Geeks Of The Valley

Sid Ramesh is founder of Centennial , a New York based advisory firm specializing in fractional cybersecurity, product strategy, and M&A support for companies building across crypto, fintech, and artificial intelligence. He has spent more than a decade working at the intersection of digital assets, financial infrastructure, product development, and venture investing. Sid began his crypto caree...

Jeff Zielinski is CFO of Hong Kong-based Buyandship, a leading cross-border e-commerce platform with operations across Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia. He has spent his entire career working at the intersection of Asia, TMT, and finance. Jeff began his career in 2000 in Morgan Stanley's technology investment banking group in Hong Kong, working on transactions for many of...

Brian is the Hong Kong-born founder of Barebone (barebone.ai), an AI finance research app. He grew up in Hong Kong (Diocesan Boys' School) and studied Economics at the London School of Economics. Before founding Barebone he came up through elite finance: a summer analyst stint at Warburg Pincus (2019), then Goldman Sachs — starting as an IB summer analyst (2020) and spending roughly three years on...

Peter Ashton is the Founder and CEO of Veyra, a trading technology company focused on redefining the future of financial intelligence and portfolio management through advanced predictive analytics, algorithmic systems, and next-generation financial software. A former Division I and professional football player, Peter has evolved into a visionary entrepreneur and investor operating at the intersect...

Afzal M. Tarar, Chairman and Managing Partner of Quartus Capital Partners, joins us to share his extraordinary journey from studying AI at Tsinghua University in the 1980s to becoming a pioneer in AI-focused growth equity investing. We dive into Quartus's unique six-layer AI investment framework that separnfrastructure plays from vertical AI solutions in healthcare, logistics, and beyond. Afzal di...

Akshat Vaidya – Managing Partner & Co-Founder, MaelstromAkshat Vaidya is the Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Maelstrom, the family office founded by BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes. In this role, Akshat leads Maelstrom’s investment strategy across its multiple verticals, including venture investments, liquid markets, and private equity deals. He oversees the recently launched Maelstrom Equit...

Sonia Gokhale, Co-Founder and General Partner at VentureSouq, breaks down how founders can build and scale fintech across the Gulf. We unpack why Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the first markets to crack, how government sandboxes and clear licensing paths reduce friction, and why B2B fintech often delivers the strongest unit economics. Sonia also walks through lessons from recent exits like Tabby, f...

Devin Johnson is a tech entrepreneur and AI innovator who has built multiple high‑growth SaaS companies by combining an obsessive focus on relationships with cutting‑edge automation.  His entrepreneurial journey began at 16, when a series of family hardships — a father involved in drugs, a sister battling brain cancer and the death of a close friend — pushed him to start flipping sneakers to suppo...

Sebastian DiGrande is the Chief Executive Officer of Plastic Credit Exchange (PCX), where he leads the company’s mission to eliminate plastic waste through a technology-driven, market-based platform. Under his leadership, PCX is building a verified marketplace that connects corporations with plastic recovery and recycling partners worldwide, creating measurable, scalable environmental impact. Befo...

Sylvester Wee is a Partner at Sentinel Global, a New York–based, Singapore-anchored venture fund that leads a $200M+ vehicle backing frontier enterprise technologies. At Sentinel, he focuses on enterprise AI, fintech, cybersecurity, programmable finance, and next-gen infrastructure partnering with Series-A and growth teams that demonstrate strong product-market fit and a clear path to commercializ...

Felix Frenzel is the Founding Partner of Kadan Capital, a Singapore-headquartered early-stage venture capital firm backing category-defining startups across Southeast Asia and beyond. At Kadan, he focuses on high-impact companies in fintech and artificial intelligence, targeting ventures with strong early traction and potential for rapid scale. Before co-founding Kadan Capital, Felix built his exp...

In Episode #118 of Geeks of the Valley, we sat down with Qin En Looi, Partner at Saison Capital. Backed by Credit Saison (Tokyo-listed, ~US$30B AUM), Saison has 100+ direct investments and 15+ fund investments across Asia and LATAM.We unpack why operator experience produces better investor how Qin En’s time scaling Glints shaped his emphasis on distribution, sales, and practical due diligence. The...

Doug Su is an investor at CMT Digital in Asia — a global electronic trading and investment firm specializing in blockchain and digital assets. Founded in 2017, CMT Digital was among the earliest firms to launch a dedicated crypto fund and has since backed more than 150 crypto-native protocols and blockchain ventures worldwide. Doug brings a diverse track record in venture capital and digital asset...

In Episode #116 of Geeks of the Valley, we sat down with Jared Stein, Co-Founder at Monogram Capital, a leading private equity firm specializing in scaling high-growth, human-centric consumer brands. Jared walks through Monogram’s investment philosophy and why the firm focuses on companies with deep consumer resonance. He shares insights from leading investments in Chewy.com, Olipop, Genexa, and P...

Khalid Saad is a seasoned venture capitalist and FinTech entrepreneur with a proven track record of launching new ventures and accelerating existing ones. Over the years, he has partnered with startups and established companies on digital strategy, business development, partnerships, and market-entry plans—spanning payment systems, remittance services, crypto platforms, open banking, and more  . H...

In Episode #114 of Geeks of the Valley, we sat down with Jay Zhao , Founding Partner at Leonis Capital, a San Francisco–based fund focused on backing technical founders building transformative AI, SaaS, data-infrastructure and decentralized-tech companies. As a returning guest, we reflect on the growth journey of Jay and the market. Since 2021, he’s led or co-led investments in breakthrough busine...

In Episode #113 of Geeks of the Valley, we sat down with Rob Hadick, General Partner at Dragonfly, a leading $2.5bn crypto-focused global investment firm. We explore the seismic shifts in the VC ecosystem, from the rise of trade-sale exits to the resilience of certain sub-sectors like Layer 2 protocols and real-world-asset platforms. A focal point of our discussion is Ripple’s landmark $1.25 billi...

In Episode #112 of Geeks of the Valley, we sit down with Ivan Casadevall, the CEO of Aryaduta Hotel Group, which operates 8+ upscale hotels. Explore how Indonesia’s most iconic hospitality brand is evolving in a post-pandemic world. With nearly three decades of leadership across Southeast Asia—including senior roles at Pan Pacific, Minor International, and MNC Land. Ivan brings deep insight into w...

Join us for an insightful conversation with Aly Madhavji, Managing Partner at Blockchain Founders Fund, as we explore the significance of transparency in venture capital and its impact on Web3 ecosystems. Aly, recognized globally as a leader in blockchain innovation, shares his approach to investment, venture building, and go-to-market strategies across the USA, APAC, MENA, and EU regions. Discove...

Bamizi is the CEO and Co-Founder of Mesh, a fintech infrastructure company revolutionizing how businesses and users interact with financial systems through embedded crypto and stablecoin solutions. With over 300 integrations across exchanges, wallets, and financial institutions, Mesh empowers developers to seamlessly enable read, write, and transfer functionality within their applications. Under B...

Today, we’re excited to welcome Colin, a seasoned clinician with 27 years of experience revolutionizing physiotherapy through personalized treatment plans. Guided by the belief that “every body is unique, therefore every physio treatment plan should be unique,” Colin emphasizes the vital role of the nervous system in pain management and functional movement. With a Bachelor’s in Physical Therapy, a...

John Sharp is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Hatcher+, a venture firm pioneering data-driven investment strategies. With a distinguished career spanning leadership, technology, and venture capital, he has played a pivotal role in transforming the investment landscape. Previously, John served as CEO of Authentium, where he co-authored three U.S. patents and developed cybersecurity solutions...

Teddy Himler brings over 15 years of global experience at leading institutions, including Goldman Sachs, SoftBank, Comcast Ventures, and Antler, to his role at Optimist Ventures. Throughout his career, Teddy has cultivated deep expertise in global technology trends, innovative business models, and firm-building, with a focus on sectors such as artificial intelligence, insurance, healthcare, and in...

In this engaging episode we welcome Saurabh Jain, Executive Chairman of Opyl Ltd, to delve into how artificial intelligence is driving transformative changes in the healthcare and biotech sectors. With a career marked by pioneering tech startups and forward-thinking healthcare innovations, Saurabh provides a compelling perspective on the evolving role of AI in global health. Saurabh Jain is a seas...

Warwick Pearmund leads Madison Pearl's Hong Kong operations, specializing in sourcing top-tier talent across a wide array of disciplines, including financial technology, quantitative and systematic finance, payments, digital strategy, insurtech, data science, analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, blockchain, and cybersecurity. Prior to his career in recruitment, Warwick w...