Today's Entrepreneur: Michael Chiang

No.1 mistake: Mismanaging resources

Today's Entrepreneur is Michael Chiang, founder & CEO of MatchPuppy. According to his VEQ, Michael is good at marketing management, product management and technology design.

(MatchPuppy is one of the promising startups competing to be one of the top 10 finalists to present on stage at Vator Splash NY in December. If you want to see Michael on stage, or another startup in the competition, vote for them here.)

Vator’s community is the home to entrepreneurs who embrace their passion and follow their dreams. Our profiles allow members to express themselves by sharing their interests, lessons learned, as well as bits and pieces of their roller-coaster journey.

These profiles give entrepreneurs an opportunity to showcase themselves and tell their story. So if you are an entrepreneur, a serial entrepreneur, or even an aspiring entrepreneur, we'd like to hear from you.

I am a(n):
Entrepreneur

Companies I've founded or co-founded:
MatchPuppy

Startups I worked for:
MatchPuppy

If you are an entrepreneur, why?
I want to change the world.

My favorite startups:
Airbnb, Songza, Skillshare, Quora

What's most frustrating and rewarding about entrepreneurship/innovation?
Most Rewarding: when you see the impact of what you're building and that it's creating a positive influence in the world.
Most frustrating: dealing with limited resources.

What's the No. 1 mistake entrepreneurs make?
Mismanaging resources. This can be misspending money, misplacing team focus, or even misusing human capital (getting the wrong people for the job).

What are the top three lessons you've learned as an entrepreneur?
Spend every dollar as if it's your last but don't be afraid to spend either.
Listen to your users but also look at the numbers.
Never give up on the vision but know when to pivot the product.

(Want to be profiled? Just fill out your Vator profile and we'll find you! Or you can email newsroom@vator.tv)