Venture Center launches inaugural AAPI mentorship program with 20 entrepreneurs

Twenty Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) entrepreneurs and industry leaders from across Arkansas are participating in the inaugural AAPI Achieve program, a statewide mentorship opportunity produced by The Venture Center in Little Rock.

The Venture Center facilitates a statewide program that connects emerging AAPI entrepreneurs with experienced professionals.

Building on the success of The Venture Center’s VCWoman Achieve program, which has effectively scaled more than 50 women-owned businesses in Arkansas, AAPI Achieve attracted over 40 applications for the inaugural program. The selected finalists were chosen for their diverse locations and backgrounds.

This year’s participants include:

Mentees:

• Bri Vongvilay – BriVong Media
• Tanushree Dey – Boards by T
• Sona Shekhawat – Living Alchemically
• Jenny Zhong – A.W. Lin’s
• Tim Nguyen – Diamond State Chiropractic
• Byron Buslig – ByronB Illustrations and Design
• Venki Mandapati – UpSquad
• Gen Lin – Taste Tea Kitchen
• Micy Liu – Life Mission Capital
• Shelby Esry – Downtown Dental

“As someone who is Filipino, I am so excited to be a mentor for AAPI Achieve. More importantly, I am deeply committed to nurturing and supporting the growth of Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs. This program is a powerful tool for us to share our perspectives and experiences, which enrich Arkansas’s business ecosystem. By investing in our diverse talents, we’re not only celebrating our roots but also paving the way for a future where everyone can thrive,” said Arthur Orduña, Executive Director of The Venture Center and AAPI Achieve mentor.

AAPI Achieve mentors volunteer their time to assist in building the mentees’ businesses and offer them inspiring examples of success to follow. These volunteers include:

Mentors:

• Brant Collins – Collins Media
• Bao Hoang – Southern Arkansas University
• Peter Nguyen – Healthy Chew
• Mihir Desai – Welspun
• Arthur Orduña – The Venture Center
• Dian Barlett – Polk Stanley Wilcox
• Bliss Krucas – Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Jason Huynh – Walmart
• Chung Tan – The City of Fayetteville
• Deme Yuan – FR8relay

“Having someone who can connect you to revenue opportunities, resources, or grants that may benefit you as a minority-owned business is a direct advantage of mentorship. The relationships built in this program could be the reason you see another successful month, year, or even ten years in business—all from one small seed of connection,” said Josh Nguyen, the Digital Marketing Manager at The Venture Center and AAPI Achieve Co-Founder.

“There aren’t a lot of Asian people in Central Arkansas. When I learned about the AAPI Achieve program, it stood out because having the opportunity to be surrounded by people who understand and share your experiences is amazing. I think The Venture Center is doing something really big that will make such an impact in people’s lives,” said Bri Vongvilay, founder of BriVong Media and AAPI Achieve mentee.