"I think only the US and China deserve to be compared to each other, and we see that rivalry take place. Emerging markets are very different from Silicon Valley and other tech and talent hubs. Within the emerging market landscape, it is worth doing more comparisons across global emerging markets, often called the global south, such as the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, and LatAm. There are more interesting comparisons and parallels across these ecosystems. We have seen fund managers like Saison Capital spending more time in LatAm, deploying funds into Brazil and Mexico. There are valuable learnings and lessons that we can borrow from different ecosystems." - Kristie Neo, VC & Startup Journalist" - Kristie Neo
"I really hope that in Indonesia, with eFishery, Investree, and Tiny Heart taking turns to occupy headlines in the last month, we will see justice. The frustration and anger are very real from investors, founders, and the ecosystem because it impacts everybody. If the people who committed wrongdoing are not penalized, whether through jail or other consequences, it will send the wrong signal. Allowing these cases to go unchecked would imply that raising large sums of money and committing fraud carries no accountability." - Kristie Neo, VC & Startup Journalist" - Kristie Neo
"Chinese and Arab cultures share a very strong sense of hierarchy. In Singapore, hierarchy exists too, but middle management is stronger and brings skilled talent that equips the bottom. In Arab companies, decisions often come only from the apex. The person on top makes the final call on everything, and if they decide tomorrow to cut a department, it is gone and many people lose their jobs." - Kristie Neo, VC & Startup Journalist" - Kristie Neo
In this episode, Jeremy Au speaks on Southeast Asia's mood shift, Middle East optimism, and Gen Z's AI job crunch.
Keywords: Kristie Neo, Southeast Asia Mood Shift, Middle East Optimism, Gen Z AI Job Crunch, Singapore, Southeast Asia, Middle East & Africa, Artificial Intelligence, Women, Thought Leadership
