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

Gabby Dizon , Cofounder of Yield Guild Games , and Jeremy Au talked about three main themes: 1. Founding Yield Guild Games (YGG): Gabby reflected on his childhood passion for computer games which led him to a career in game development and startups. He shared how he first met his cofounders Beryl Li and Owl of Moistness online, and how his CTO maintained his anonymity during a later $4.6M funding...

Franco Varona , Managing Partner of Foxmont Capital Partners , and Jeremy Au talked about three main themes: 1. Entrepreneurial & Grab Beginnings: Franco detailed his early entrepreneurial experiences before the age of Google and widespread digital resources. He founded Creative Spark and subsequently Global Media, a company focused on advertising sales that serviced international media outlet...

In this episode, Shiyan Koh , Managing Partner of Hustle Fund , and Jeremy Au talked about three main topics: 1. $1.5B Bytedance Tokopedia GoTo Deal Analysis: They discussed ByteDance's $500 million payment to acquire a 75% stake in the merged entity of Tokopedia and TikTok Shop Indonesia. This would create the new Indonesia e-commerce market leader with 40% market share. ByteDance committed to in...

Janson Seah , Cofounder of StaffAny , and Jeremy Au talked about three main topics: 1. Time Theft & Blue-Collar Workforce Management: Janson shared the dynamics of managing blue-collar workers and introduced the concept of "time theft” and its implications on productivity, accountability and incentive structures in organizations. He emphasized the need for a restructured approach to workforce...

David He , Partner at Gunderson Dettmer , and Jeremy Au talked about three main themes: 1. Banker to Startup Lawyer Partner: David shared his journey from aspiring to be a banker to transitioning into law with the backdrop of the 2008 Great Recession. He worked with a Wall Street firm, moved to Silicon Valley, where he engaged with VCs, startups, and founders, and eventually relocated to Singapore...

In this episode,  Shiyan Koh , Managing Partner of Hustle Fund , and Jeremy Au talked about three main themes: 1. OpenAI Developments & Leadership: Jeremy & Shiyan delved into the recent leadership changes at OpenAI, including Sam Altman's reinstatement as CEO after a controversial board shuffle. They highlighted the philosophical divide within the board regarding OpenAI's direction betwee...

Scott Hartley , Managing Partner of Everywhere Ventures , and Jeremy Au discuss three main themes: 1. Global Pre-Seed VC Investing: Scott presented a contrarian view against the conventional wisdom that pre-seed and seed-stage investing must be localized. He argued that with modern communication tools and the evolving VC landscape, it’s feasible to be a global pre-seed investor. He discussed how E...

Tri Ahmad Irfan , Cofounder & CTO of Lumina , and Jeremy Au discussed three main themes:  1. Indonesia Upbringing to USA Tech Inflection Point: Irfan described his initial exposure to computers in high school and his passion for web development and problem-solving. He leveraged his skills to secure his first international internship at Twitter, marking several firsts for him – flying, obtainin...

Gita Sjahrir , Head of Investments at BNI Ventures , and Jeremy Au discussed three main topics: 1. Southeast Asia Climate Investment: Jeremy and Gita talked about DealStreetAsia’s article on the $1B of climate investment capital now available across Southeast Asia, e.g. Aera VC, led by Derek Handley (a previous BRAVE guest), which raised $50 million for industrial decarbonization, Radical Fund, le...

Raffy Montemayor , Founder & Philippine Business Head of Salmon , and Jeremy Au discussed three main topics: 1. Country General Manager Learnings: Raffy talked about how his unintentional early experience at Nestle turned out to be pivotal in learning about sales, HSBC for marketing and his experience as an INSEAD MBA. He then went on to lead the Philippines market for Agoda (travel aggregator...

Fengru Lin , Founder & CEO of TurtleTree , and Jeremy Au discussed three key topics:  1. TurtleTree's Biotech Approach: Fengru Lin highlighted TurtleTree's biotech advancements in the scientific formulation of milk and milk ingredients. She also shared that the company focuses on high-value proteins like lactoferrin, a bioactive protein essential for gut health, immunity, and iron regulation,...

In this discussion, Shiyan Koh , Managing Partner of Hustle Fund , and Jeremy Au talked about three main themes: 1. Bad Conferences: Jeremy and Shiyan highlight the aspects they find frustrating, e.g. low-value, low-density conversations. Shiyan discusses her disappointment with unnecessary pre-panel preparation calls and panels with too many participants, which inevitably dilutes the quality of c...

In this episode, Li Ling Yung , the first Southeast Asian woman to swim the English Channel, and Jeremy Au discussed Li Ling’s endurance swimming journey: 1. Li Ling's Childhood and Athletic Journey: Li Ling recalled securing bronze and silver as a competitive Singaporean swimmer in her childhood before moving on to other sports and hobbies. She moved to London at 19 for studies and rekindled her...

In this discussion, Jianggan Li , Founder & CEO of Momentum Works , and Jeremy Au delved into three key themes: 1. China Tech Giants: Jianggan authored “Seeing the Unseen: Behind Chinese Tech Giants' Global Venturing,” which sheds light on the strategies and struggles of Chinese tech giants in global markets. He discusses the tactical decisions and leadership styles of Chinese tech giants, as...

In this episode, Valerie Vu , Founder of Ansible Ventures , and Jeremy Au discuss three main topics: 1. Intel $1B Investment Withdrawal: Valerie shared that Vietnam's power outages, real estate turmoil, and anti-corruption campaign have led to delays in construction permits and licensing, which influenced Intel's decision to withdraw investment. This also caused the Danish group Pandora to announc...

Adriel Yong , Head of Investments at Ascend Angels , and Jeremy Au discussed three major topics: 1. Southeast Asia Agriculture: Jeremy and Adriel talked about the variety of agriculture players, from smallholders to large conglomerates, and the range of crops cultivated, including staples like rice and cash crops like palm oil. Jeremy pointed out that understanding agriculture requires considerati...

Alina Truhina , Managing Partner of The Radical Fund , and Jeremy Au delve into three main topics: 1. Climate Change Realities: Alina acknowledges Southeast Asia's position as both a significant emitter of greenhouse gases and a region increasingly vulnerable to climate change. She also touches on the notion that addressing climate change seems elitist and is not yet a priority for the general pop...

In this discussion, Shiyan Koh , Managing Partner of Hustle Fund , and Jeremy Au talked about three main topics: 1. Tech in Asia Acquisition: Shiyan and I delve into Tech in Asia’s acquisition by Singapore Press Holding and how this move is set to reshape the tech news landscape across the region. We assess the company's $30M valuation and discuss the revenue figures, growth rate and synergies tha...

“He is someone who is living this "dream life", an inspirational figure for so many folks. It makes me reflect on the fact that there are so many celebrities in our world who are also very inspirational. At the end of the day, everyone's human and with their mistakes, as well as their inspirational moments. Seeing the whole of them is something that only close people get to see. And so, this makes...

Ryan Manafe , Cofounder & CEO of Dagangan , and Jeremy Au discussed three main themes: 1. Indonesia's Infrastructure and Supply Chain: Ryan shared the infrastructure and supply chain dynamics beyond the major islands of Java and Sumatra and the disparities in development and access to resources in those remote areas. He delved into the interaction between urban centers and rural areas and how...

Gita Rusmida Sjahrir , Head of Investments at BNI Ventures , and Jeremy Au talked about three main themes:  1. Business Model Localization: We dissect why Grab, Gojek with Rebel Foods, and DishServe have closed over 100 Indonesian cloud kitchens over the past year. Gita and I discuss the criticality of tailoring the model to fit local dynamics, highlighting factors like GDP per capita, time availa...

“It's okay to sit back and enjoy the ride of turning 36. That means there's a certain level of discomfort that I used to blame myself and be like, ‘Hey, I should have figured this out. I should be prepared. I should know what this feels like.’ And now, I realize that it’s okay if I don't understand. I still have to push hard and explore. It's just that it's okay to have this discomfort that I don'...

John Aguilar , Creator & Host of The Final Pitch and Methods to Greatness , and Jeremy Au discussed three main themes: 1. Television Production Realities: John provided an insider’s view of the television production world, explaining the intensive process behind creating a successful show. He emphasized that what the audience sees on screen is just the tip of the iceberg, with a mere 0.1% of t...

Shiyan Koh , Managing Partner of Hustle Fund , and I talked about three main topics: 1. Layoffs and Market Exits: Shiyan and I talked about the recent wave of layoffs: Biofourmis (45 staff in Singapore, and at least 85 staff globally) and Flash Coffee (closed all 11 Singapore outlets). We agreed on the importance of executing layoffs decisively, advocating for a single, well-planned and deep cut r...

In this discussion, Matt Abrahams , Stanford MBA Professor and author of Think Faster, Work Smarter, and Jeremy Au , talk about three main themes: 1. Journey to Mastering Public Speaking: Matt shared what inspired his journey to research public speaking. At his first-ever speech competition, he demonstrated a karate kick on stage and ripped his pants in front of the entire audience. This event cat...