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These Co-Founders Are Using 'Quiet Confidence' to Flip the Script on Cutthroat Startup Culture and Make Their Mark on a $46 Billion Industry Kevin Lee and Kevin Chanthasiriphan were raised with a set of values that, in many ways, directly conflict with those in the startup space -- but they're using that to their advantage and taking noodle brand Immi to the next level.

This story appears in the September 2022 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

Courtesy of Immi

When Kevin Lee and Kevin Chanthasiriphan met as product managers at mobile-gaming company Kabam in 2013, they discovered they had quite a bit in common. Not only were Lee and Chanthasiriphan first-generation immigrants whose parents had immigrated to the United States from Taiwan and Thailand, respectively, but they also shared a love of noodles. In fact, the pair — who go by "KLee" and "KChan" to avoid the confusion sharing a first name can cause — were the only product managers to go get noodles for breakfast together on a regular basis.

Over the course of those mornings, KLee and KChan developed a friendship and learned they both came from food families. KLee's grandparents are produce farmers in Taiwan. KChan's grandmother ran a noodle stall in Thailand, and his father later opened a noodle restaurant in Los Angeles. Suffice it to say, a dedication to food is in the duo's DNA.

So it's perhaps no surprise that KLee and KChan's mutual love for ramen inspired the launch of their own noodle brand: Immi, a healthier take on beloved instant ramen. But the co-founders' belief in their brand goes beyond their personal fondness for noodles. It's also driven by their desire to solve some of the chronic health problems that consuming traditional ramen can cause — issues they've seen arise in their own families.

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