Bio : Bokksu

About Bokksu: 

Bokksu delivers authentic Japanese snack foods and home goods to customers around the world. Founded by Danny Taing in 2015, the New York and Tokyo-based DTC company partners with traditional family businesses across Japan to share their craft with over 100 countries via its snack subscription service, curated market of premium home goods, and online Asian grocery store. By providing Japan’s traditional makers with a platform to share their artisanal products with a global audience, Bokksu is helping to support, preserve, and promote their craft, while making it easier for the rest of the world to discover, buy, and love authentic Japanese goods. Bokksu is a proudly LGBTQ+ and AAPI-owned company.

About Danny Taing (CEO/Founder): 

Danny Taing is the Founder & CEO of Bokksu, the world’s leading direct-to-consumer subscription company that brings the taste and culture of Japan to more than 100 countries worldwide. Based in New York City and Tokyo, Bokksu connects Japan's traditional makers with a global audience, making it easier for people to discover and love authentic Japanese snacks. Born in NYC and raised in NJ, Danny is the son of Cambodian-Chinese refugees. He attended Stanford University, where he earned a dual Bachelor's in Psychology and Communication and a Master's in Sociology. Following that, he worked as a marketing strategist at Google for a year. However, his passion for Japanese food and culture led him to move to Tokyo, where he intensely studied Japanese at Waseda University and later worked at Rakuten as one of their first bilingual foreign employees, focusing on global business development. It was during these four years in Japan that he became business fluent, met his wonderful husband, and developed an even deeper appreciation for Japanese culture and cuisine, which continues to fuel his passion for Bokksu.

In his spare time, Danny is an avid rock climber, fierce board game competitor, and anime binge-watcher.

About Louis Monoyudis (CMO):

Louis Monoyudis is a seasoned fashion and luxury goods executive with a successful background building and managing teams for high-growth private equity and venture capital-backed e-commerce companies. Recently, Monoyudis oversaw 5x growth in under 18 months in his role as Chief Marketing Officer at Levo, launched retail partnerships with The Container Store and several other retail partners as CMO at Fable Pets, in addition to facilitating the sale of the company in a private equity deal while working as the turnaround CEO of Always For Me, a plus size women's fashion company.

Graduating from Harvard, Monoyudis also holds a second degree in fashion from Parsons School of Design - giving him the dexterity to toggle effortlessly between left and right brain thinking. His career started in brand strategy at Leo Burnett working on brands including Sprite, Morgan Stanley and Motorola. He then spent several years helping to launch new divisions at Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and John Varvatos. His recent experience has been in the early-stage e-commerce space at a variety of companies focusing on building community and virality while maintaining brand equity and championing the voice of the customer.