EP 145 - Victor J. Chow - CEO at 3 Square - This Is Where the Game Is Going

"The Irony Was Not Lost On Me" (a potential title for this episode...) was something Victor J. Chow, the Founder, and CEO of 3 Square,  said to me when we were discussing his return to Taiwan.  Victor's parents emigrated to the United States from Taiwan, settled in Connecticut, and built a successful, if not sprawling, food and beverage business. Like many children of successful immigrants, Victor wanted to carve his own path and made his way to Wall St...

Some of the topics we covered in more depth:

• The expectations for the eldest son in a traditional Asian family
• His lack of interest in his family's business and his path to Wall St.
• His desire to head back to Taiwan was announced to his family more than it was discussed with them
• Victor's desire to have a concrete plan for something to do in Taiwan led him to a scholarship to study Mandarin
• After graduating from an intensive Mandarin course, starting a Montessori-style cram school
• Created two branches of the school and sold the business 5 or so years later
• Had been conceptualizing a 'digital food court' network for years
• Launched 3 Square - An optimized and upgraded version of a cloud kitchen
• Each kitchen is built to handle multiple brands and food styles
• With one shopping cart, you can order from all the brands at one location
• Uses data and data analysis to determine the optimal restaurant locations
• Raised $1.2MM seed round to get started and is now raising more to expand in Taiwan and North and Southeast Asia

Some other titles we considered for this episode:

1. I Am Going to Go Back to Taiwan and Check It Out
2. It’s Foreign, But Not Totally Foreign
3. All of a Sudden, I Am Teacher Victor
4. The Irony Is Definitely Not Lost On Me
5. I Will Humbly Say That I Am Not That Surprised