"Why do I make the decision for six lives? That was when I was brave enough to tell her, crying, ‘Mommy, I’ll be a good boy. I’ll listen to anything you say.’ I said, ‘I don’t want to die. I really don’t want to die. I choose life.’ We survived. I have my child, she is now a grandmother, and my sister has a child too. That moment toughened me and shaped why relationships matter so much to me. People ask why I’m afraid of heights, and I say no, because I almost jumped before." - Eldred Wee, Founder of Edenity" - Eldred Wee
"With AI, vouching is now automated, but vouching means checking whether a real receipt and invoice match the bank statement and the full flow of money. When I reviewed the engagement, I saw receivables rising, sales increasing, and the sales director constantly trying to curry favor every time I visited. I worked on that audit for three years and kept thinking something was wrong. If we did the audit properly, it would not pass. In the first year, I reported it and was told to just close the audit. In the second year, I said I could not do this anymore and that I would take action if it continued. By the third year, everything unraveled." - Eldred Wee, Founder of Edenity" - Eldred Wee
"Audit meant working late, juggling studies and exam periods, and grinding through long nights. I learned a lot and almost uncovered a fraud as a junior. It was hard to navigate because there were many stakeholders. I had to extract information from people who partly knew the truth, piece it together for the finance manager, and then report it clearly to the audit partners. That experience was unique and shaped why I started in accounting and finance." - Eldred Wee, Founder of Edenity" - Eldred Wee
In this episode, Jeremy Au speaks on inside Southeast Asia's SME gold rush, double books, and the roll-up playbook.
Keywords: Eldred Wee, Inside Southeast Asia SME Gold Rush, Double Books, Roll-Up Playbook, Singapore, Southeast Asia, VC, Thought Leadership
