WINNING SHOT 🏀

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Greetings 👋 

Hi, how was your weekend?

Some wins come down to a championship-clinching shot. Others come from showing up every day when nobody is watching.

Success loves to arrive fashionably late and take credit for years of hard work. This week's stories are a reminder that the best results are usually built in plain sight.

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🎉 Just 3 days to go until The Breakers Collective: Going Offline in Vietnam!

If you're looking to meet ambitious people, hear honest stories, and make meaningful connections, this is the room to be in.

Hosted by Peter (@brokethehabit), the event brings together founders, creators, entrepreneurs, expats, returnees, and professionals who chose to build something different in Vietnam.

Event Details:

🗓️ June 18, 2026
⏰ 6:30 PM – 10:00 PM (ICT)
📍 Rooty Bar, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Why You Should Attend:

✨ Hear stories from people building unconventional lives in Vietnam
🎙️ Watch a live podcast recording with Peter (@brokethehabit)
🤝 Meet creatives, professionals, expats, and returnees
🎧 Enjoy a DJ set by Big Poppa Pump

🎟️ Limited spots available. RSVP required.

Hosting something for the community?

Add AHN as a collaborator on Luma so we can help amplify it.

THIS WEEK: JEWELRY BRANDS

Building a brand or business?

Join the AHN Directory and get discovered by the community.

The Brand That Proved Authenticity Can Be a Competitive Advantage

When friends Andrew Chau and Bin Chen started Boba Guys in 2011, they were not experienced restaurateurs. They began with a simple pop-up in San Francisco, driven by a belief that boba could be more than a cheap, sugary drink. They focused on high-quality ingredients, fresh milk, and a customer experience that reflected the culture they grew up with.

At the time, many people saw boba as a niche product. Instead of following industry norms, Chau and Chen doubled down on quality and authenticity. What started as a side project grew into one of the most recognizable boba brands in the United States.

The lesson for founders is simple: sometimes the opportunity is not creating something new. It is seeing more potential in something others have overlooked and having the conviction to do it differently.

Interested in supporting founders building impactful brands?

Join our private investor network and stay connected to future opportunities across the AHN ecosystem.

More Than a Marketplace: How Stephanie Jensen Built CULTR to Bring Culture Into Everyday Life

Growing up between California and Hawaii, Stephanie Jensen often found herself navigating the space between cultures. Like many Asian Americans, she learned how to blend in, but over time, she realized that connection to culture is not something that should be left behind, but rather it is something that should be lived every day.

Years later, a conversation at a birthday gathering sparked a realization that would change her path. That realization became even more personal when she became a mother. As she searched for books, toys, and products that reflected her family's heritage, she discovered countless incredible cultural brands hidden across small websites and social media pages. The products existed, but there was no central place for families to find them.

Drawing on her commercial real estate investing background, Stephanie saw an opportunity to create what she wished had existed all along. She founded CULTR (Created for Culture), a curated marketplace that brings together founder-led cultural brands from around the world, making it easier for families to celebrate identity, heritage, and belonging through everyday moments.

Today, CULTR is more than a marketplace—it's a bridge between generations, stories, and communities. Through CULTR and her other ventures, Stephanie continues working toward a simple but powerful vision: creating a world where culture isn't something people rediscover later in life, but something they experience every day.

Learn more about CULTR here:

📍Website

Filipino British Teen Lands Lead Role in ‘Supergirl’

Filipino British actress Eve Ridley is stepping into the spotlight after landing a leading role in DC Studios’ upcoming Supergirl alongside Milly Alcock. At just 14 years old, the rising star has secured the biggest opportunity of her career, years after first auditioning for the role at age 12.

Best known for her appearances in 3 Body Problem and The Witcher, Ridley will play Ruthye Marye Knoll, a young girl whose life is changed by tragedy before crossing paths with Supergirl. Early reactions have praised her emotional performance, with many seeing the role as a breakout moment for the young actress.

Read the full article here.

BIGBANG Officially Returns With First Global Tour Since 2017

BIGBANG is officially returning to the global stage with a massive 31-date stadium tour to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The announcement comes after months of speculation and a viral reunion performance that reignited excitement among fans worldwide. The tour will mark the group's first formal concert run since 2017.

The current lineup of G-DRAGON, TAEYANG, and DAESUNG will perform across Asia, North America, Europe, and Australia in what is expected to be one of the biggest K-pop tours of the year. Widely recognized as one of the genre's most influential acts, BIGBANG helped pave the way for K-pop's global expansion through record-breaking releases and international success.

Read the full article here.

Japanese American Star Zion Suzuki Makes His Long Awaited World Cup Debut

Japanese American goalkeeper Zion Suzuki made his World Cup debut on Sunday, stepping onto the field for Japan on soccer’s biggest stage. The 23-year-old was born in Newark, New Jersey, to a Ghanaian father and Japanese mother before moving to Japan as a child.

Suzuki developed through the Urawa Red Diamonds academy and now plays for Parma in Italy’s Serie A. Although he was eligible to represent Japan, Ghana, or the United States, he chose Japan and has worn the country’s colors since the U-15 level.

Read the full article here.

The Biggest Threat to Your Website Isn't Competition. It's Distraction.

Most businesses think their website is competing against competitors. In reality, it's competing against distraction. Customers can leave your site and compare multiple options in less than a minute, making every second of attention valuable.

A website that fails to communicate its value quickly often loses visitors before they ever become customers. Clear messaging, strong credibility signals, and a seamless user experience help keep people engaged and moving toward action.

The takeaway is simple: your website should do more than exist online. It should instantly show visitors why they should stay, trust your business, and choose you over the alternatives.

Save Smarter for Education With the Future Path 529 Plan

Rising education costs make early planning more important than ever. The Future Path 529 Plan by J.P. Morgan Asset Management offers a simple, tax-smart way to save for future education expenses while helping reduce long-term student loan burdens.

How the Future Path 529 Plan can help:

• Tax-smart education savings

• Flexible options for qualified education expenses

• Long-term investment support

• A way to prepare for rising education costs

Start building toward future opportunities with a plan designed to support long-term success.

Unlock Payroll Tax Benefits and Savings With ADP’s SMB Solutions

Managing payroll, HR, and tax compliance requires time, accuracy, and constant attention to changing regulations. For many small and mid-sized businesses, these responsibilities can take focus away from strategic growth.

Through our partnership with ADP, SMB leaders gain access to reliable, cloud-based payroll and human capital management solutions designed to simplify operations while maximizing cash flow. 

How ADP supports your growth:

• AI-Enhanced Payroll: Reduce errors and late penalties with automated filings and AI-powered error detection that flags discrepancies before you pay.

• Maximum Tax Credit Recovery: ADP’s specialists use your payroll data to uncover valuable incentives—including R&D credits (now with expanded eligibility) and Work Opportunity Tax Credits (WOTC).

• Built-In Compliance: Stay ahead of 2026 regulatory shifts, including new retirement plan mandates and updated wage bases, with automated system updates.

• Scalable HR Infrastructure: From your first hire to your 500th, access integrated tools for recruitment, benefits administration, and 24/7 HR advisory support.

Strategic payroll management is a reinvestment in your business. Fill out our form to connect with an ADP specialist for a personalized review of your current payroll process or review of potential payroll tax savings.

Where to Invest $100,000 Right Now, According to Experts

Investors face a dilemma. When the S&P 500 finished its worst quarter since 2022 last month, diversifiers like bonds and bitcoin fell too.

Even with the turnaround in mid-April, analysts at Goldman Sachs and Vanguard have projected low-single-digit annualized returns from 2024-2034.

Bloomberg asked where experts would personally invest $100,000 for their March monthly edition.

One answer that surfaced for a second time? Art.

It's what billionaires like Bezos and the Rockefellers have privately used to diversify for decades.

Why?

1. Appreciation. The ArtPrice100 Index outpaced the S&P 500 overall from 2000 to 2025

2. Low-correlation. The postwar contemporary segment has moved independently of traditional investments like stocks since ‘95.*

3. Resilience. A scarce, physical, and global asset class with decades of demonstrated demand.

Thanks to the world's premier art investing platform, now anyone can invest in works featuring legends like Banksy, Basquiat, and Picasso, without needing millions.

Shares in new offerings can sell quickly but...

Our subscribers skip their waitlist*

^{*According to Masterworks data. Investing involves risk. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. See important Reg A disclosures at masterworks.com/cd.}

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