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Andrew Yang

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Andrew Yang
Yang in 2015
Born (1975-01-13) January 13, 1975 (age 49)
Schenectady, New York, U.S.
EducationPhillips Exeter Academy
Alma materBrown University (BA)
Columbia University (JD)
OccupationEntrepreneur
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseEvelyn Yang
Children2
AwardsWhite House Champion of Change (2012), Presidential Ambassador of Global Entrepreneurship (2015)
Websitewww.yang2020.com
Signature

Andrew Yang (born January 13, 1975)[1] is an American entrepreneur, the founder of Venture for America (VFA), and a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate. He worked in startups and early-stage growth companies as a founder or executive from 2000 to 2009. After he founded VFA, the Obama administration selected him in 2012 as a "Champion of Change" and in 2015 as a "Presidential Ambassador of Global Entrepreneurship".

Yang is the author of Smart People Should Build Things and The War on Normal People, about automation of labor. In Yang's bid for the 2020 presidential nomination, one of his main campaign goals is to implement a universal basic income (UBI) for every American adult.[2]

Early life and education

Yang was born in Schenectady, New York, to immigrant parents from Taiwan.[3] His parents met while they were both in graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley.[4] His father graduated with a Ph.D. in physics and worked in the research labs of IBM and General Electric, generating over 89 patents in his career.[4] His mother graduated with a Master's Degree in Statistics and later became an artist.

Yang attended Phillips Exeter Academy, a boarding school in New Hampshire. He graduated from Exeter in 1992 and went on to attend Brown University,[5] earning a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics.[6] After Brown University, Yang attended Columbia Law School in New York City, where he earned a Juris Doctor (JD).[6]

Career

In 1999, after graduating from Columbia Law School, Yang began his career as a corporate attorney at Davis Polk & Wardwell. He left the firm in 2000 to launch Stargiving.com, a website for celebrity-affiliated philanthropic fund-raising.[7][8] Stargiving.com raised some capital from investors but folded in 2001. Afterward, Yang joined a healthcare software startup, MMF Systems, Inc., as its Vice President and third hire.[citation needed]

Manhattan Prep

After working in the healthcare industry for four years, Yang left MMF Systems to join friend Zeke Vanderhoek at a small test preparation company, Manhattan Prep. In 2006, Vanderhoek asked Yang to take over as CEO. While he was CEO of Manhattan Prep, the company primarily provided GMAT test preparation. The company expanded from five to 69 locations and was acquired by Kaplan in December 2009. Yang served as the company's president through 2011.[9][10][11]

Venture for America (VFA)

Following the acquisition of Manhattan Prep in late 2009, Yang began to work on creating a new nonprofit fellowship program called Venture for America, which he founded in 2011 with the mission "to create economic opportunity in American cities by mobilizing the next generation of entrepreneurs and equipping them with the skills and resources they need to create jobs".[5][12][13][14]

Venture for America was launched with $200,000 and sent 69 graduates to five midsize U.S. cities in 2012 (Detroit, New Orleans, Providence, Las Vegas, and Cincinnati).[11][failed verification]

VFA's strategy was to recruit the nation's top college graduates into a two-year fellowship program in which they would work for and apprentice at promising startups in developing cities across the United States. Yang's book Smart People Should Build Things argues that the top universities in the country cherry-pick the smartest kids out of small towns and funnel them into the same corporate jobs in the same big cities.[15] Venture for America's goal is to help distribute that talent around the country and incentivize entrepreneurship for economic growth.

After 2011, VFA grew, reaching a $6 million annual operating budget in 2017,[16] and operating in about 20 U.S. cities, adding Kansas City, Atlanta, Baltimore, Birmingham, Charlotte, Cleveland, Columbus, Denver, Miami, Nashville, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, and St. Louis.[17] Venture for America began running a "startup accelerator" in Detroit and launched a seed fund and an investment fund for fellows.

Generation Startup, a documentary film about six startups in Detroit launched through the Venture for America program, was released in 2016. It was co-directed by Cynthia Wade and Cheryl Miller Houser.[18]

In March 2017, Yang stepped down from his position as CEO of VFA.[12]

2020 presidential campaign

Main article: Andrew Yang 2020 presidential campaign

On November 6, 2017, Yang filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to run for President of the United States in 2020.[19] His campaign proposes a $1,000/month "Freedom Dividend" to all U.S. citizens over the age of 18 (a form of universal basic income) and other responses to predictions of mass unemployment from technological automation. His website states, "Every U.S. citizen over the age of 18 would receive $1,000 a month, regardless of income or employment status, free and clear."[20][21] A New York Times article about his campaign described various new policies Yang proposes, such as a department focused on regulating the addictive nature of media, a White House Psychologist, making Tax Day a national holiday, and, to stem corruption, increasing the salaries of federal regulators but limiting their private work after they leave public service.[22] Yang's campaign slogan is "Humanity First", which calls attention to his belief that automation of many key industries is one of the biggest threats facing the workforce.[23]

Andrew-Yang-Obama-Champion-Change
Yang meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House in 2012

Yang is the first Asian American to run for President of the United States as a Democrat.[24] If elected, he would be the first Asian American President of the United States.

Recognition

In 2012, Yang was called a "Champion of Change" by the Obama White House.[13]

In 2015, he was again acknowledged by the Obama White House as a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship (PAGE) alongside Daymond John, Brian Chesky, Steve Case, Tory Burch and several more.[25][26]

Personal life

Yang lives in New York City with his wife Evelyn and two sons.[22]

References

  1. ^ Clifford, Catherine (April 11, 2018). "Andrew Yang wants to run for president promising free cash handouts". CNBC. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  2. ^ "The Freedom Dividend".
  3. ^ Hughes, Steve (January 6, 2019). "Schenectady native stumps for president in Latham". Times Union. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  4. ^ a b https://vimeo.com/316922117
  5. ^ a b Seligson, Hannah (July 13, 2013). "No Six-Figure Pay, but Making a Difference". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Smith, Robert L. (September 3, 2013). "Andrew Yang, Venture for America founder, will help showcase Cleveland's startup scene". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  7. ^ "Venture for America: The 'Teach for America' for Entrepreneurs?". Inc. July 28, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  8. ^ Yang, Andrew (October 21, 2014). "The US should include entrepreneurs in its definition of service". Quartz. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  9. ^ "The Evolution of Education – Kaplan acquires Manhattan GMAT". Steve Cheney – Technology, business & strategy. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  10. ^ Glazer, Emily (January 12, 2012). "For Grads Seeking to Work and Do Good". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  11. ^ a b Bruder, Jessica (October 12, 2011). "Starting a Teach for America for Entrepreneurs". You're the Boss Blog, The New York Times. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  12. ^ a b Ballard, Julie (March 29, 2017). "Andrew Yang Steps Down as Venture for America CEO". Silicon Bayou News. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  13. ^ a b "Celebrating a Year of Champions of Change – President Obama Meets with 12 Champions Who Are Making a Difference in Their Communities". whitehouse.gov. April 27, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  14. ^ "Our Mission & Approach". Venture for America. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  15. ^ "A Book in 5 Minutes: Smart People Should Build Things". TechCo. September 27, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  16. ^ "Financials". Venture for America. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  17. ^ "Where We Work". Venture for America. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  18. ^ "Generation Startup". Generation Startup documentary film (official website). Retrieved February 1, 2017. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |website= (help)
  19. ^ "Statement of Candidacy" (PDF). U.S. Federal Election Commission. November 6, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  20. ^ Gohd, Chelsea (February 13, 2018). "Meet the long-shot 2020 presidential candidate who might make UBI a reality". Futurism. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  21. ^ Christou, Luke (February 20, 2018). "Andrew Yang 2020? US presidential hopeful tells Verdict how he will save humans from automation". Verdict. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  22. ^ a b Roose, Kevin (February 10, 2018). "His 2020 Campaign Message: The Robots Are Coming". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  23. ^ "Yang2020". Andrew Yang for President (official campaign website). Retrieved February 26, 2018. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |website= (help)
  24. ^ Lay, Belmont (March 14, 2018). "Asian man running for US President in 2020". Mothership. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  25. ^ "Presidential Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship". U.S. Department of Commerce. Retrieved January 3, 2018.[dead link]
  26. ^ Tau, Byron (May 11, 2015). "Meet President Obama's Entrepreneurship Ambassadors". Washington Wire Blog, The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
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