Yin-Tung Chen (Alan), MBA '23

Ever since he was a child, Alan Chen knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur. He loved growing up around his family’s business and valued the many lessons he picked up from it over the years. It inspired him, he said, to dream of a future where he too could start a business — one that would change the world.

“I always knew I didn’t want to just work for someone else,” Alan said. “From a young age, I wanted to be a boss — an executive.”

Starting His Journey

Alan grew up in Taiwan and attended Soochow University in Taipei for his undergraduate degree. He studied business there and gained an interest in the inner workings of the global economy. Alan eventually decided that he wanted to expand his knowledge of business at the international level, and he knew that the best way to do that was through experience.

He first heard of the Ross School of Business from a family friend who completed the Global MBA program. The idea of traveling abroad to learn was daunting yet enticing, and Alan says it opened his eyes to new possibilities.

“I just realized, oh, they're out there doing this,” Alan said. “I thought, maybe I could try it, too.”

Excited by the opportunity to earn his MBA and participate in a global learning program, Alan applied to Michigan Ross and was accepted.

When I applied for this program, I liked that I had the opportunity to go to many different places, like Korea, Japan, and Silicon Valley in the United States.

“The program has a lot of chances to visit different places and companies to network with people from different areas,” Alan said.

Learning on the Job

Unfortunately, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic put the world — and Alan’s education — on pause. That didn’t stop Alan from pursuing more knowledge of the business world, however. Eager to find a way to continue bettering himself and his entrepreneurial skills, he reached out to a classmate he’d met through the Global MBA program who was the CEO of a tech startup in San Jose, California called MoBagel. The company specialized in artificial intelligence solutions, which interested Alan.

“I had a meeting with him and spent two hours persuading him to give me a job at his company,” Alan said. “I did end up persuading him. After that, I wanted to prove I was qualified and could contribute to the company. I worked hard and was eventually promoted to director. I ended up creating my own department.”

Alan’s success at MoBagel was inspired by the global mindset he’d begun to cultivate at Ross. 

“We have to think about, like, how do we use this whole market and what's our position? What's our product, what’s our plan?” Alan explained.

Building the Future

While he was building a strategy team from the ground up at MoBagel, Alan returned to Ross once it was safe to do so. His studies pushed him to continue to learn more about business and culture around the world. For his MAP project, he and his team left the country to work with Enlighten Designs, a creative technical agency in New Zealand, which Alan says was an amazing experience.

“My team was made up of people from a lot of different cultures; we spoke many different languages. It was interesting to approach the project in New Zealand because we had so many different perspectives,” Alan said. “We got to know the company, their culture, and their people. We even had the chance to interview top directors and some managers there.”

Alan says his overall experience with the Global MBA program has enriched his knowledge of international business and cultures all over the world. His favorite part of being a Ross student, though, is the people and all the different perspectives they bring to the table.

With graduation on the horizon, Alan has big plans for the future.

“There are so many great companies that students go to from here,” Alan said. “But Ross also gives you the tools you need to start your own business.”

After graduation, Alan plans to use what he’s learned at Ross to create a business of his own. He says he’s very passionate about sustainability, and his dream is to create something that matters.

I think some of the people here are really talented enough to change the world.

“Through business, we can change our whole culture,” Alan said. Using the knowledge he cultivated at Ross, on the job, and around the world, he hopes to become an agent of change and make the world a better place through business.