Crazy Smart Asia

“Anywhere on earth can be your classroom, as long as it fits your lifestyle,” says Tommie Lo, the founder of AI-powered education platform Preface, on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Gen. T’s Lee Williamson, Lo shares how growing up on a boat as a fisherman’s son decentralised his views on education, why he chose waiting tables in a Chinese restaurant over following Barack Obama to The Whit...

“Climate change is not an immediate entrepreneurial target,” says Max Song, ex-coder and founder and CEO of Carbonbase, on Crazy Smart Asia. From gaining his first gig couch-surfing post-Burning Man in California, to living on the streets of Paris, Max tells Gen. T’s Lee Williamson why running a company’s like surfing, how an internship with Nasa inspired intergalactic goals, and a quickfire confe...

"Mothers are the best business leaders because they don’t have the luxury of time," says Sarah Chen-Spellings, the co-founder of Beyond the Billion, a consortium of venture capital funds focused on getting US$1 billion into the pockets of female founders, on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Gen. T's Lee Williamson, Chen-Spellings shares how she’s trying to redress the vast gender imbalance i...

“If we don’t do this, I don’t think anyone else can do it,” says Angeline Tham, the co-founder and CEO of Angkas, the on-demand motorcycle taxi app revolutionising how people get around in the gridlocked city of Manila, on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Gen. T’s Lee Williamson, Angeline shares insights on how to successfully run a business with your partner, the moment that led her to cons...

“What's unexpected is the idea that two young students, two nobodies, can essentially transform a country's democracy,” say Qyira Yusri and Tharma Pillai, co-founders of Malaysian advocacy group Undi18, on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Gen. T’s Lee Williamson, Yusri and Pillai share the anatomy of a winning political campaign, why young Malaysians are a force to be reckoned with, and the...

This week, we’ve picked out five inspiring quotes from the last eight episodes of Crazy Smart Asia to help you build a better world, a better business, or even just a better you. Listen for a quickfire highlights reel of crazy-smart perspectives from our guests, with Gen. T’s Lee Williamson. If you enjoyed these short clips, why not go back and listen to the full episodes:  The making of an A...

“Validation is just a cherry on top,” says Victoria Tang-Owen, the creative director and serial entrepreneur behind Thirty30 Creative and Victoria Tang Studio, on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Gen. T’s Lee Williamson, Tang-Owen shares insights on how to hone a unique creative outlook that will stand you apart from the crowd, the secret to successfully doing business with your family, and...

“Don’t take the shortcut, never start walking the grey line,” says Joel Neoh, a four-time exited founder and titan of the Malaysian entrepreneurial scene, on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Gen. T’s Lee Williamson, Neoh shares a comprehensive guide on how to be a kick-ass entrepreneur: why having the entrepreneurial x-factor is about being a visionary, an optimist and a realist, why purpose...

“Think about your energy and your mental health like any other resource,” says Neurum Health founder Megan Lam, who is revolutionising the path to personalised mental healthcare, on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Gen. T’s Lee Williamson, Lam shares her own journey with mental health, how she dealt with discriminatory investors looking to slash her company’s valuation because of an engageme...

Singapore’s only queer, transgender street artist, Sam Lo, shares how they’ve defied binary societal expectations and broken out the box to be one of Singapore’s stand-out creatives. From stickers to graffiti to murals, Sam, who was once subbed “Sticker Lady”, is a multi-talented artist who has overcome the odds to become one of Asia’s biggest up and coming young artists. In conversation with Craz...

“Women have not hit their peak in comedy yet,” says Singaporean comedian Sharul Channa, who is obliterating Asia's comedy boy's club, on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Gen. T’s Lee Williamson, Channa shares her insights on the transferable skills between comedy and entrepreneurship, the reality of dealing with harassment and discrimination as a female comedian of colour, and what she learn...

“I feel like Asia is ready, man,” says Singaporean-Tamil rapper Yung Raja, talking about Southeast Asia’s ascent to hip-hop’s global stage, on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Gen. T’s Lee Williamson, Yung Raja shares his journey to become Asia’s first true hip-hop superstar, what he really thought about that infamous Jimmy Fallon incident, and why “positive vibes” are central to his entrepr...

“Building a sustainable business is at the core of entrepreneurship,” says self-confessed “cool nerd” Ankit Suri, co-founder of Planto, a personal finance app that has over 500,000 monthly users, on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Gen. T’s Lee Williamson, Suri shares how he faces every challenge with an action-oriented mindset, why sustainable profitability trumps insane growth, and what he...

“There's so much that life has to offer. There are ups and downs, [...] but the downs are essential to your growth,” says introverted Scorpio Nadine Lustre, Filippina musician and actor on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Gen. T’s Lee Williamson, we revisit this significant conversation from December 2021 where Lustre shares her experiences with mental health and depression and the mantra th...

This week, we’ve picked out five inspiring quotes from the last eight episodes of Crazy Smart Asia to help you build a better world, a better business, or even just a better you. Listen for a quickfire highlights reel of crazy-smart perspectives from our guests, with Gen. T’s Lee Williamson. If you enjoyed these short clips, why not go back and listen to the full episodes:  Big battery energy...

“Life is all about attitude. We can’t all be as athletic as Ronaldo, or as smart as Einstein, but we just have to be the best level of who we are today,” says investor Patrick Tsang, chairman of Tsangs Group, an innovation-focused global family office, on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Gen. T’s Lee Williamson, Tsang shares how growing up Asian in Belfast during the Troubles gave him a cras...

“We’re at the dawn of the battery revolution,” says “awkward extrovert” and accidental entrepreneur Brandon Ng, the Brunei-born co-founder and CEO of Ampd Energy, a Hong Kong energy storage company that’s committed to making the construction industry emission-free. In conversation with Gen. T’s Lee Williamson, Ng shares what’s next for battery technology in Asia, the surprising thing he learnt abo...

“We're not just making something we think is cool,” says robotics whiz turned custodian of the oceans Sidhant Gupta, co-founder of Clearbot, on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Gen. T’s Lee Williamson, Gupta, whose company designs and manufacturers battery-powered autonomous boats, shares why all businesses should be social impact businesses, how growing up in the landlocked city of Bengalur...

“Find the passions you love, and work on it daily”, says Steven Wongsoredjo, the co-founder and CEO of Indonesian social commerce startup Super, on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Lee Williamson, tune in to learn why social commerce is such a huge opportunity in Southeast Asia’s rural communities, the secret to Super’s US$106 million celebrity-backed fundraise, why Wongsoredjo rates emotion...

“It burned me inside that no one cared what I did,” says self-confessed “expat brat” Erman Akinci, co-founder and managing partner at Emissary Capital, a boutique investment firm based in Kuala Lumpur, on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Gen. T’s Lee Williamson, Akinci—who is also co-founder of Common Ground, one of Southeast Asia’s biggest co-working spaces—shares how he found his business...

“Our work involves spiritual, mental and physical fortitude; [...] you have to be strong,” says Billie Dumaliang, who, along with her sister Ann, is a co-founder of Masungi Georeserve Foundation, a model for privately led conservation, sustainable reforestation and geotourism in the Philippines. In conversation with Gen. T’s Lee Williamson, the Dumaliang sisters share how to cultivate courage in l...

“I exceeded all expectations from everyone, including myself,” says self-confessed “late bloomer” Keith Rumjahn, co-founder and CEO of OliveX, a fitness-focused technology company he took from inception to IPO in just three years on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Gen. T’s Lee Williamson, Rumjahn shares how he’s riding out the Web3 wobble, how a Dragonball Z card dispenser changed everythin...

“I don't really take advice from people that haven't done what I'm trying to do,” says Austen Chu, co-founder and CEO of Wristcheck, on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Gen. T’s Lee Williamson, Chu shares how he deals with age discrimination in the watch industry, why being relentless in pursuit of your goals is the key to achieving your dreams, and how he’s using community to help a new gen...

Wednesday 12th April Crazy Smart Asia is back weekly with an unexpected story from Asia’s brightest disruptors. Gen. T’s Lee Williamson explains more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gen. T's podcast Crazy Smart Asia explores the unexpected stories of Asia's disruptors.    We'll be back in November with a full third season of Crazy Smart Asia. But until then, as a teaser to the full third season, we wanted to share with you a fascinating conversation Gen. T hosted recently on climate change and how the actions we take as individuals can cause real global change....