Simu Liu has received a massive wave of support following his stint as the guest venture capitalist on this year’s Dragons’ Den following his stance on Bobba. Given how dear boba or bubble tea is to Liu’s heritage, the actor called out Sebastien Fiset and Jess Frenette’s business venture over its cultural appropriation.
But despite refusing to join forces with Bobba, it seems, the actor is indeed jumping on the boba tea landscape, as he has shown interest in investing in another bubble tea start-up.
Shark Tank Shunned Brand Garners Simu Liu’s Attention
In Dragons’ Den, Simu Liu seemed less than thrilled by Sebastien Fiset and Jess Frenette’s pitch, as he took issue with their claim of making something “that’s very distinctly Asian in its identity” better. Chiming in with Liu’s comments, many shared concerns over the Canadian brand’s pitch, including Olivia Chen and Pauline, owner of boba milk tea brand, Twrl.
While the duo faced rejection on three separate occasions on Shark Tank, after taking to their socials to commend the Barbie star over his stance on the Bobba controversy, the actor showcased interest in investing in Twrl.
We were like, oh wow, is this real? We’ve been working at this for 3.5 years, we’ve been ignored by investors. For a superstar like him on screen to comment and engage with regular folks like us – it’s a real superhero moment for us
Given that they only had 300 followers on TikTok prior to speaking out on the Bobba controversy, it’s reasonable to see why they were flabbergasted by Liu’s comment.
Simu Liu Called Out the Hate Wave Against Bobba Owners
Despite not being on board with the Bobba pitch, Liu did come forward in defense of the Quebec-based founders amidst the extreme hate wave against them.
Liu clarified that his motive behind the Dragons’ Den segment was to educate people on things that are inappropriate “from a cultural perspective”.
I just don’t want the legacy of this segment to be pitchforks and people fearing for their safety. I think we’re starting to lose the plot… which is let’s educate people, let’s make the world a better place, let’s make people aware that some things are not okay from a cultural perspective.
As for the owners of Twrl, they made sure to pay homage to boba tea’s Taiwan roots, whose absence in the Canadian brand struck a nerve among netizens.
