out to us at info@themobilecigarlounge or visit our website!
Learn About Other AAPI-Owned Companies in our Community
In addition to the featured entrepreneurs presented above, there are dozens of Asian American and Pacific Islander-led companies participating in our programs.
James Schlauch
Army Veteran
Apply
BBiE Alum
James is looking to help foreign-born military spouses and other skilled immigrants find work and close the gap for in-demand job fields with his company, Apply. Learn more about his quest to help people avoid the more painful parts of his own mother’s immigrant experience in his spotlight.
Keith Liao
Army Spouse
Aedify
BBiE, ViR, Ambassador (DC) Alum
Keith was already an entrepreneur, having already opened an indoor climbing gym called Cayuga Climbs in Ithaca, NY. Learn how this serial entrepreneur looked to teach financial literacy to teens through his educational video game publishing company, Aedify, in his spotlight.
Support AAPI Veteran and Military Spouse-owned Businesses
The AAPI community has a long history of service in the US military dating back to the War of 1812. Today, more than 125,000 members of that community serve in the armed forces, and the US veteran population includes over 324,000 people that identify as Asian-American/Pacific Islander. Learn more about the AAPI veteran experience in a recent study done at IVMF.
At IVMF, we know representation matters, especially in the entrepreneurial world. While members of the AAPI community are welcome in all of our programs, the Breaking Barriers in Entrepreneurship (BBiE) workshop has an AAPI-focused cohort that allows members of the community to network with each other and discuss unique challenges they’re facing.
Interested in going through the workshop? BBiE is currently accepting interest forms for its next cohort.