David Lin

David Lin was born in NYC and grew up in Chinatown. As a first generation Asian American, he did not really have a mentor or guidance when it came to choosing my career path. He attended college at CUNY Baruch and chased the “American Dream” by graduating from a four year university and landing a job in corporate finance. It was not till one year into his job where he realized his true passion was to create something impactful, memorable, and meaningful. In 2015, he left his job to pursue entrepreneurship and started my first business with my co-founder Michael Tan. Together they opened shop in our community and created a product that pays homage to our Asian & American culture – Eggloo (Hong Kong Waffles & Ice cream).

Michael Tan

Michael Tan is a Co-Founder of Eggloo. Eggloo was founded with the goal of highlighting the Asian American experience through the use of nostalgic sweets and snacks. Growing up in New York City’s Chinatown, he is a supporter of small business development and reimagining how to keep the traditions of the community alive while also growing it with changing times.

What inspired your team to create this company?
The concept was based on my childhood growing up in Chinatown, and having this experience of eating egg waffles with my family. There was a very famous stand in the neighborhood, where the aunty would usually give free waffle bits to the local kids that visited. She always had lines that were down the block, but made time for the kids in the neighborhood. This story doesn’t come across as something so astonishing, but to many of us as Asian Americans it is an experience that is so relatable and tells the story of our upbringing. Asian foods and different flavors are unique to us and can tell a story that correlates with not just our cultural upbringing of being Asian, but being Asian American as well.

What distinguishes your company and product in the market?
Our company started as a novelty dessert shop serving Hong Kong egg waffles and ice cream. We had garnered a lot of attention in the past for not just our story and message, but also the uniqueness of our offerings. The flavors we have highlighted in the past include: Butterfly Pea, Lychee Rose, Horlick, etc.

We have since reflected on our mission, and have started producing CPG waffle and pancake mixes based on our store recipes in Asian inspired flavors. We believe there is a gap in the market for people who want to have flavors from their culture and childhood, as well as experiencing new flavors that are more common to other Asian cultures. In the future, we plan to expand to dry mixes for other baked goods in Asian flavors such as cakes, cookies, and brownies.