Cassindy Chao
| Cassindy Chao | |
|---|---|
 Cassindy_Chao_official_portrait.png | |
| Born | Queens, New York, United States |
| Other names | Cindy Chao |
| 🎓 Alma mater | Wellesley College (B.A., 1990) |
| 💼 Occupation | Matchmaker, author, public speaker, investor |
| Known for | Ancient Wisdom Modern Love (matchmaking practice) |
| Notable work | Ancient Wisdom, Modern Love (2024 book) |
| 👩 Spouse(s) | Fred |
| 👶 Children | 3 |
Cassindy Chao (Chinese name: 趙珊珊, Zhào Shānshān; also known as Cindy Chao) is an American matchmaker, author, public speaker, and angel investor. A former investment banker at Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan, she is the founder of the professional matchmaking service Ancient Wisdom Modern Love (also known as AWML or AWM Love) and the author of the 2024 book, Ancient Wisdom Modern Love: Chinese Wisdom for Dating Success .[1][2] She describes herself as a third-generation matchmaker.[3]
Early life and education
Chao was born in Washington, D.C. to parents who had emigrated from Taiwan. Her family moved to the Los Angeles area when she was five, and she grew up in Redondo Beach and later Palos Verdes, California.[2] Her father served in the Taiwanese Navy and came to the United States on a National Science Foundation fellowship.[4]
Chao attended Wellesley College, graduating in 1990 with a double major in Chinese studies and economics.[5] While a student, she organized a large campus mixer, an experience she has credited with sparking her later interest in matchmaking.[2][4]
Finance career
After college, Chao worked in investment banking and equity research at Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan.[2][4] During her banking years she appeared on CNN, was featured in The Wall Street Journal, and spoke at investment conferences.[4] She has said that she left finance in part to help care for her aging parents.[6]
Matchmaking and writing
Chao founded Ancient Wisdom Modern Love (also abbreviated as AWM Love or AWML), a matchmaking and dating-coaching practice that markets itself to professional and high-net-worth clients, with a particular focus on Asian and Asian-American professionals.[1][2] She has said her mother and grandmother were also matchmakers, making her a third-generation practitioner.[4][3]
She is the author of Ancient Wisdom, Modern Love: Chinese Wisdom for Dating Success (also published under the subtitle A Practical Guide to Modern Dating), a self-help dating book that draws on Chinese chengyu (four-character idioms). A second edition includes personal stories and family recipes.[1][3][7]
Public speaking
Chao works as a public speaker on relationships, networking, and leadership, often drawing parallels between dating and workplace dynamics.[4][8] She has spoken at venues and organizations including the Harvard Club of New York, the Penn Club, the Museum of Chinese in America, Ascend, the National Association of Asian American Professionals, Oracle, and Robert Half.[4]
Other activities
Chao is an angel investor; among her investments is the company The Lounge Booth.[4] She founded a networking series, the Entrepreneur Huddle, later rebranded as "Crazy x Asians" events.[4]
In the nonprofit sphere, she has served as Co-President of the Wellesley College Asian Alumnae Alliance, as a development committee member for Asian Health Services, and as an associate board member of the New York Asian Film Festival.[1][4] She also teaches mahjong.[4]
Media coverage
Chao and her matchmaking work have been featured by outlets including Business Insider, NBC News, NewsNation, ABC News, and Voyage LA, as well as podcasts such as AsianBossGirl and the Ken Fong Podcast.[1][4] She is also mentioned in Janet Hanson's book More Than 85 Broads.[1]
Personal life
Chao is married to Fred, a software developer; the couple have been married for more than 25 years and have three children.[4][3] She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.[9] She has described foster-caring for cats and cooking Taiwanese food among her personal interests.[4]
Bibliography
- Ancient Wisdom, Modern Love: Chinese Wisdom for Dating Success (2024, 2nd edition; Stone Monkey Publishing)[7]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Matchmaking & Speaking with Cassindy Chao", cassindy.com. Retrieved 22 June 2026. https://www.cassindy.com/home
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Meet Cassindy Chao of Ancient Wisdom Modern Love", Voyage LA Magazine, 11 March 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2026. https://voyagela.com/interview/meet-cassindy-chao-of-ancient-wisdom-modern-love/
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Cassindy Chao – author page", Amazon. Retrieved 22 June 2026. https://us.amazon.com/stores/author/B0CKQD2D3C
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 "About Cassindy Chao", cassindy.com. Retrieved 22 June 2026. https://www.cassindy.com/about
- ↑ "Cassindy Chao ('90)", Wellesley College, East Asian Languages and Cultures. Retrieved 22 June 2026. https://www1.wellesley.edu/ealc/alum-corner/chinese-alumnae-corner/cassindy-chao-90-
- ↑ "I quit Goldman Sachs to take care of my mother", Business Insider, 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2026. https://www.businessinsider.com/quit-goldman-sachs-to-take-care-of-mother-no-regrets-2024-5
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Ancient Wisdom, Modern Love" (book listing), Amazon. Retrieved 22 June 2026. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKQ8QTJB
- ↑ "Speaking – Cassindy Chao", cassindy.com. Retrieved 22 June 2026. https://www.cassindy.com/speaking
- ↑ "Cassindy Chao", LinkedIn. Retrieved 22 June 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassindy/
