Richard Kang

Richard Kang


Website: www.about.me/kangrichard
Irvine, California, United States
Member since March 22, 2011
Quote
CEO of wipit and aspiring Social Entreprenuer Quote_down
  • About
Education
2011 University of Southern California , MBA , Global General Management
1997 California State University Polytechnic, Pomona , BA , Psychology

I am a(n):

Entrepreneur

If you're an entrepreneur or corporate innovator, why?

I want to change the world.

My favorite startups:

Charity Water, Square, Tom's Shoes

What's most frustrating and rewarding about entrepreneurship/innovation?

Entrepreneurship offers a unique opportunity and platform to participate in "changing the world". Incredible entrepreneurial companies such as YouTube or Groupon were revolutionary in their own right, and will forever have left an imprint on society. Incredible social entrepreneurs such as the founders of Charity Water or Tom's Shoes are effecting peoples lives all around the world. They effect the lives of those they help, and also all of the everyday people like you and I that they've been able to include in a greater story.

What's the No. 1 mistake entrepreneurs/innovators make?

I believe the key factor to success and failure for an entrepreneur is his/her ability to build the right team.

What are the top three lessons you've learned as an entrepreneur?

1) Surround yourself with the right team. They're the key to success!
2) Have a clear strategic focus and stick to it.
3) Doing what you love makes working really hard a lot of fun!

Full bio

Richard is a seasoned executive with over 10 years of wireless telecom industry experience.  Previous to his current role as CEO and co-founder of wipit, Richard was an equity partner at VHA and Eureka Revenue Inc. (Eureka!), where he carried the roles of Vice President of Sales and General Manager. VHA is a national leader in the distribution of prepaid telecom products and was the highest volume distributor for Boost Mobile. Richard guided Eureka! through its entrepreneurial stages and established it as a leading distributor of prepaid airtime, eventually reaching annual revenues of over $192 million and growing. He has also held executive general management positions at several partners of AT&T Wireless, where he worked closely with the carrier in developing highly successful Master Agent and retail Premier Exclusive Agent distribution programs. Richard graduated from Cal Poly, Pomona and received his MBA from The USC Marshall School of Business in their Global Executive MBA Program.

In his free time, Richard enjoys practicing Gracie jiu-jitsu, photography, and motorsports. He is passionate about social entrepreneurism and opportunities to improve the lives of those in need.