Amplifying AAPI Ambition with Arnold Byun

As part of our ongoing speaker series that celebrates and amplifies a diverse range of voices, we hosted an incredibly inspiring, intimate conversation with Arnold Byun, a brand builder and community connector whose purpose and passion is to amplify Asian American makers and founders. He does just that as the founder of With Warm Welcome and co-founder of MAUM.

Our conversation dug deeper into his cultural identity, career journey, and creative projects — as well as his clear love for alliteration. Here are a few things we learned from speaking to Arnold. (We also adore alliteration, if you can’t tell.)

• Celebrate Complex Cultures: The AAPI community is incredibly complex and is made up of so many countries, languages, and cultures. Shining a light on its vibrance and variety helps celebrate the fullness of the AAPI experience. Arnold’s Weekly Welcome podcast, which touches on culinary entrepreneurship, hyphenated identity, and food culture within the community, is a perfect example of what that looks like.

• Creatively Create Change: Supporting the AAPI community takes many forms. Arnold’s Bakers Box project, which showcases both emerging and established Asian American pastry chefs and home bakers while also donating proceeds to benefit locally-based nonprofits, is just one creative (and tasty) way to create change within the community.

• Champion Community: Supporting and showing up for the community through your time, energy, or wallet helps champion its cultural contributions. Arnold’s Market With MAUM, a monthly pop-up experience around LA that features an intentional curation of Korean makers, creates a space that truly celebrates Korean excellence.

Peep the full AAPIHM presentation here.

Celebrate more AAPI creators here.

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