top entrepreneurs under 40: Alex Chang, 30, The

D Magazine, Jan 01, 2004 by McGahey, Marion, Slonecker, Troy

Alex Chang, 30

FRIENDZY.COM AND ONE TECHNOLOGIES

"Go out and do what you dream of doing," says Alex Chang, who bases his newest project, Friendzy.com, on the theory behind Six Degrees of Separation. "Every person you meet is a door to a new world," he says, describing the online meeting ground (A la Friendster.com) as a "credible way to build a vast social and professional network." His first venture, after quitting his lucrative position as a stockbroker, was One Technologies-developed to increase web site traffic. He started the company in his San Francisco apartment with his brother, with less than $2,000 in seed capital. Born in Taiwan, he arrived in the United States at age 5 and grew up in Dallas, graduated from UT Austin, and returned to this area after his stint in California. He feels the Internet is still in its infancy, and he wants to help shape it, as well as act as a positive Asian role model. "Ever since my dad told me I wasn't going to grow up and be the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys," he says, "I just instinctively knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur."