July 2024 Newsletter
Happy to share that we’ve now hit 60,000+ followers across the podcast, YouTube and other channels!
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Regional News & Deep Dives
- Shiyan Koh, Managing Partner of Hustle Fund, discussed the $3B of money laundering across 5 Singapore family offices, Singapore and Indonesia’s stock exchanges for startup exits and “WEIRD” AI integration into children toys.
- Valerie Vu, Founding Partner of Ansible Ventures, talked about the stabilization efforts of the Vietnamese Politburo government with its new president, Tô Lâm.
- Adriel Yong, Head of Investments at Ascend Angels, debated with Jeremy how Southeast Asian venture capital funds facing the natural selection of historically low returns performance by evolving new strategies.
- Jeremy Au reflected on what he learned as a teenage conscript in Singapore’s army, the rise of “cognito-hazards” (contagious harmful information e.g. suicide waves), and a nostalgic visit to his alma mater Raffles Junior College before the school was demolished.
Popular Interviews
- Tommaso Demarie: Quantum Computing Startup, PHD Academia to Founder & Michelin Mistake Ownership: Tommaso shared how IBM's 2016 release of a cloud-based quantum computer inspired the founding of Entropica Labs, B2B quantum error correction software.
- Fady Abdel-Nour: Antler Partner ($285M AUM) Outlook, Naspers & Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Learnings and India vs. China vs. Southeast Asia VC: Fady led Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan’s first private deal in China, Naspers’ fintech investments, and $185M acquisition of PaySense. He helped launch Antler’s growth fund Elevate with $285M assets under management.
- Sam Gibb: New Zealand Law to Southeast Asia VC, Regional Fintech Upside & Aspiring VC Partner Advice: Sam shared his journey from New Zealand law to founding Resolution Ventures, a seed-stage fintech fund. He highlighted the region's diverse challenges and stressed the importance of patience, relationship-building, and realistic valuations for new fund managers.
- Agung Saputra: Indonesia Pollution Crisis, 48 Million Tons of Food Waste (170kg Per Capita) & Surplus Marketplace App: Agung flagged Indonesia as one of the top 3 polluters globally: #2 ranking in plastic pollution and regularly top 10 in air pollution. He highlighted the country's 48 million tons of annual food waste worth $39B USD and emphasized the need for government action and community involvement to tackle these severe environmental challenges.
Community News
- Congratulations to Nicole Mao and Tiger New Energy for securing $1M funding from ADB Ventures. Check out her episode on the opportunities in emerging markets and innovative sustainability solutions.
- Derek Handley, founder of Aera, is featured by Good Returns for offering an innovative alternative to the traditional first home grant. Read about his perspective on sustainability and impact investing and addressing difficult VC-founder conversations.
- Todd Schweitzer, Cofounder and CEO of Brankas, was spotlighted in Finextra for collaborating with Global Finteq to launch a Lending-as-a-Service platform in the Philippines. Discover his insights on the benefits of a distributed team setup and the decision-making process in the context of Southeast Asia's fragmented market.
Notable Press & Listener Feedback
- "As a young founder in the startup ecosystem, I have learnt much from your podcasts. I appreciate how condensed and insightful they are and how it never feels like 30 minutes. I've gained insights from various founders across multiple cities and countries. Specifically, I was struck by Chia Jeng Yang's "Reset Your Hunger” episode. It prompted me to reflect on my journey and reconnect with my confidence, spirit and hunger to move forward. Thank you Jeremy, I appreciate the work you’re doing for entrepreneurs in SE Asia!" - Malcolm Fu
- "Incredibly insightful. A goldmine about the non-monolithic region of SE Asia's startup ecosystem. I love listening to the diverse range of speakers & thought-provoking questions. What really stands out are the human stories behind founders & investors: motivations, fears & impact of their work on people's lives. I also enjoy the honest discussions on the region’s truths & challenges to paint a more realistic situation on the ground, which is a refreshing perspective vs. the typical landscape reports on how amazing SEA is for growth. To anyone wishing to learn more about our VC and startup ecosystem, this is where you need to be listening in." - Ivan Gan
Best Read
Omri Drory's "How VCs Become Assholes" highlights how investors can lose their positive impact by becoming jaded, defensive, or overwhelmed by negativity. For me, this is a reminder to stay present, offer honest feedback, and maintain a positive mindset. Self-awareness and reflection is key!
Quote
“What if you wake up some day, and you're 65, or 75, and you never got your memoir or novel written, or you didn't go swimming in those warm pools and oceans all those years because your thighs were jiggly and you had a nice big comfortable tummy; or you were just so strung out on perfectionism and people-pleasing that you forgot to have a big juicy creative life, of imagination and radical silliness and staring off into space like when you were a kid? It's going to break your heart. Don't let this happen.” - Anne Lamott
Reflection
“We want kids to have fun when they learn, but I also believe that diamonds are created under pressure. You need to offer a challenging environment. If you're not being pushed a little, you're going to have a very hard time in real life. You're missing the chance to stretch yourself and learn.” - Henry Motte-de la Motte
Henry shares how he values challenging learning environments as a founder in education tech. He believes that being pushed to one's limits is essential for personal growth and real-life preparation. This belief stemmed from his own diverse educational experiences, which showed him the value of academic rigor and the need for students to be stretched beyond their comfort zones.
This underlines the value of facing and embracing challenges as a part of learning and personal development. Henry's perspective suggests that avoiding difficulties can lead to missed opportunities for growth. It also highlights the importance of adaptability and resilience, which are qualities essential in today's fast-paced and ever-changing world. His story encourages us to seek out and even create challenging situations for ourselves, as these are the environments where we can learn the most and develop skills that prepare us for the future.
How do you currently react to challenging situations in your academic or professional life? Do you embrace them as opportunities for growth?
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Stay Brave!
Jeremy Au
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