David San Roman, co-founder and CEO of Anken Group, recounts how he transformed from architect to accidental entrepreneur in Shanghai’s early 2000s boom. What started as subleasing extra office space grew into one of Shanghai’s leading urban renewal platforms responsible for over 138,000 square meters of distinctive office developments. He explains how persistence, customer focus, and fluency in the language of capital helped shape Anken’s growth. David also reveals why he sees entrepreneurship not as a path to "exit," but as an ongoing evolution—today steering Anken toward asset management and deeper integration with financial markets.
Show Notes
- [00:00] Teaser – “Persistence beats resistance.”
- [00:24] Show Intro
- [01:56] Welcome David San Roman – Founder of Anken Group
- [02:51] From architecture and design to spotting real estate opportunities
- [04:03] The accidental first project: subleasing design office space
- [06:01] Shared offices before “co-working” was a thing
- [08:15] Meeting unmet demand for small businesses in Shanghai
- [10:01] Entrepreneurial superpower: persistence and staying power
- [12:28] Learning the “language of capital” to finance projects
- [16:25] Operating spaces in China: cultural challenges & key hires
- [17:44] Anken’s tenant-first philosophy—reframing the landlord–tenant relationship
- [19:25] Breaking norms: why even clean toilets mattered to tenant satisfaction
- [21:28] Evolution vs. exit—reframing growth as transformation
- [23:45] Moving toward asset management and financial markets
- [27:26] Still finding the entrepreneurial journey fun after 20 years
- [29:46] Entrepreneur Hacks Quick Fire:
- Book: The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe (Amazon link)
- Morning routine: Cycling through Shanghai at 4:30am
- Tool/App: Strava
- Daily habit: Sports & walking the dog
- Best advice: “Don’t get personal—most business conflicts stem from poor planning, not malice.”
- [35:27] One lesson if starting over: deeply understand capital markets
- [36:10] Show Outro
