For us, we are who we are, as we don't pretend to be something we are not. Our motto since we started in 2012, has always been about knowing nothing, much like how a shoebox comes to be from cardboard - printed, cut, shaped, glued, and folded. So is it really empty? And then adding the shoe itself, is it really full? Being a 501c3 entity that provides technical assistance to organizations, founders, students, people, and random folks we meet who are connected to us, we find our shoebox is often filled with more knowledge with what others share, and that's how we like it.
The folks we work with, we run alongside, walk-in step, kick up the boots and listen to as they may pontificate their dogmatic, dug-in deep, issues. We ground ourselves at that moment, listening attentively or inattentively, trying to understand their POV. From there, we work our magic, no secret sauce, no formulations, just brutally honest context on what we heard, what it may sound like, how it seems to make them, and from a baseline, they take whatever tidbit of tar they found interesting from our feedback, or stuck to the top of their heel after they have trekked through our path. We do this until that shoebox of knowledge seems a bit more full than it was.
And the interesting factoid is that in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, Shoebox Ventures received the New World Report Awards for Legal Elite - Best Organizational Management Consultancy and this wouldn't have happened without our cadre of volunteers, our mentees, the people and organizations we advise.
The folks we work with, we run alongside, walk-in step, kick up the boots and listen to as they may pontificate their dogmatic, dug-in deep, issues. We ground ourselves at that moment, listening attentively or inattentively, trying to understand their POV. From there, we work our magic, no secret sauce, no formulations, just brutally honest context on what we heard, what it may sound like, how it seems to make them, and from a baseline, they take whatever tidbit of tar they found interesting from our feedback, or stuck to the top of their heel after they have trekked through our path. We do this until that shoebox of knowledge seems a bit more full than it was.
And the interesting factoid is that in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, Shoebox Ventures received the New World Report Awards for Legal Elite - Best Organizational Management Consultancy and this wouldn't have happened without our cadre of volunteers, our mentees, the people and organizations we advise.
Our Team of dedicated volunteers - come to us with an epiphany to do great. Holding to Shoebox Ventures standards to the highest mark, and who have assented to our Conflicts of Interest Policy. We're here to assist a select group of nonprofits, founders, leaders, and organizations fill their shoe box of knowledge. Our shoe box is filled with nothing. Our polymaths and polyhistors have an eclectic array of diversity. We volunteer when we can, between our regular jobs and family demands, community commitments, by email, telephone, chat, or the usual cup of joe, or a bite of dim sum. Every person who dives into the shoe box has a story to tell, their own reasons and rhymes for joining this endeavor, everyone at Shoebox Ventures are interconnected to the founder. Each will have their own story to tell, each with their version of the facts, a method to the madness, and sanity of grounded goodwill.
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Johnson Hor is the Director of Unimaginable Heuristics (also Founder/Board Member). A neurodiverse polymath and polyhistor, he currently serves as a caregiver to his elderly mom while engaging in various advisory roles. His professional background includes leadership positions at major financial institutions, serving as PBCS Analytics Team Lead at JP Morgan Chase and holding multiple VP positions at First Republic Bank in Analytics, Development, and Data Quality. He previously managed grants and compliance at Healthright360 (formerly Walden House), one of California's largest Behavioral Health providers.
Johnson holds multiple professional certifications in financial crimes, trust and estate planning, cannabis banking, cyber risk, fraud, and anti-money laundering. He's a member of several prestigious bars including the California State Bar, U.S. Court for the Northern District of California Bar, and the Supreme Court of the United States Bar. His community involvement includes serving as Ambassador for The Hero Club, HITLAB Women's Health Tech Initiative, and Sports Philanthropy Network, as well as Local Board Member for the US Selective Service System. He was the Big Data at Cal State East Bay University Program Advisor and taught undergrad/grad compsci courses at University of Phoenix in the past. He's an Alameda County Honorary Deputy Sheriff, Life Fellow at the American Bar Foundation, Life Member of the Association of Asian American Bankers, Gemological Institute of America Alumni Association, California National Guard Enlisted Association, and California Sheriff's Association. He recently joined the California Farm Bureau as an Association Member to the San Francisco Chapter. Other languages: 1930s Shanghainese |
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Soody Tronson serves as General Counsel and Board Member. She brings over 25 years of experience combining law, science, engineering, and business management in both startup and established environments. As an intellectual property lawyer ( stlgip.com ), she's recognized among IAM Strategy 300: The World's Leading IP Strategists. She's also an entrepreneur, having founded a maternity wearable health-tech company ( Presque ) and co-founded HighNoteCoffee Co. Soody shares her expertise through teaching IP and licensing courses at the USPTO, University of California, and Stanford University, where she also mentors several entrepreneurship-focused programs. Her leadership extends to various organizations, including:
She serves as a Commissioner for the city of Menlo Park, California, and is a member of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG). As a delegate to CALNET, she participates in California's statewide network of Asian Pacific American public officials. She actively volunteers with organizations like Defy Ventures, supporting entrepreneurship and character development programs for currently and formerly incarcerated individuals. Soody is listed in the IAM Strategy 300: The World’s Leading IP Strategists 2019. Other languages: Persian |
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Milton Lee, PMP, CSM has served as Unimaginable Heuristics' Entrepreneur in Residence and adviser since our founding in 2012. He brings extensive experience in technical program management and digital transformation, currently serving as Technical Program Manager - Financial Products and Platform for a leading American mobility as a service provider.
His previous role at SAP in Global Digital Transformations earned him recognition as a Top 10 North America Account, where he successfully led both onshore and offshore teams. Milton's entrepreneurial journey began early, running a restaurant at age 16, where he developed his fundamental understanding of efficient business operations. Milton holds numerous professional certifications, including:
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Amy Vongthavady, CPCS is our Board Secretary. She's medical staff at a local hospital and health insurance company. She's also involved in the Bay Area's Laotian Community. Other languages: Laotian
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Kenneth Chow is our Treasurer/Board Member/ F&B Coach. As a Restaurateur and Professional Caterer for over two decades and working in the F&B industry for 3 decades, Ken has a good grasp of what's needed to grow a small business and have it thrive. Other languages: Cantonese and Mandarin
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Howard Chan is a Board Member / Running Coach. By day, he manages a Bay Area auto service and auto body company. Loves Marathons. Other languages: Cantonese
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Norman Chu, Board Member. He is a real estate agent. Loves fishing and spending time with his family. Other languages: Cantonese
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Chanthanom Vongthavady serves as Financial Analysis Manager at Unimaginable Heuristics. She brings over 10 years of expertise in financial analysis, reporting, accounting systems, and accounts receivable. Currently working as a Financial Analyst II at one of the world's leading providers of laser-based technologies, she has demonstrated success in implementing initiatives that improve financial operations and cost control. Her expertise includes contract negotiation, backed by strong customer service and relationship-building skills.When not analyzing numbers, Chanthanom enjoys pursuing her passion as a semi-professional baker.
Other languages: Laotian |
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Matt Ahangi is our Business Intelligence Analyst. He was the Business Intelligence Analyst at JP Morgan Chase and First Republic. Using bits of data and Py on his Mac to make wonderful Apple Py. Prior to being a data chef, he was in product marketing in the semiconductor and networking space. He's an awesome chef by hobby. He also as a BSEE, Electrical Computing Engineering from University of Texas at San Antonio. Other languages: Persian
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Anis Salah, serves as the Salsa Coach. Currently, he works as a Private Advisor/VP at Rockefeller Capital Management, bringing extensive experience in wealth management and financial services.His professional background includes roles as Wealth Management Associate at JP Morgan Chase and First Republic Wealth Management. During his time at First Republic Bank, he also served as an operations specialist and QA, holding certification as an Anti-Money Laundering Specialist.
Anis maintains strong ties to education through his service as an Alumni Board Member at Saint Mary's College of California and as a mentor for the East Bay College Fund. An accomplished Salsa dancer, he brings his passion for dance to our organization as our dedicated Salsa Coach. Other languages: Ethiopian |
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Jule Ann Garilao, CCRS, CCBP is our Engagement and Training Coordinator. She graduated UCD and majored in Speech Communication and Rhetoric. She worked at JP Morgan Chase and First Republic Bank, prior she worked in the Healthcare, Film Production, Defense, Maritime, and Space Manufacturing. She is a Certified Cyber Risk Specialist and Certified Cannabis Banking Professional. Other Languages: Tagalog
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Greg Matt, LAc is our Implementation Coach who takes the holistic approach in everything he does. He mentors his employees; to taking an idea, a concept to design, launching Philz Coffee Truck; to founding Onovations - changing the way food is packaged; to rehabilitating residential properties while wearing multiple hats as investor/developer /project manager; and while being a Licensed Acupuncturist as well. He says, everything you do, is about building relationships and taking a chance to make an impact. He inspires others to fulfill their dreams, by helping them move forward. He's also an Alameda County Honorary Deputy Sheriff.
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Clayton Wong is our Operations Coach. By day, he is the Director for the PBCS Analytics Team at a JP Morgan Chase and First Republic Bank. Other languages: Cantonese
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Josefina Tram is our Volunteer Coordinator. She has been in the banking industry for over 25 years, focusing on Compromised Accounts at JP Morgan Chase and First Republic Bank. Her experiences have been enriched by working in financial institutions, dealing with many different individuals and personalities. During her tenure at private schools, she volunteered for a few organizations, working with seniors. While earning her Psychology Degree at USF, she volunteered at Laguna Honda. She possesses a passion to help others and enjoy sharing her vision to assist people as well as mentor anyone who embraces the same passion. She published a book of poems because she loves to make others smile. Other Languages: Tagalog
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Yuhong Xie is our Design Coach. He is a mechanical engineer at Intuitive and prior to that, was a Custom Design Engineer for DMG MORI Manufacturing USA. He graduated from UC Davis as a mechanical engineer, with a focus in manufacturing technology. Johnson met Yuhong when he was a high school intern at the San Francisco Assessors Recorders Office, where Johnson was also a special projects intern of sorts. Other languages: Mandarin
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Jackson Chen, CFE, PGDL is our Risk Management Coach. He was a FIU specialist for BSA/AML department at JP Morgan Chase and First Republic Bank. He is a Certified Fraud Examiner and has a Post Graduate Degree in Leadership from MIT/Tuck/Columbia/Emeritus. Other languages: Cantonese
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Kristopher Ling, CFCS, CCRS, CCS, is our VFX Fellow. By day, Kris has returned to Cal State, East Bay working on his MPA. Kris was the PBCS Analytics Team, Assistant Manager at JP Morgan Chase and First Republic Bank. He's a Certified Financial Crime Specialist, Certified Cyber Risk Specialist, and Crypto Compliance Specialist. He's a well known photographer in the Anime and Comic Convention world.
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Adam Alexander is our Cybersecurity and Information Systems Fellow. He worked for First Republic Bank and was responsible for fraud prevention through client education. He has experience in incident response, anomaly detection, cybersecurity threat intelligence, and fraud monitoring/prevention. In his free time, Adam enjoys working on cars and playing billiards.
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Michael Huskii is our Global Public Policy Fellow on Cultures, Organizations, and Generations. He is our Point Guard who understands generational shifts and how it relates on a global scale. He's in Melbourne, Australia. And he also is the Point Guard on a basketball team called the Huskii Group and lives in the #music #culture #tech #innovation #startup reality. This 'protagonist' invests in people first, figures out how to grow the community, next, and lastly, drives business development for those projects of interest. Other language: Vietnamese.
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Shawn Tram is our KYC Specialist. He is Certified Financial Crime Specialist (CFCS), Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), and Certified Cyber Risk Specialist (CCRS), Certified Cannabis Banking Professional (CCBP), and Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). He worked as a Senior Banking Analyst for JP Morgan Chase. Prior to that, he worked for First Republic Bank as a PBCS Special Services Banker, ran his own mechanics shop, as well as worked for automotive companies. Other language: Vietnamese.
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Advisory Council
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Noni Virani is our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Adviser. She has sat on a DEI Council for a Forbes Global 2000 Financial Institution. And now works as the Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Manager for a nonprofit agency. On her free time she's a co-founder of an independent film studio. She volunteers on countless community projects dealing with media and entertainment, from organizing a music expo to serving on the board of Sketch Comedy organization. Other Languages: ASL
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Joy Suacillo, CFS has over 30 years of banking experience. She is a Certified Fraud Specialist. Other Languages: Tagalog
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Raymond Ko has over 18 years in the Data Center and Telecom space. Currently, assisting customers with Best Practices used in a Data Center to achieve Digital Transformation and Optimal Performance to meet their business demands Globally. If you're looking for that Platform, Reliability, and Edge into the Global Market Place, he can help. He's currently the Enterprise Account Manager | Enterprise Solutions (West) for Digital Realty. Other Languages: Cantonese
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Mary-Joan Fitzgerald has over 30 years of banking experience and was a preschool teacher as well. And was a Certified Fraud Specialist before she retired.
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Past Advisory Council Members
- Jonathan Leong, Founder, Asian American Donor Program; President’s Advisory Commission on AAPI (Oakland)
- Dr. Minoo Makassebi, Dentist - http://www.drmakassebi.com (San Francisco)
- Dr. Tao Lin, Partner, Intebridge Capital (Shanghai)
- Shyam Desai, CA, CFA, MBA, Senior Vice President, Citi (Denver)
- Calvin Louie, CPA (San Francisco)
- Lisa Ma, Chief Growth Officer at Hub, Former Yahoo Chief of Staff (San Francisco)
- Mark Igou, Managing Director, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (San Francisco)
- Charles Jo, Founder, Startup Study Group (Silicon Valley)
- Willa Qian, Outside GC, Beijing Energy Investment Holdings; co-authored the Top Capital Magazine “Clean Technology Innovations in China” (Oakland)
- LeChara Gregory, Taxonomist, VMware (Denver)
- Sophie-Sokphal Duong Karet, PhD, founded Cambodian International Investment Group (San Francisco / Cambodia)
- Ethan Bynoe is the Chief Experience Officer at Noms Bake Shop. (Boise)
- Michael Nguyen is the cofounder of MyLong and RX Delivered Now (San Francisco / Vietnam )
- Kitty So, Business Development/Technologist and Miss Chinatown-Houston Pageant Director (Redwood City / Houston )
- Michael Schwartz, Relationship Manager, First Republic (Miami / Menlo Park)
Corporate and Community Partners we have worked with, advised, and/or collaborated
* Denotes: Organizations we have advised |
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