In the novel “Grand Hotel” (1929), Austrian author Vicki Baum wrote, “Success is as ice-cold and lonely as the North Pole.” Nearly a century later, China-born bioengineer and business manager Sylvia Kang felt the freeze. The Asian American entrepreneur founded Mira, a fertility device and women’s health company, in 2018. Since then, success presented some chilling surprises for the former pianist and current CEO.
Janet Arvia: With Mira, you overcame the business hurdles of securing investors, managing teams, and entering the new field of women’s health and well-being. Were there any unexpected challenges?
Sylvia Kang: I wasn’t prepared for how isolating [running a fast-growing business] would become within my own personal circles. At first, everyone was excited. I was the proud daughter, the overachiever, the one who made the “American dream” look real. But over time my path veered away from the familiar. While [friends] celebrated promotions, planned weddings, or expanded their families, I was consumed with pitch decks, product development, and the unpredictable highs and lows of entrepreneurship. And as my business progressed, my world began to feel increasingly different from theirs.
JA: You began to drift apart?
SK: The things we cared about gradually diverged. My friends’ conversations revolved around daily life – career milestones, family updates, weekend plans, or the latest workplace gossip. But as an entrepreneur, my mind was occupied with deeper, long-term questions. How do I create real impact for my customers and for women’s health as a whole? How can I become a stronger, more resilient, and wiser leader? How do I sharpen my ability to recognize risks and opportunities? How can I communicate and understand others better? How do I manage my time most effectively? When I tried to share these thoughts, I quickly realized it was a one-way conversation. My friends couldn’t relate. To them, it might have even sounded like I was showing off or overcomplicating things.
JA: How does this tie in with your culture?
SK: Born and raised in a traditional Chinese family, I was taught to chase excellence but not attention. I was encouraged to be capable but never confrontational. Building a company – especially in an emerging space like femtech – demanded the opposite. It required me to take risks, speak up, and constantly advocate for something no one else could see yet. That tension – the push and pull between cultural values and entrepreneurial demands – was constant. And exhausting.
Asian American women are raised to strive quietly, to be dependable, humble, and never to “rock the boat.” So when we achieve something visible – something loud, unconventional, and unapologetically ambitious – it doesn’t just make us outliers, it makes us feel like we’ve betrayed an unspoken cultural code.
Entrepreneurship has challenged and shaped me in ways I never imagined – it’s made me stronger, more resilient, and more self-aware.
JA: Last year, female founders were 30% more likely to report mental health concerns compared to their male counterparts. Can you explain the double standards that exist between female and male entrepreneurship?
SK: Failure is an accepted part of the startup world. When male founders fail, it’s seen as a valuable lesson. When female founders face setbacks, it often becomes a reason for others to question whether they were suited for this path in the first place.
Women are constantly proving they belong in the entrepreneurial space, that their risks are calculated, and that their ambitions are valid. When setbacks happen, personal circles may subtly suggest it’s time to pivot back to a more conventional career. The message is clear: this path wasn’t meant for them.
JA: What other issues do businesswomen like you face?
SK: Expectations placed on them. When I talk to friends, they still see me through the lens of the role a woman is traditionally expected to play. There’s an underlying assumption that, regardless of my career, I should still be the primary caregiver for my child, the one responsible for organizing the household, and a traditional wife and mother above all else.
JA: How has this experience changed you?
SK: I’ve learned that no single person will fulfill all my needs. My therapist once told me that I won’t have just one best friend who understands every aspect of my life. Instead, I’ve built different circles of support. I have friends I go hiking with, others I talk to about mindfulness and meditation, and fellow entrepreneurs who truly understand the ups and downs of building something from scratch.
Over time, I’ve come to fully embrace this unconventional path. While my lifestyle and relationships may look different from the traditional mold, they are deeply fulfilling. Entrepreneurship has challenged and shaped me in ways I never imagined – it’s made me stronger, more resilient, and more self-aware. It has introduced me to incredible people who share similar visions and values, and I find inspiration every day through the entrepreneurs and leaders I connect with, each bringing unique and diverse experiences that I can truly relate to.
JA: So the bitter cold has melted?
SK: If I had to choose this path again, I wouldn’t hesitate. There are many ways to build a great life, and for me, this is exactly where I’m meant to be.