I'm Phi. I build things, and I write about them while they're still messy.

I grew up in Colorado. My parents came over from Vietnam with almost nothing and found each other in Boulder.

I started DJing in high school. Booking my own gigs, filling rooms, getting paid for it. That was the first business I ran, and the first time I understood that culture organizes people.

In 2013 I ran a few DJ workshops in the Bronx. Figured those kids should get the same tools I had. That turned into Building Beats.

Twelve years later: 12,000 young people. 250+ schools, shelters, community centers, juvenile halls. 16,000 hours of programming. 110 people have worked there.

I hired a CEO in December 2025. I do innovation work for the org now.

I split time between LA, New York, and wherever else I end up.

I've been tinkering more. CazMind is the main one. Companies know a lot and can't find any of it, so I'm building a brain that runs on a company's own knowledge instead of the internet's.

There's a Rap Album Maker that turns your photo into a 90s Dirty South album cover. I consult with founders on AI, emerging tech, and strategy. I still DJ.

Mostly I end up translating between rooms that don't talk to each other. Immigrant and American. Music and tech. Nonprofit and startup. I've never fully belonged to any of them. Still not sure if that's a skill or just what happened.

I don't know what the next ten years look like. But I've got some ideas.

LA · New York · Building in public