BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech: Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand & Malaysia Startups, Founders & Venture Capital VC (English)

Host Jeremy Au sits down with two-time founder Justin Banusing, who returns to BRAVE to explain why he shut down a startup that was already working, near $1M ARR and freshly funded, and what that call taught him about building across Southeast Asia and the US. Together they unpack the value-chain trap Justin calls "sharecropping on someone else's land," why college gaming and esports could not bec...

Is SaaS dying? Andres Klaric, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Fuse, joins Jeremy Au to explain why he believes we have reached "peak SaaS" and why AI agents are forcing software companies to charge for outcomes instead of seats. Andres shares how he spent a decade on Wall Street to build a war chest, launched during the 2020 pandemic, and pivoted from automotive refinancing to an AI-native loan originati...

What separates leaders who inspire from those who infuriate? Columbia Business School professor and bestselling author Adam Galinsky (Inspire, Friend & Foe) breaks down the science of inspiration: the Leader Amplification Effect, why every leader inevitably inspires or infuriates, and the three universal traits of inspiring people, being a Visionary, an Exemplar, and a Mentor. He also explains...

When the oil crisis hit, Southeast Asia changed overnight. In this episode, recorded in Manila, Foxmont Capital's Franco Varona joins Jeremy Au to unpack how the energy shock supercharged the electric vehicle boom across the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. They break down BYD's stunning climb to become the Philippines' third best-selling car brand in roughly three years, w...

Dušan Stojanović , founding partner of True Global Ventures, joins Jeremy Au to map where money is heading as stablecoins and AI agents collide. He traces his path from building one of the first internet banks in France to becoming Europe's Angel of the Year, then breaks down the news that matters now: the Hong Kong stablecoin license won by Anchorpoint, the Standard Chartered, HKT, and Animoca Br...

Behavioral designer Nir Eyal sits down with Jeremy Au to unpack the ideas behind his New York Times bestseller Beyond Belief. He explains why information alone never changes behavior, why your limiting beliefs stay hidden like your own face, and how the motivation triangle of behavior, benefit, and belief decides whether you actually follow through. Nir breaks down the research showing why manifes...

Is Singapore too efficient to ever become a great startup hub? After a single shower-thought tweet went viral and sparked a tech Twitter debate, Adriel Yong joins Jeremy Au to unpack the uncomfortable idea that Singapore works so well it dulls the hunger founders need to build. The conversation digs into whether a 5 million person market really caps your upside, why Grab out-earned Gojek despite a...

Jeremy Tan, independent candidate for Mountbatten SMC in Singapore's GE2025, joins Jeremy Au and Shiyan Koh to unpack why he ran, why he lost, and what he learned about Singapore's political meta. He explains why public scrutiny and small-town dynamics deter Singaporeans from entering politics, why negative campaigning backfires with voters, and why opposition parties should focus resources on win...

How do startups actually beat established incumbents? In this episode of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, Jeremy Au reframes the classic David vs Goliath story to explain why startups are not underdogs. They are operators who choose the right weapon, then go for the kill shot of category creation. Break down the David vs Goliath Reframe, where the slingshot was equivalent to a pistol and Dav...

Are AI agents and LLMs coming for your job? In this episode of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, Jeremy Au sits down with Ori Sasson to uncover the harsh realities of AI job replacement, the "Hollywoodization" of the workforce, and the explosion of 10x productivity in startups. Discover how employers in Singapore and across Southeast Asia are redesigning roles, navigating "shadow AI", and lev...

Is Southeast Asia entering a golden age of technology? In this episode of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, Jeremy Au explores the booming venture capital landscape and what it actually takes to build a unicorn in highly fragmented markets like Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Dive deep into The Technology Stack & Leapfrogging, explaining why fundamental infrastructure, like widespread...

Join Jeremy Au on the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast for an exclusive masterclass with Eric Ries, legendary author of 'The Lean Startup' and the new book ‘Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad... and How Great Companies Stay Great’. They dive deep into the future of company building, how the AI boom is dramatically accelerating startup velocity, and why the standard venture capital playbook...

Most career advice is a lie. In this raw solo episode of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, Jeremy Au breaks down why self-help advice from successful business leaders is often self-serving, and what young founders, operators, and professionals across Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia should actually pay attention to. Jeremy shares the hard-won lessons that sch...

Rohit Jha , Co-founder and CEO of Transcelestial , joins Jeremy Au to explain how his Singapore-based startup is using laser communications to transmit internet at speeds far beyond what Starlink currently offers, and why that matters for Southeast Asia, global telcos, and the future of deep space. Rohit breaks down how Transcelestial went from building ground-to-ground laser links for 5G towers,...

Jianggan Li, Founder of Momentum Works, joins Jeremy Au to unpack the Trump Xi Beijing summit, the first US presidential visit to China since 2017. They decode the optics of Zhongnanhai Garden and the Temple of Heaven, Xi Jinping's Thucydides Trap reference, the 200 plane Boeing deal, and why the absence of major deliverables is itself a strategic win. The conversation dives deep into the AI chip...

In this episode of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, Jeremy Au is joined by Wen-Szu Lin who opens up about the brutal reality of entrepreneurship, from securing the master franchise for Auntie Anne's in China just before the 2008 Olympics, to navigating massive business failure, and eventually scaling Uber's Community Operations across Asia. Wen-Szu shares the untaught lessons that propelled...

Is the world fair? How do you find your true purpose in business? In this episode of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, Jeremy Au shares his deeply personal journey into the cancer diagnostics space following a tragic loss. He breaks down the crucial difference between "problem-market fit" and "founder-problem fit," the reality of life's unfairness, and why you must play to your unfair advanta...

In this episode of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, Jeremy Au sits down with Jay Fajardo , serial entrepreneur and CEO of BetterClinic , straight from Manila, Philippines. Jay discusses his return to the founder’s seat at age 58, driven by the massive paradigm shift of the Artificial Intelligence supercycle. We dive deep into how AI is completely transforming digital healthcare by eliminatin...

How is the ongoing Middle East conflict reshaping the global economy, energy markets, and the tech sector? In this episode of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, Jeremy Au sits down with Kristie Neo , PitchBook's newly appointed Asia Editor, to unpack the macroeconomic shockwaves hitting Southeast Asia and the Gulf. From surging oil prices and the fuel emergency in the Philippines to the sudden...

Dennis Velasco , founder of Prosperna , provides a raw and definitive account of transitioning from Silicon Valley leadership roles at Salesforce and Xero to the front lines of the Philippine startup ecosystem. In this episode, you will learn the structural mechanics of the "Trust Factor Gap" in Southeast Asian B2B markets and how Velasco navigated a $300,000 personal investment across multiple fa...

Is Southeast Asia entering its Golden Age? Jeremy Au breaks down the "1 in 40" gamble of building a unicorn, the David vs. Goliath strategy for startups, and the brutal reality of the VC Power Law. Learn the three phases of startup growth—from the jungle to the highway—and how to identify the six clusters of failure before they kill your company. Essential viewing for founders, investors, and tech...

How do you build a multi-billion dollar company while navigating the complex regulatory landscapes of Southeast Asia? In this episode, Jeremy Au sits down with Jecky Pelaez, Legal and Investment Partner at Kickstart Ventures, to pull back the curtain on the "unsexy" but critical side of venture capital: Governance and Compliance. Jecky reveals the stark differences between incorporating in Singapo...

Ever wonder how venture capitalists actually judge your startup behind closed doors? In this episode of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, Jeremy Au breaks down the brutal reality of VC economics and the math that drives the tech industry. We explore why just 5% of startups generate almost all of a fund's returns (The Power Law) and why struggling founders often get left behind. We also dive i...

In this episode of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, Jeremy Au sits down with MK Bertulfo , the visionary founder of Filipina Homebased Moms ( FHMoms ). MK shares her raw and inspiring journey transitioning from an overworked, underpaid BPO call center agent in Manila to building the largest online community for work-at-home mothers in the Philippines, now boasting over 540,000 members global...

Ever wondered how venture capitalists actually pick winning startups? In this solo breakdown on the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast , Jeremy Au pulls back the curtain on the secretive world of venture capital. Whether you are building a stealth startup in Singapore or scaling across Indonesia and the Philippines, understanding the investor mindset is crucial for securing funding. Jeremy breaks d...