Christmas Magic ✨

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Did you know Saint Nicholas, better known as Santa Claus, is also the patron saint of pawnbrokers and bankers? Legend says there was a kind man who fell into hardship. To save his three daughters, he needed to marry them off, but no one would accept them without a dowry.

Hearing the man’s plight, Saint Nicholas secretly tossed a bag of coins into the man’s home every night—one for each daughter's wedding. On the third night, the man discovered his generous benefactor. However, Saint Nicholas humbly refused gratitude and asked for secrecy—though clearly, someone spilled the beans for us to have this delightful tale today.

As the story spread, the symbol of the pawnbroker’s three golden balls represented the Saint's gold bags and a tribute to his kindness. While we don’t have gold coins to share, this newsletter is full of community updates, inspiring stories, and insightful news!

Merry Christmas and may your holidays be filled with joy!

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Last Week Asian Founders Did…

🚀 Akshay Narisetti launched OpenVision Engineering's Pocket, a Super Intelligent AI voice recorder which captures, transcribes, and organizes conversations.

🚀 Sahil Singla, Shubham Rana, and Ankit Goyal launched Retape (YC W23), an AI video editor where you can correct, add, or delete words in your video recording—just like editing a document.

💸 Amanda Ye and Mingkai Li won a $50k investment from AIEB Demo Day for ProkoPark Inc., a startup offering a simplified parking management solution and an app to streamline parking in a high-traffic area.

💸 Sumanyu Sharma raised a $3.8M Seed round for Hamming AI, a Voice AI agent platform helping teams catch failures, optimize prompts, and flag edge cases in production.

Discover more inspiring founder and innovator stories at awakennewsletter.substack.com

UPLIFTING LEGENDS 📺

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COMPANIES DISCOVERED ✅

Hook Logistics
Hook Logistics is a team of operations experts providing simple, steadfast, and fair fulfillment services for entrepreneurs.

Paired
Paired helps businesses find the top overseas talent for as low as $5/hour. Our intensive search and outreach processes help us find amazing rockstars in places like Indonesia, LATAM, and South Africa within two to three weeks!

Starcycle
Starcycle is the "TurboTax for windup" — we help companies shut down faster by streamlining compiling, fact-finding, and other pre-filing admin for founders.

Limited Edition Collectibles
We created a first-of-a-kind LED-wrapped vending machine that sells highly desirable collectible mystery box products to customers of all ages and demographics. 

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UPLIFTING VOICES 🎧

Fireside Chat With Siqi Chen

SF Tech Week Asian Hustle Network partnered with Founders, Inc. moderated by AHN Venture Partner Edwin Ong.

Starting as a software engineer at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Siqi Chen became the CEO and CFO of Runway, a financial platform for businesses to model their finances intuitively. Join this fireside chat to hear the inspiring story of Siqi and his mission to make Runway modern and approachable to everyone.

City Residents Embrace Christmas Spirit With Festival: Merry Brew Festi 🎄

Thủ Đức City is gearing up for a festive holiday celebration with the Merry Brew Festi, running from December 20 to December 25, 2024. The event promises to immerse visitors in the Christmas spirit with a variety of activities and attractions.

The centerpiece of the festival will be a miniature forest created with over 300 Lawson Cypress pines, sourced from Denmark and Đà Lạt City. Nestled within the forest will be an art exhibition featuring 14 statues and five sculptures crafted from copper and stainless steel by Đinh Duy Tôn, a graduate of the city’s Fine Arts University.

On December 24 and 25, the festival will transform into an open-air cinema, screening 20 films curated from the Science Film Festival 2024. Visitors can also enjoy nightly live performances by popular acts, including the Rosie Band, Black Lemon Band, Kallus, and Joker Kids Dance Studio.

In addition to music and art, attendees can explore a diverse culinary lineup from local restaurants and participate in workshops on pottery, perfume-making, and scented candle crafting.

The Merry Brew Festi is open to the public free of charge and will take place at Global Fountain on Đỗ Xuân Hợp Street in An Phú Ward. Residents and visitors alike are invited to experience the magic of Christmas in Thủ Đức City.

Read the full article here.

Mariah Carey’s Christmas Magic Takes Over Southeast Asia 🎄

In the airborne, love-blessed atmosphere of Christmas spirits, music might be one of the most enchanting elements, as holiness and ordinary imageries of family, ribbons, and mistletoes all intertwine.

Mariah Carey’s "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is, then, something like a magnum opus of Christmas. In Southeast Asia, the record continues to dominate holiday playlists. Named Billboard’s greatest holiday song, it topped Spotify’s global charts, with ASEAN countries like Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Indonesia leading the streams.

Yet, for all its ubiquity, the festive melodies, heartfelt lyrics, and Mariah’s vocals elevate the song above the standard Christmas tune, making Mariah and this song the "Christmas darling" even after 30 years.

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Stay Ahead: 5 Web Design Trends You Can’t Miss!

It’s the era of social media where trends are rapidly evolving. Website designers are in the race to catch up with trends while “sticking” to their own colors. AHN Group offers dynamic website-building services that combine modern, flexible design with the latest trends to enhance your brand's digital presence.

If you want to explore our services more, visit the AHN Group website at ahngroup.co.

Schedule Your Free Financial Wellness Checkup Today!

To our Las Vegas community members,

Wells Fargo Advisors are offering complimentary Financial Wellness Checks to help you make sure you’re hitting your financial goals! Whether you’re an entrepreneur or someone who’s looking to improve your financial well-being, it’s important to understand the current health of your finances and create a plan that works for you.

Have questions about 401ks, tax-efficient investing, lines of credit, or any financial matters? Schedule a Financial Wellness Checkup today with one of our trusted Wells Fargo financial advisors!

Conquer Winter in Style: Best Men’s Sneakers from Nike Air Max.

Winter is here, and it’s time to elevate your look while staying warm and comfortable. The Nike Air Max collection is perfect for the modern man ready to tackle the season. From the edgy Air Max Plus to the versatile AM1, these sneakers combine style with features designed to keep your feet happy all winter long.

Whether you're tackling holiday shopping or celebrating with friends, these kicks are your perfect companion. Find your ideal pair and effortlessly elevate your winter wardrobe this season.

Treat yourself or a loved one to a stylish pair from the collection this holiday season.

Shop the Men’s Collection

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Step up Your Game With Verizon’s Special Events

Gaining skills can help take your business to new heights in 2025. With Small Business Digital Ready events, you can hear from experts about topics that matter.

📌 Charge what you are worth: The art of accurate pricing
January 9, 2025, 5:00 - 7:00 PM (ET)
Register here! 

📌 What goes into a marketing plan?
January 13, 2025, 3:00 - 4:30 PM (ET)
Register here! 

📌 From creating personas to using them 
January 27, 2025, 12:00 - 2:00 PM (ET)
Register here! 

📌 Why your digital ads aren’t working and how to fix them
January 30, 2025, 12:00 - 2:00 PM (ET)
Register here! 

💻 Designs can be difficult, hence, a structured principle will help you go a long way. One principle that you should practice is alignment. Good alignment helps your design look clean and balanced. Here are a few tips on good alignment:

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