Image via Facebook.
It’s been a proud week for Danny Taing, the founder of the cravable Japanese snack box, Bokksu. Having successfully acquired a $22M Series A funding at a $100M valuation, it is the company’s first significant round of venture capital financing, opening up a world of possibilities for its expansion. Exciting as it may be, Danny’s pride at this moment lies within.
In a reflective Facebook post shared with his friends and followers, Danny pensively expressed the true glory behind his story: “I’m a proud gay Asian man. I was also a solo bootstrapped first time founder who had never seen a venture-backed entrepreneur that looked like me.”
When Danny Taing had initially relocated to the United States from Japan, there had been a void in his heart and belly: his favorite specialty snacks from home, deliciously prepared by local family businesses that didn’t sell overseas. Upon stuffing his suitcase with snacks to share with friends and family who loved them as much as he did, Danny realized he was on to something.
In May of 2016, Bokksu unveiled the Classic Bokksu, a box filled with just six unique snacks and teas from Japan. Today, Bokksu operates unlike any other of its kind by delivering handpicked, culturally-themed boxes filled with 20-25 artisanal Japanese snacks, a tea pairing to complement the month’s flavors, and a Tasting Guide that dives into each item’s story.
Now in his moment to shine amidst the exciting developments and expansion of his grassroots company, Danny has spoken from the heart as it relates to his journey. “I instead want to take a moment to be amazed that our society and business world has progressed far enough that someone like me can be loud and proud about my identities. We’ve come a long way from when it was rare to see non-white executives or when I needed to go back into the closet to protect myself from a homophobic work environment. I also want to state that we still have a very long way to go re: the dearth of VC-backed female, POC, and other underrepresented founders.”
“So it’s meaningful to me on a personal level that a gay Asian man has successfully raised a Series A for a D2C Asian food startup, and I hope this milestone inspires, motivates, and validates other underrepresented founders. Thank you to my incredible team and supportive investors, and the best is yet to come!” Serving up inspiration with a tasty side of snacking for entrepreneurs and dreamers everywhere, Danny proves the power of within can overcome any obstacle.
This reminds me of a paperweight I have sat on my desk that reads, “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” We want to hear from you - what idea would you like to bring to life? Let us know in the comments (and who knows, maybe someday soon we’ll be covering your $100M journey!).
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