Entrepreneur Jay Yu is an embodiment of the classic rags-to-riches story. The first-generation immigrant overcame extreme poverty, racism, lack of basic education, and overwhelming odds to succeed in many fields. It has been a long and hard journey for the boy – from heading to work in a ‘sweatshop ‘with his mom to the dizzying heights of the American Dream. Jay Yu explains, “All I did was take the opportunity that was already there by working hard and having a limitless and relentless mindset.”

The entrepreneur and private investor elaborates, “Everything I’ve got I had to earn the hard way. Nothing was handed to me on a plate. There was no magic wand, no overnight success, just plenty of sleepless nights and loads of hard work. Success isn’t some magical apparition that bestows its graces on a chosen few. Success is the prize that comes after working hard and seizing the right opportunities. The difference between an entrepreneur and everyone else is that a normal person looks at a given situation or enterprise and sees it as a failure or success. In contrast, an entrepreneur sees the potential for success in everything.”

Jay Yu’s natural born optimism and determination have served him well. He has business interests in everything from gold-mining, fintech, private aviation, blockchain, and various medical industries. Interestingly enough, he believes the early disadvantage in life was responsible for giving him such a relentless ambition to make his mark in the world.

Jay Yu explains, “Being taken by my mom at a young age to her ‘sweatshop’ work place was mundane and hard. To get through it, you have two choices. You either settle for the fact that this is your life and give in, or you vow with every breath in your body to do everything you can to build a better life for mother, family and yourself. As you can probably gather, I chose the latter option.”

As a firm believer that education is empowerment, Jay Yu graduated from City College of New York with a BA in Psychology. He chose psychology because he was always fascinated by human behavior and a firm believer in pursuits to help develop an individual.

“If everything you do is as a means to making money, you will not grow as a person,” says Jay Yu. “I believe in never sitting still and always challenging yourself to realize your true potential. I’m the hardest worker in the room, not because I want to be the richest but because I’ve seen what happens in life if you’re unmotivated and lazy – your choices are taken from you. You’re no longer the master of your destiny,” he adds.

Jay Yu has always felt like an underdog and knows too well how early disadvantages can negatively affect a person’s mindset. He is a big believer in paying it back to society and has founded the non-profit organization Lunar NYC to help New York City kids tap into their potential.

Jay Yu explains, “It’s important for youngsters to know they all have the potential to do great things and that anything is possible with self-belief. It won’t happen by itself, and you have to bring a lot of time, commitment, and resilience to the table. But if you’ve got faith in yourself, then you can not only move mountains but galaxies as well.”