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

Rocky Yu , Founder and CEO of AGI House , joins Jeremy Au to unpack how early curiosity in computer graphics led him from engineering and startups to building one of the world’s most influential AI communities. They explore why talent density matters more than scale, how AGI House emerged during the pandemic as a mission-first experiment, and what it takes to turn deep technical conversations into...

Eldred Wee , Founder of Edenity , joins Jeremy Au to unpack why corporate services and accounting firms sit at the center of Southeast Asia’s next wave of SME acquisitions. They explore how Eldred’s early career in Big Four audit shaped his ability to spot incentives, fraud, and double or triple books, and why these realities define investing in the region. The conversation covers the rise of roll...

Florian Hoppe , Partner at Bain , joins Jeremy Au to unpack insights from the Bain Southeast Asia Digital Economy Report 2025 and explain why the region’s digital economy keeps growing despite global uncertainty and negative headlines. They explore the long-term forces behind this resilience, including consumer adoption, payments and logistics infrastructure, and sustained middle-class demand. The...

Jeremy Au breaks down how venture capitalists actually think about startups, founder selection, and long-term value creation. Drawing from real VC decisions, classroom debates, and emerging technologies, he explains why learning speed beats polish, why most “obvious” winners only look obvious in hindsight, and how founders navigate pivots, problem selection, and 10× breakthroughs. The conversation...

Kelvin Chan, an AI researcher at Google, joins Jeremy Au to unpack his unconventional path from mathematics in Hong Kong to applied AI research across Singapore and the United States. They explore how AI research differs from traditional academic work, why iteration and results often matter more than theory, and how scale has transformed research culture from small experiments to highly collaborat...

China analyst and Momentum Works founder Jianggan joins Jeremy Au to break down how US–China tensions evolved through a year of tariffs, rare earth leverage, supply chain shocks, and fast-moving geopolitical swings. They examine why both sides misread each other, how Chinese companies adapted faster than expected, and why the global system settled into a tactical pause instead of a decisive split....

Lance Katigbak, Principal at BCG Manila, joins Jeremy Au to break down why Filipino households, not individuals, are the true drivers of economic decisions in the Philippines. Drawing from BCG’s large scale research on the Filipino family, they explore how family structures shape spending, saving, and borrowing behavior, and why health risk sits at the center of financial anxiety. The conversation...

Annie Huang, Harvard MBA and founder of Taiwan’s first traditional search fund, joins Jeremy Au to share how global exposure shaped her decision to return home and build in a market others overlook. She traces her journey from growing up outside Taiwan’s major cities to working across Southeast Asia, then studying at Harvard Business School before choosing entrepreneurship over a conventional pres...

Violet Lim, Co-Founder & CEO of Lunch Actually Paktor Group, and Jeremy Au explore how dating, expectations, and technology have evolved across Southeast Asia over the past two decades. Violet traces her path from studying law in the UK to banking in Singapore, before leaving a stable career at 24 to start Lunch Actually, now one of Asia’s longest-running matchmaking groups. They discuss the e...

Caylee Chua , multidisciplinary artist and founder of Strawberry Champagne Sparkles , joins Jeremy Au to share how she built Ren Faire SG: The Origin from a niche idea into Singapore’s first Renaissance Fair. She traces her journey from crafting fairycore jewelry to designing an immersive festival that blends artistry, performance, and community play. Caylee explains how early inspiration from ove...

Paul Blackstone, longtime education operator and founder of SummitLearn, joins Jeremy Au to unpack his path from running a small health-food shop in Australia to leading one of China’s largest English-learning organizations and advising education companies worldwide. He shares how early failures taught him to learn fast, why teaching adults unlocked his passion for human development, and how China...

Maged Harby, General Partner at VMS, joins Jeremy Au to share his journey from publishing to building one of the Middle East’s earliest EdTech venture programs, explain how Egypt and Saudi Arabia differ as innovation ecosystems, and guide founders on how to enter the region with cultural fit and strong partnerships. They discuss how EdTech adoption accelerated during COVID, why parents still steer...

Chong Ing Kai Founder and CEO of Stick’Em joins Jeremy Au to unpack how tinkering shaped his early years, how ADHD influenced his learning journey, and why he built a chopstick robotics kit to make STEAM education affordable for all. They explore how schools struggle with hands-on learning, why teachers need flexible tools rather than rigid kits, and how students learn better when they build inste...

Portfolio Manager at Animoca Brands and former Chief Investment Officer at Node Capital, Shan Han joins Jeremy Au to trace his path from Hong Kong trading to fintech and Web3, discuss how early crypto grew from ideology, and explain why tokenizing assets like student loans can unlock education across Southeast Asia. They explore how customer urgency validates real problems, how global liquidity re...

China analyst and Momentum Works founder Jianggan joins Jeremy Au to break down how US–China tensions evolved through a year of tariffs, rare earth leverage, supply chain shocks, and fast-moving geopolitical swings. They examine why both sides misread each other, how Chinese companies adapted faster than expected, and why the global system settled into a tactical pause instead of a decisive split....

Jeremy Au and Kristie Neo break down how China, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia are forming new economic corridors that reshape trade, capital movement, and technology strategy. They describe how China and the Gulf now work together at a scale that surpasses Gulf–West flows, how the UAE and Saudi Arabia use bold planning to diversify their economies, and why Western reporting still misses the...

Jeremy Au outlines why founders must choose a single 10x advantage and commit to it. He explains how products win by being better or faster or cheaper than the status quo and why unfair advantages are required to defend that lead. He also highlights the Southeast Asian invention of the USB thumb drive as a case where a first mover delivered a better experience but still lost when fast followers an...

Joe Lu , Co-Founder of HeyMax , joins Jeremy Au to unpack how layoffs, timing, and conviction turned a setback into a startup opportunity. They trace Joe’s journey from Shanghai to Michigan to Facebook Singapore, and how getting laid off in 2022 pushed him to co-found HeyMax. The conversation explores his reflections on building a consumer-first fintech, understanding mindshare arbitrage, and pred...

Jeremy Au explores how technology, economics, and startups shape Southeast Asia’s future. He shares why young founders should take early risks, how AI is changing entry-level jobs, why GDP growth reflects centuries of human progress, and how unicorns are built across different customer and revenue models. 02:00 Taking Early Risks: Jeremy encourages young people to take risks early in their careers...

AVP of Investments at ACV Larry Susanto and Jeremy Au discuss Larry’s journey from a Berkeley-trained engineer to a climate-tech investor shaping Indonesia’s sustainability future. They trace how his career evolved across research, product management, and consulting, and how Southeast Asia’s climate ecosystem compares to Silicon Valley’s innovation-driven model. Their conversation explores Indones...

Franco Varona , Managing Partner of Foxmont Capital Partners and returning guest from episodes 357 and 516, joins Jeremy Au to unpack why the Philippines is fast becoming Southeast Asia’s next big investment and startup hub. They explore the country’s rapid digitization, growing middle class, and unique strengths like its global diaspora and English fluency. The conversation covers how Foxmont’s l...

Shao Ning , Cofounder of AngelCentral and returning guest from Episode 267 , joins Jeremy Au to reflect on Southeast Asia’s startup evolution from the fundraising highs of 2021–2023 to today’s disciplined recalibration. They unpack how founders, investors, and angels are adapting to longer fundraising cycles, stricter due diligence, and a renewed focus on cashflow and execution. Shao Ning shares l...

Nathaniel Yim , Founder of Nila Studios and former Co-Founder of Janio , joins Jeremy Au to share how he went from a fresh graduate to leading one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing logistics startups and later building a B2B marketing agency. They discuss how to earn trust in a mature industry, why human creativity remains vital in the AI era, and what resilience looks like when founders face re...

Li Hongyi , Director of Open Government Products , and Jeremy Au discuss how leaders can define, measure, and sustain real performance within organizations. They unpack why clarity of purpose matters more than ambition, how to design fair and motivating systems, and how to prevent burnout in high-performing teams. Their conversation bridges lessons from public service and startups, showing how str...

Dominic Law , CEO of Neopets and Jeremy Au dive into how a beloved millennial-era game evolved from early internet nostalgia into a modern revival story. They discuss the courage it took to spin Neopets out of its parent company, rebuild trust with long-time fans, and adapt a 25-year-old IP for new generations. Their conversation explores the challenges of updating old technology, the role of comm...