Lao created Rickshaw with acclaimed chef Anita Lo. The modular menu is simple, but with options (six kinds of dumplings, steamed or fried, alone or with salad or soup). Rickshaw mixes fast-food speed with sit-down restaurant decor and ingredients (think Chipotle). Lao is now seeking capital to open five more bars.

Age: 29
Location: New York
Revenue: $1.4 million
Employees: 35