Brunch and Business: Honoring Asian Entrepreneurship

May 25, 2023 | By Tara Palacios, Director of BizLaunch

Arlington Economic Development’s BizLaunch program celebrated Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage (AAPI) Month on May 23 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City.

Over 160 Asian business owners and their allies celebrated the month by sampling food from locally-owned AAPI Arlington businesses: Nam Viet, Urban Tandoor and Nicecream. Participants networked with the Asian Chamber of Commerce, Arlington Chamber of Commerce and a host of resource agencies from around the region and country.

Leap2Dance kicked off the festivities with a dynamic dance compilation of Asian hit songs. Prakriti Dejua of AED’s BizLaunch moderated an in-depth panel discussion with local AAPI entrepreneurs from around the community: Vivek Nakarmi, Pentagon MMA, Sandra Welsford, NiceCream and Mary Wong, EvaluCraft Global LLC. Each business owner told their personal stories of the joy and challenges of being an entrepreneur, and when asked if they’d encourage their children to start their own businesses, they full-heartily agreed, yes!