Nelson Chu, Founder of High5.ai, Talks about the Books that Changed His Mindset
Nelson Chu is the founder of High5.ai, a Taiwan-based company that brings awareness on new and better ways for brands to engage with their customers using social networks, chatbots and AI.
HIGH5 provides Customer Engagement solutions that focus on using artificial intelligence and chatbots to help enterprises build a lifetime relationship with their customers.
Established in 2017, HIGH5 has helped enterprises such as Cathy United Bank, Rakuten, Porsche and Bosch to connect with their customers in a new and more meaningful way.
Nelson is also a mentor for The Walt Disney Studios Software Development Team, responsible for designing the next generation of applications to support theatrical and television product sales operational support system. Amongst Nelson’s primary responsibilities, we have to mention mentoring and working with senior software engineers to migrate existing desktop applications to the web.
The following interview reveals the books that Nelson believes are super-important reads for every aspiring entrepreneur and, as a bonus, shares the book that helps keep your body in tip-top shape!
P.S. thanks Bernard Tan for introducing us!
What’s your favorite book and why? Business and non-business, if possible.
The Lean Startup from Eric Ries. I read a lot of different business and startup books, but I think this book is the godfather of books for startups. After this book was published, it changed the way me and many other founders think about the way we build products.
Was there a moment, specifically, when something you read in a book helped you? Can you tell me about it?
Zero to One from Peter Thiel. In his book, he talked about how competition is for losers, and that really changed my mindset. After reading this book, I am able to think strategically on how to build a company that does not need to avoid competition.
What books had the biggest impact on you? (perhaps changed the way you see things, dramatically changed your career path)
Master your Metabolism, by Jillian Michaels. I love this book, it taught me how to treat my body right by designing my diet and exercise. Once I learned how to master my own metabolism, my life has been so much more productive while staying healthy.
What books would you recommend to youngsters interested in your professional path? Why? (no number limit here)
- Lean Startup by Eric Ries (If you don’t read this book, you are missing out).
- Zero to One by Peter Thiel (It will teach you how to think big).
- Master your Metabolism, by Jillian Michaels (It will change your life, even if you are not into startups).
- Do More Faster by Brad Feld (It will give you a lot of ideas how to be more productive).
Links where you can follow Nelson Chu or find out more about his projects:
All books mentioned by Nelson Chu in this interview:
- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
- Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel, Blake Masters
- Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones for a Hot and Healthy Body! by Jillian Michaels, Mariska van Aalst
- Do More Faster: TechStars Lessons to Accelerate Your Startup by Brad Feld, David Cohen