East Meets West: A Podcast about understanding Asia Tech and how Asia Tech affects the world

What is ESG? We explain it in 5 minutes or less. Every week we pick an investing or business concept and explain it in a refreshingly simple way. This is our ' Simple Sprouts ' series. In this episode we cover: What is ESG (i.e. why it matters to investors) What factors are considered in assessing a companies environmental impact What factors are considered in assessing a companies social impact W...

In this episode, Dan and Albert breakdown Uber. Uber is a platform where those who drive and deliver can connect with riders, eaters, and restaurants. But that's not all! Uber has stakes in several companies around its core business, including Aurora for self-driving cars, Didi, Grab and Yandex for ride-sharing in Asia and Eastern Europe and Lime for e-scooters. Check out our Substack Newsletter!...

What is Inflation? We explain it in 5 minutes or less. Every week we pick an investing or business concept and explain it in a refreshingly simple way. This is our ' Simple Sprouts ' series. In this episode we cover: What is inflation (e.g. how does it affect the price of food and property) Why does inflation occur? (e.g. increase in production costs or increased consumer demand) Why is inflation...

In this episode, Dan and Albert breakdown Nintendo. Nintendo develops, manufactures and sells portable and console game machines. It's popular machines include the Gameboy, Wii, and Nintendo Switch. Nintendo not only makes game consoles, but also owns world-renowned IPs such as Super Mario, Pokemon, and Zelda. Check out our Substack Newsletter! Sent straight to your inbox, it's a great way to read...

What is EBITDA? We explain it in 5 minutes or less. Every week we pick an investing or business concept and explain it in a refreshingly simple way. This is our ' Simple Sprouts ' series. In this episode we cover: What is EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation) How to use EBITDA to measure a companies profitability When it is useful to use EBITDA How EBITDA can be man...

In this episode, Dan and Albert talk with Dana Halevi . Dana is an Investment Analyst at Inspire Impact , a profit for purpose organisation that aims to direct capital to assets and companies that positively impact society and/or the environment. Inspire Impact is Liverpool Partners’ impact arm that connects capital with businesses that deliver both a social and financial return. They invest in an...

In this episode, Dan and Albert breakdown Beyond Meat. Beyond Meat is a provider of plant-based meats, such as burgers, sausage, ground beef, and chicken. Unlike other vegetarian products, Beyond Meat seeks to replicate the look, cook, and taste of meat, is targeted to omnivores and vegetarians alike. The products are widely available across approximately 122,000 retail and foodservice outlets. Ch...

What are dividends? We explain it in 5 minutes or less. Every week we pick an investing or business concept and explain it in a refreshingly simple way. This is our ' Simple Sprouts ' series. In this episode we cover: What are bonds How banks buy and sell bonds The difference between government bonds and corporate bonds What determines the quality or rating of a bond Why bonds are reliable investm...

In this episode, Dan and Albert breakdown Lululemon. Lululemon Athletica is an athletic apparel retailer headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. It was founded in 1998 as a retailer of yoga pants and other yoga wear, and has expanded to sell athletic wear, lifestyle apparel, and accessories. Lululemon sells its products through more than 500 company-owned stores in 17 countries, e-commerce, outlets, a...

What makes a good or bad management team? We explain it in 5 minutes or less. Every week we pick an investing or business concept and explain it in a refreshingly simple way. This is our ' Simple Sprouts ' series. In this episode we cover: What is a company's management team (e.g. CEO, CFO, COO, and Board) Common signs of bad management How unreliable forecasts affect trust How good governance aff...

In this episode, Dan and Albert breakdown Square. Jack Dorsey and Jim McKelvey created Square, Inc. to create a technology capable of aggregating merchant services and mobile payments into a single, easy-to-use service. Square's product line includes Cash App, which allows users to send and receive money for free through a mobile application, and Square Point-of-Sale, a free application that lets...

What are dividends? We explain it in 5 minutes or less. Every week we pick an investing or business concept and explain it in a refreshingly simple way. This is our ' Simple Sprouts ' series. In this episode we cover: What is a dividend What companies you may invest in for a high dividend Why companies pay dividends Why companies don't pay dividends The trade-off between paying dividends and inves...

In this emergency episode, Dan and Albert breakdown Afterpay's sale to Square. On 2 August 2021, Square Inc and Afterpay Limited announced the deal worth approximately US$29 billion (A$39 billion). The acquisition aims to enable the companies to better deliver compelling financial products and services that expand access to more consumers and drive incremental revenue for merchants of all sizes. T...

In this episode, Dan and Albert breakdown Spotify's business. Spotify transformed the music industry by moving from a "transaction-based" experience of buying and owning audio content to an "access-based" model allowing users to stream on demand. Today more than 365 million users are on Spotify for music and its growing podcast content. However, as Apple remains the biggest distributor of podcasts...

What is Recurring Revenue? We explain it in 5 minutes or less. Every week we pick an investing or business concept and explain it in a refreshingly simple way. This is our ' Simple Sprouts ' series. In this episode we cover: What is Recurring Revenue The difference between annual and recurring revenue (ARR and MRR) Why recurring revenue is an important value for tech companies (e,g. Netflix and Mi...

In this episode, Dan and Albert talk about Tesla, Inc. Tesla aims to transition the world to electric mobility by making electric vehicles. It also sells solar panels and solar roofs for energy generation plus batteries for stationary storage for residential and commercial properties including utilities. Tesla has multiple vehicles in its fleet, which include luxury and mid-size sedans and crossov...

What is an Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF)? This is our ' Simple Sprouts ' series. Every week we pick an investing or business concept and explain it in a refreshingly simple way. The challenge? To do it in 5 minutes or less. In this episode we cover: What is an ETF? How ETFs diversify your investments Why ETFs are cheaper than making single investments How ETFs can support your investing strategy (e.g...

In this episode, Dan and Albert talk with George Lucas . George is the Founder and Global CEO of Raiz Invest , a mobile-led micro investing platform. Raiz enables its customers to start early, invest often, and reach their financial goals. Raiz is best known for its Round-Up feature which involves rounding up your transactions to the nearest dollar and investing the spare change into your Raiz acc...

In this episode, Dan and Albert talk about Virgin Galactic Holdings. Virgin Galactic is a United States-based aerospace company pioneering human spaceflight for private individuals & researchers. Its in the headlines for launching founder Richard Branson into space on 11 July 2021. As of 31 December 2020, Virgin Galactic has approximately 600 reservations and over $80 million of deposits to go...

What are Asset Classes? This is our ' Simple Sprouts ' series. Every week we pick an investing or business concept and explain it in a refreshingly simple way. The challenge? To do it in 5 minutes or less. In this episode we cover: What are asset classes? Why cash is a low risk, low return investment Why stocks are higher risk How real estate investments create a return How cryptocurrency is a hig...

In this episode, Dan and Albert talk with Dr Lili Sussman . Lili is Chief Strategy Officer at Wisr, a leading fintech in the Australian marketplace lending industry. Wisr is committed to building products, apps and services to help Australians do more with their money. Wisr provides a unique financial wellness eco-system underpinned by products like the Wisr App ( App Store , Google Play Store ) t...

What is a Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio)? This is our ' Simple Sprouts ' series. Every week we pick an investing or business concept and explain it in a refreshingly simple way. The challenge? To do it in 5 minutes or less. In this episode we cover: What is PE Ratio How to calculate PE Ratio (e.g. Google) How to compare companies with different PE Ratios (Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon...

In this episode, Dan and Albert talk with Sachin Shah and Adam Miller from the Sachin and Adam Show about Opendoor Technologies. Opendoor is a digital platform for residential real estate. Opendoor went public in December 2020 through a Special Purpose Acquisition Company ( SPAC ) . Opendoor enables customers to buy and sell houses online. It generates revenue through home sales, along with other...

What is Book Value? This is our ' Simple Sprouts ' series. Every week we pick an investing or business concept and explain it in a refreshingly simple way. The challenge? To do it in 5 minutes or less. In this episode we cover: What is Book Value  How Book Value identifies the intrinsic value of companies When Book Value can indicate a good investment (Fortescue Metals) Why Book Value can be...

In this episode, Dan and Albert talk about Wish, part of Context Logic Inc (NASDAQ: WISH). Wish is an online e-commerce store. The store provides personalized products, clothing products, accessories, gaming products and equipment, cosmetics, plastic products, mobile covers, and other products. As of September 30, 2020, Wish had over 100 million Monthly Active Users and over 500,000 merchants. Wis...