Hyphen Nation with Dave Lu

Grant Lee - How to Build a $2 Billion AI Startup

Grant Lee is the CEO and Co-founder of Gamma, an powerful AI tool to design presentations, websites and more. In November of 2025, Gamma raised $68 million at a valuation of $2.1 billion. With a team of less than 50 people, they were generating over $100 million in annualized revenue with over 70 million users. They have continued to grow their revenue and customer base, because people love their product. In this episode of Hyphen Nation, I sit down with my friend Grant Lee, founder and CEO of Gamma, the AI-powered platform reinventing presentations, documents, and storytelling. Grant shares his journey from growing up in Pleasanton, California, in a family that ran restaurants and worked at the post office, to Stanford, Optimizely, and ultimately founding one of the fastest-growing AI companies in the world. We talk about: * Growing up as one of the few Asian Americans in his hometown * The sacrifices his immigrant parents made and the entrepreneurial lessons he learned from them * Why he walked away from a traditional engineering career * The power of relationships, mentorship, and playing the long game with your network * How to discover work that genuinely energizes you * Why too many people stay on the "default path" instead of pursuing what they truly want * The early struggles of Gamma and the lessons learned when growth stalled * Building conviction as a founder when everyone doubts your idea * Leadership, storytelling, and what Asian American professionals can learn from leaders like Jensen Huang * Why it's never too late to reinvent yourself and pursue your life's work Grant's story is a powerful reminder that success isn't about following someone else's definition of achievement. It's about finding the work that gives you energy, having the courage to leave your comfort zone, and taking ownership of your own path. Whether you're a founder, creator, aspiring entrepreneur, or simply wondering if there's more to your career than the path you're currently on, this conversation will challenge you to think bigger about what's possible.

Caroline Tsay - Demystifying Corporate Boards

In this episode of Hyphen Nation, Dave sits down with Caroline Tsay—Silicon Valley operator-turned-entrepreneur and board director who has served on four public company boards, including The Coca-Cola Company and Morningstar—to demystify what it actually takes to land a corporate board seat. Caroline breaks down the biggest myths (like “you must be a CEO to qualify”), and explains how her first board opportunity came not from a recruiter, but from building visibility outside her day job—speaking on panels, getting known for a clear point of view, and making her expertise legible to decision-makers. You’ll learn what boards really focus on—CEO succession, strategy, capital allocation, and risk—how board seats are commonly filled (often not through search firms), and why serving on a board is a long-term commitment where fit and governance dynamics matter as much as credentials. Caroline also shares hard-earned lessons from navigating activist shareholders, founder-controlled environments, and the fine line between giving oversight and getting too operational. If you’ve ever wondered how to position yourself for board service—especially as a woman, person of color, or “non-traditional” candidate—this conversation is a practical, behind-the-scenes playbook on how the game is played and how to start playing it.

Domee Shi - The Secret to Storytelling

Pixar director and Oscar winner Domee Shi joins Dave to share her journey from drawing anime in Toronto to becoming Vice President of Creative at Pixar. Domee opens up about the real inspirations behind Bao and Turning Red, why good storytelling requires emotional vulnerability, and how a side project changed her entire career. She also takes us inside Pixar’s story process, from pitching boards with sound effects to learning from legends like Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen. She shares what it was like to become the first woman of color to ever win an Academy Award for Animated Short and the first woman to direct a short film and feature film at Pixar. A must-listen for creatives, storytellers, and anyone navigating identity, ambition, and family expectations.

Vicky Tsai - Overcoming Trauma and Finding Your Voice

Founder and CEO of Tatcha Beauty Vicky Tsai joins Hyphen Nation for one of the most powerful conversations we’ve had yet. Vicky opens up about her childhood in Texas, the racism and sexism she endured across Wall Street and corporate America, and the personal trauma that shaped her path. She also shares the origins of Tatcha—from a stressful career that triggered acute dermatitis to rediscovering healing, purpose, and Japanese skincare traditions. This is a story of resilience, identity, and reclaiming power—and a reminder that we don’t have to stay small anymore.

Faye Iosotaluno - Climbing the Corporate Ladder to the Top

Former Tinder CEO Faye Iosotaluno joins Dave to talk about her unlikely path from growing up in West Covina to leading one of the world’s biggest tech brands. She shares her family’s immigrant story, her dual finance and English background at Penn, and the career leaps that took her from Merrill Lynch to Viacom, SoundCloud, and ultimately the CEO seat at Tinder. Faye opens up about navigating male-dominated industries, learning to speak up, building products that serve women, and the responsibility of being one of the very few Asian American women to lead at the highest levels of tech.