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

Is farming in a skyscraper-filled city a genius move or a foolish one? In this episode of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, Jeremy Au talks with Ryan Ong, the founder of Fogo Fungi. Ryan moved from a comfortable path in his family’s hospitality business to the "dark, cool, and laborious" world of indoor mushroom farming. Ryan pulls back the curtain on the Singapore agritech scene, explaining why vertical farms are struggling and how he found a "sweet spot" growing gourmet Pink Oyster and Lion’s Mane mushrooms for Michelin-starred chefs. We discuss: The "Accidental" Founder: How a random YouTube video led a 26-year-old to start a bootstrap startup. The Cold Chain Advantage: Why local mushrooms beat imports on shelf-life and "Day Zero" freshness. The 1% Land Problem: A realistic look at Singapore’s food security goals and the high cost of energy and rent. Gourmet vs. Commodity: Why $50/kg mushrooms are a viable business model when button mushrooms are not. Leading "Unorthodox" Teams: How to hire and manage talent in an industry that AI cannot replace. 00:00 – Why "weirdos" are attracted to the mushroom industry 02:23 – Introduction to Fogo Fungi and Singapore indoor farming 04:18 – The career pivot: From hospitality to agriculture 08:47 – The YouTube video that sparked a mushroom startup 11:48 – Debunking common myths: Do mushrooms grow in the dark? 15:32 – Button vs. Gourmet: The unit economics of $50/kg crops 20:52 – Singapore’s "30-by-30" goal and the 1% land challenge 28:37 – How to gain experience: From bedroom kits to commercial farms Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/ryan-ong-fogo-fungi-mushroom-farming  Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at https://www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter X : https://x.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts #Singapore #Startup #Podcast #southeastasia #techpodcast

Is the era of cheap energy over for Southeast Asia? In this special three-person debate, Jeremy Au, Jianggan Li, and Valerie Vu break down the reality of the current energy crisis and its disproportionate impact on Vietnam, China, and Singapore. As oil prices spike by 30-50% in some markets, the team explores the second and third-order consequences that most businesses are missing. From the sudden reduction of traffic in Ho Chi Minh City to China’s multi-decade "Coal and Renewables" diversification strategy, this episode is a deep dive into geopolitical resilience. Key insights include: The Vietnam Vulnerability: Why 90% reliance on a single oil source (Kuwait) has left the Vietnamese stock market in shock. China's Energy Fortress: How the "big cousin" uses a mix of 60% coal and 10% renewables to insulate itself from Middle Eastern conflict. The "Hormuz" Dilemma: A look at how the Straits of Malacca and Hormuz remain the ultimate chokepoints for Asian growth. Industry Winners & Losers: Why the crisis is accelerating EV adoption and Nuclear research while crushing the textile and garment sectors. The Wealth Migration: Tracking the movement of capital and family offices between Dubai and Singapore as global instability rises. 00:00 – Real-world impact of the energy crisis in Vietnam 02:38 – Analyzing the 50% fuel price spike in Southeast Asia 07:13 – AI simulations of the US-Israel-Iran geopolitical conflict 12:43 – China’s energy strategy: Balancing coal, gas, and renewables 17:50 – How energy costs drive regional food inflation and logistics 23:30 – Net exporters vs. importers: Economic winners and losers 26:50 – Impact on aviation and the Southeast Asian tourism outlook 32:18 – Environmental trade-offs: Rising coal usage and air quality Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/global-energy-shock Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at https://www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter X : https://x.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts #Vietnam #China #Malaysia #Singapore #Thailand #Philippines #Indonesia #IranWar #News

How do you scale a FinTech company across 5 countries while navigating global pandemics and regulatory shifts? In this episode of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, Jeremy Au sits down with Kelvin Teo, Co-founder of Funding Societies | Modalku. Kelvin shares his incredible journey from being a "naive" Harvard MBA student to managing a platform that has disbursed over $5 Billion USD in SME financing. In this episode: The "First Principles" of Credit: Why traditional banking models fail SMEs and how Funding Societies rewrote the rules for Southeast Asia. The McKinsey & Harvard DNA: How elite professional training helped (and hindered) the founding of a startup. Mastering Regional Scale: The strategic logic behind expanding into Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Crisis Leadership: Facing social media backlash during layoffs and the "brave" decisions required to survive the FinTech winter. M&A Strategy: Why Funding Societies acquired CardUp and the secret to integrating mindset over org structure. Whether you are a founder, a VC, or an aspiring entrepreneur in the SEA ecosystem, Kelvin’s insights on concentration risk, counterparty trust, and regional diversification are essential listening. 00:00 - Facing Joblessness at Harvard 02:02 - Introduction to Funding Societies 05:15 - Why Choose HBS Over Private Equity? 10:52 - Finding the Right Co-founder (Reynold Wijaya) 21:50 - The Regional Strategy: Singapore vs. Indonesia 31:10 - Learning from Defaults and Concentration Risk 40:35 - Acquiring CardUp & The Future of Payments 41:28 - Being Brave: Regulatory Hurdles & Layoffs Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/kelvin-teo-built-sme-fintech-empire-funding-societies Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at https://www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts #Singapore #Indonesia #Startup #Podcast #southeastasia #techpodcast

Jeremy Au explains the intense friction between startup growth and legal boundaries. He describes how founders and VCs negotiate high-stakes IPO prices while navigating the "Goliath" power of industry incumbents. The talk explores how startups use customer bases as political shields and why late-stage investors rely on liquidity preferences to survive messy market exits. 01:00 The IPO Pricing Tug-of-War: Jeremy details the messy negotiations between founders, boards, and banks when setting public share prices. 06:44 The Liquidity Waterfall: Understanding why late-stage investors often take all the money during an "underwater" IPO. 08:58 Regulatory Capture and Lobbying: How incumbents like Verizon or Comcast use the law to crush startup competition. 11:10 Permission vs. Forgiveness: Comparing Uber’s aggressive expansion against regulators with Didi’s experience in China. 18:38 The Hidden Hand of Think Tanks: Jeremy reveals how tech companies fund the research that shapes future AI and privacy laws. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/ipo-regulatory-giants Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Vietnamese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts #IPO #VentureCapital #Startups #TechRegulation #Monopoly #Lobbying #Fintech #FounderAdvice #Economics #BRAVEpodcast

Anthony Chow, Co-founder and CEO of Igloo, joins Jeremy Au to discuss how a side hustle managing Airbnb properties turned into a global proptech company. Anthony explains how operational pain points like guest check-ins led him to build smart lock technology designed for short-term rentals. They explore how early hardware failures forced product redesign, why focusing on a narrow customer segment helped the company stand out, and how a partnership with Airbnb accelerated global growth. Anthony also shares how Igloo expanded from vacation rentals into the broader rental and asset sharing economy, how COVID nearly collapsed the company, and how relocating to the United States helped reboot the business. Finally, he reflects on the leadership shifts required to scale a company across cultures, teams, and global markets. 02:15 Airbnb hosting exposed the real problem: Managing multiple Airbnb units while working full-time made guest check-ins and key handovers painful, which pushed Anthony to build a remote smart lock solution. 03:54 Singapore’s Airbnb ban forced a startup pivot: When short-term rentals became illegal in Singapore, the Airbnb business shut down and the founders turned their internal tool into a product for global hosts. 11:40 Offline smart lock technology unlocked product market fit: Igloo redesigned the product to generate time-based access codes that worked without WiFi, solving reliability problems for remote properties. 12:31 Airbnb partnership accelerated global adoption: Airbnb promoted Igloo to hosts worldwide, helping the company gain distribution partners and manufacturing scale. 18:45 COVID destroyed the core market but revealed a new one: Global lockdowns collapsed vacation rentals while demand from US long-term rental operators started rising. 19:26 The founding team moved to Texas to save the company: Anthony and his partners bought one-way tickets to the United States during COVID to rebuild the business around rental housing. 28:21 Leadership evolved as the company scaled globally: Anthony shifted from working with friends to building a structured organization and managing teams across Asia and the United States. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/anthony-chow-rental-tech-shift Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Vietnamese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts #Igloo #PropTech #Entrepreneurship #SmartHome #Airbnb #StartupJourney #Innovation #HardwareStartups #RentalEconomy #BRAVEpodcast

Jeremy Au explains how startups interact with regulation as they grow. He discusses how strong startups escape competition and gain monopoly-like advantages, which later trigger regulatory scrutiny. The conversation shows how incumbents shape regulation, how startups choose favorable jurisdictions, and why founders must decide whether to ask permission or ask for forgiveness. Examples from Uber, Airbnb, TikTok Shop, and DraftKings illustrate how regulation, politics, and customer mobilization shape startup outcomes. 02:07 Regulatory Capture: Jeremy explains how regulation often benefits incumbents, as large industries lobby governments to create rules that protect their position. 06:34 Regulatory Inaction as Opportunity: Many technologies expand faster than governments can regulate them, creating temporary windows for startups to grow. 07:32 Policy Testbeds: Startups often push for favorable regulation in startup-friendly jurisdictions first, then use those precedents to expand into other markets. 10:13 Uber’s Regulatory Playbook: Uber challenged taxi regulations by continuing operations, using the press, and mobilizing public opinion. 14:20 When Customers Cannot Vote: Platforms like Airbnb face political limits because their main users, tourists, cannot vote in local elections. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/regulation-capture Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Vietnamese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts #Startups #VentureCapital #TechPolicy #Regulation #StartupStrategy #MonopolyPower #RegulatoryCapture #InnovationEconomy #TechIndustry #BRAVEpodcast

JX Lye, Founder and CEO of Acme, joins Jeremy Au to unpack how execution compounds advantage in Southeast Asia fintech. They explore Acme’s journey from solving delayed bank reconciliation to becoming a core bank connectivity layer serving fintech platforms, direct debit infrastructure, and ERP systems across Singapore and the region. The conversation covers the hard realities of going from zero to one customer, the discipline required from one to five, and how scaling to 80 customers shifts growth toward retention and upsell. Joshua reflects on fintech’s COVID boom and 2023 reset, the Brex versus Ramp execution debate, and why Singapore rewards niche depth in financial services. He also shares how AI is shifting from model hype to vertical application, and why founder endurance, health, and signal reading matter more than chasing a visible summit. 03:12 Instant payments exposed a broken backend: FAST and PayNow moved money instantly, but apps waited days because reconciliation relied on end-of-day bank statements. 09:18 From one to five customers demands discipline: Founders must resist custom builds, stay product focused, and lead sales personally to avoid fragmentation. 13:08 Scaling to 80 customers shifts growth drivers: Upsells and retention begin compounding faster than new logo acquisition in Southeast Asia’s shallow markets. 17:24 Fintech’s COVID boom distorted reality: Easy capital and soaring markets fueled inflated valuations that later reset in 2023. 22:38 Execution beats first mover advantage: Ramp outcompounded Brex through speed, alignment, and focus rather than positioning alone. 25:42 Focus and alignment define execution quality: If teams describe different priorities, compounding slows and distraction spreads. 38:32 Founder stress never disappears, it evolves: Milestones do not remove pressure; resilience, health, and signal reading sustain long-term ambition. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/jx-lye-compounding-execution Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Vietnamese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts #Fintech #SoutheastAsiaTech #StartupExecution #FounderJourney #BankingInfrastructure #B2BGrowth #AIinBusiness #SingaporeStartups #VentureBuilding #BRAVEpodcast

Adriel Yong joins Jeremy Au to examine how AI is compressing organizations, thinning entry-level roles, and reshaping Singapore’s startup and capital ecosystem. They discuss the shift from pyramid to lean diamond teams, why CEOs increasingly use AI to bypass middle layers, and why Gen Z faces the sharpest labor reset. The conversation expands to SGX liquidity gaps, slowing seed funding, and structural flaws in angel investing incentives that threaten the startup pipeline. They also argue that AI literacy must become national infrastructure, not a short-term subsidy, if Singapore wants to keep pace with rapid technological change.  03:58 AI progress now feels pre crisis fast: New models self improve, agents coordinate, and experimentation mirrors the early pandemic moment when only a few sensed acceleration. 13:05 Companies are shifting from pyramid to diamond structures: Junior execution shrinks while experienced operators with taste and judgment gain leverage. 15:32 CEOs can bypass middle layers with AI: Strategic research, compliance planning, and structured analysis move directly to AI tools instead of finance managers or analysts. 20:42 Gen Z faces structural career compression: Entry roles thin out as AI replaces transcription, analysis, and support work that once trained fresh graduates. 33:15 Early stage capital is the real bottleneck: Growth financing rebounds, but seed funding weakens as angels feel burned and the startup funnel narrows. 41:05 Angel tax policy distorts participation: Large individual checks qualify for incentives while syndicates and smaller diversified investors receive weaker support. 47:12 AI literacy must become national infrastructure: Short term tool subsidies help, but broad ongoing access across NTUC, unions, and grassroots may matter more for long term workforce resilience. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/adriel-yong-automation-first-era Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Vietnamese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts #AIWorkforce #FutureOfWork #StartupEcosystem #SGXLiquidity #VentureCapital #AngelInvesting #SeedFunding #SingaporeTech #OrgDesign #BRAVEpodcast

James Chai, Visiting Fellow at ISEAS and former policy advisor to Malaysia’s Ministry of Economy, joins Jeremy Au to unpack how Malaysia is repositioning itself in an era defined by AI, semiconductors, and geopolitical rivalry. They explore the country’s shift from oil, gas, and plantations toward advanced manufacturing, examine how decades of semiconductor clustering built a quiet but durable export engine, and discuss why Malaysia is now doubling down on data centers and rare earths. The conversation covers US China competition over chip supply chains, the strategic importance of fabrication and GPU ecosystems, and how rare earth processing may represent the most underappreciated leverage point in the global tech stack. James also explains why execution, not ambition, will determine whether Malaysia can capture long term value from these emerging industries. 02:30 Malaysia balances growth with redistribution: The strategy is to raise high value industries like semiconductors and rare earths while lifting the bottom 40 percent through social protection. 05:42 Semiconductor strength came from decades of compounding: Intel and other multinationals anchored early manufacturing, and local engineers accumulated expertise that later spun into globally competitive firms. 10:18 Clusters beat subsidies alone: Tight networks of engineers, spin offs, and long term continuity allowed Malaysia’s chip ecosystem to survive volatility and keep upgrading. 21:05 China uses constraint as strategy: By limiting access to high end Nvidia GPUs, Beijing forces domestic firms to innovate faster and close critical design gaps. 29:45 Chips are not oil: Frontier GPUs power model training, but most real world AI use relies on inference, meaning older chips retain value longer than markets assume. 37:22 Data centers create investment headlines but unclear spillovers: Billions flow into Malaysia, yet long term value depends on whether local firms capture supply chain and technology capabilities. 44:10 Rare earth processing is the real choke point: Deposits are global, but China controls the complex multi step processing chain, making chemistry and technology control more strategic than mining alone. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/james-chai-rare-earth-power Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Vietnamese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts #MalaysiaEconomy #Semiconductors #RareEarths #DataCenters #USChinaTech #Geopolitics #AIStrategy #SupplyChains #IndustrialPolicy #BRAVEpodcast

Ziv Ragowsky, Co-Founder of Wright Partners, joins Jeremy Au to unpack why corporate venture building remains one of Southeast Asia’s hardest but most misunderstood innovation strategies. They explore how large corporations chase growth under pressure, why many internal ventures fail before traction, and how misaligned incentives quietly destroy promising ideas. The conversation covers when companies should build instead of buy, how lean venture design keeps startups investable, and why founder equity must evolve as risk shifts over time. Ziv also shares how venture builders act as translators between corporate logic and startup execution, and why honest advice sometimes means telling a client not to build at all. 03:00 Early ventures look irrelevant inside giant corporates: Small pilot businesses struggle to survive because billion-dollar organizations cannot emotionally commit to tiny revenue bets. 03:55 Overpromising innovation creates failure incentives: Corporates exaggerate projections to justify programs, which pushes ventures into unhealthy growth behavior. 08:45 Build only when buying makes no strategic sense: Companies should create new ventures only when acquisition is overpriced or the problem is uniquely theirs to solve. 15:00 Lean venture budgets protect future funding: Startups that spend like corporates become uninvestable before reaching real traction. 18:10 Corporate-heavy cap tables scare investors: Excess ownership and control crush founder motivation and block external capital. 20:15 Founder-led governance attracts venture capital: Investors prefer startups structured for entrepreneurial control rather than corporate hierarchy. 22:10 Honest advice sometimes means refusing to build: Saying no to bad ventures preserves long-term outcomes even if it costs short-term business. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/ziv-ragowsky-corporate-innovation-trap Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Vietnamese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts #CorporateInnovation #VentureBuilding #StartupStrategy #SoutheastAsia #VentureCapital #FounderIncentives #CorporateGovernance #InnovationStrategy #VentureStudios #BRAVEpodcast

Hiroki Kato, Founder of Arches and Jeremy Au discuss how leaving a safe Japanese corporate career pushed Hiroki into Southeast Asia’s faster markets, where exposure to fraud, cultural contrast, and insider truth reshaped his view of risk and opportunity. They explore how Vietnam’s optimism expanded his ambition, why public data often hides reality, and how expert conversations became the foundation for building Arches. The discussion connects personal courage with business execution, showing how disciplined hiring, focused delivery, and human trust systems built a competitive expert network. 02:30 Leaving corporate Japan felt like social betrayal: Hiroki chose impact over security despite family pressure to stay inside an elite lifetime career track. 09:10 Vietnam rewired his ambition: A young, optimistic workforce expanded his belief in growth, risk, and personal upside compared to mature Japan. 12:45 Fake books exposed the limits of public data: Insider voices revealed hidden accounting manipulation and misuse of investor funds no spreadsheet showed. 15:05 Two expert conversations changed his life: Direct interviews overturned the company narrative and proved people beat reports in emerging markets. 18:10 Arches began as survival entrepreneurship: Freelance work funded the company while he built the expert network in parallel. 20:10 Overdelivery created early market wedge: Deep service to a few clients built trust and defensibility in a crowded expert industry. 26:00 Crisis permanently lowered fear of risk: Surviving near collapse reframed failure as damage, not death, unlocking bolder decisions.  Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Vietnamese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/hiroki-kato-inside-market-truth #SoutheastAsia #StartupJourney #FounderStory #EmergingMarkets #VietnamBusiness #ExpertNetworks #EntrepreneurMindset #CorporateToStartup #RiskAndGrowth #BRAVEpodcast

Jeremy Au and Mike Mate connect personal career risk with the structural limits of the Philippine startup ecosystem. Mike explains how jumping from law into finance shaped his tolerance for uncertainty, why venture capital requires emotional endurance, and how AI mirrors past industrial shifts. They examine why Southeast Asia imports frontier technology, why Philippine consumer startups struggle to scale, and why grit remains the region’s unfair advantage. The discussion ties personal courage to ecosystem maturity, arguing that founders and investors both survive through disciplined risk. 05:10 Investment banking exposed the limits of deal work: Closing transactions felt empty because he never saw what happened to companies after. 10:00 Venture capital demands emotional endurance: Allocating high risk capital requires custody of LP money and deep founder trust. 12:20 AI mirrors the steam engine moment: Technology removes intellectual limits the way railroads removed physical limits. 14:50 AI growth is exponential not gradual: Decades of change now compress into a few years. 18:30 Consumer startups define the Philippine opportunity: Strong demographics exist but iconic exits remain missing. 21:20 The valley of death blocks late stage growth: Series C companies stall without foreign capital. 25:00 Filipino founders survive through grit: Cultural obligation to family and employees fuels persistence under pressure. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/engineering-soft-landings Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Vietnamese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts #VentureCapital #StartupEcosystem #PhilippinesStartups #FounderGrit #StartupFunding #SoutheastAsiaTech #AIandInnovation #StartupGrowth #InvestorMindset #BRAVEpodcast

Aik Chuan (A.C.) Goh, Founder of Singapore’s first traditional search fund, joins Jeremy Au to unpack how operators evolve from startup builders into long-term business stewards. They explore lessons from Uber’s Southeast Asia expansion, why localization determines platform winners, and how consulting shaped A.C.’s decision-making framework. The conversation covers the limits of venture capital in personalized industries like education, the hidden succession crisis inside Singapore SMEs, and how search funds bridge retiring founders with new leadership. Aik Chuan also shares why disciplined capital structures matter, how growth still exists in mature markets, and why conviction requires respecting experience without surrendering belief in your thesis. 07:00 Uber proved that small autonomous teams can build cities: Three strong generalists with a mission can launch operations faster than large centralized structures. 10:30 Uber lost Indonesia because localization came too late: Missing cash payments and motorcycles allowed competitors to lock in the market. 11:45 Regional winners depend on profit hub cities: Control of Singapore, KL, Bangkok, and Jakarta determines who funds expansion. 19:32 Consulting builds structured decision discipline: Senior leaders iterate assumptions just like junior consultants, only faster. 29:53 Venture capital struggles in personalized education: Edtech exposed the limits of scale when every student needs different content. 34:22 Search funds solve SME succession gaps: Retiring founders need both liquidity and leadership, which the model combines. 53:15 Conviction requires reframing criticism: Aik Chuan learns to respect experience while still backing his thesis. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/aik-chuan-goh-owning-the-future Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Vietnamese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts #CorporateInnovation #VentureBuilding #StartupStrategy #SoutheastAsia #VentureCapital #FounderIncentives #CorporateGovernance #InnovationStrategy #VentureStudios #BRAVEpodcast

Jeremy Au breaks down how venture capital really works after the check clears. He explains how VCs silently re-rank startups every year, why most companies get deprioritized, and how a tiny number of winners carry an entire fund. The discussion covers angel buyouts, secondaries, IPO strategy, and the tension between founders and boards during exits. It’s a candid look at portfolio math, hidden incentives, and the survival rules founders rarely hear out loud. 01:47 The Hidden VC Scoreboard: Investment does not end evaluation. Partners continuously judge companies and shift attention toward expected winners. 04:45 The Brutal Portfolio Math: Most companies fail, a few return small wins, and one or two generate the 50x outcomes that power the entire fund. 06:20 Every Round Is a New Test: Each funding round resets conviction as investors decide whether to double down or step back. 13:25 Founder Vision vs. Board Incentives: Acquisition decisions split control from economics  founders want long-term vision while boards optimize for return timing. Watch, listen or read the full insight at  https://www.bravesea.com/blog/vc-survival-game Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Vietnamese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts #venturecapital #startupstrategy #portfoliomanagement #founderjourney #startuptruths #unicornmath #exitsandipo #vcinsights #startupgrowth #BRAVEpodcast

Kamil Pabis, a longevity researcher based in Singapore, joins Jeremy Au to unpack why extending a healthy lifespan needs systems thinking, not quick hacks. They define longevity as targeting aging itself, explain why academia both enables and constrains progress, and show how Singapore’s policy choices support longer lives. They also discuss the biohacker pipeline, the promise of drugs like rapamycin, and why regulation and trial design slow real proof in humans. 06:40 Longevity targets the underlying aging process: Kamil explains that doctors treat a disease, but longevity research aims at the shared driver behind many age-related diseases. 09:26 Academia runs on idealists, then burns them out: Kamil describes low pay, long hours, and boss dependence as structural issues that push researchers into burnout cycles. 16:08 Singapore extends lifespan through policy and environment: They link higher life expectancy to prevention, vice taxes, and public health rules, not just individual discipline. 21:42 Lifestyle upgrades hit a biological ceiling: Kamil argues that once basics are covered, health gains flatten and average lifespan still converges near the low 90s without slowing aging. 32:02 Biohacker communities create a flywheel for early tools: Kamil explains how Singapore meetups mix researchers, healthcare professionals, and biohackers, creating demand for imperfect but improving products. 46:34 Ethics and bureaucracy slow trials more than science: Kamil argues medical systems focus on risk avoidance and move slower than places like China, even when volunteers exist. 50:12 Personal longevity means basics first, then selective layering: Kamil advises covering sleep, exercise, nutrition, and medical basics first, then adding a small number of targeted interventions before diminishing returns set in.  Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/kamil-pabis-extending-human-life Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Vietnamese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts #Longevity #AgingScience #Healthspan #Biohacking #Rapamycin #PublicHealth #AcademicResearch #SingaporeTech #FutureOfHealth #BRAVEpodcast

Jeremy Au discusses how value is created, preserved, and lost in Southeast Asian startups, focusing on governance, control rights, and exit risk. The conversation looks at real founder–investor breakdowns, regulatory shocks, and why weak structure often shows up only when things go wrong. It explains why growth alone is not enough, and how control, trust, and exit planning shape outcomes in emerging markets. 00:14 Investor Regret on Control Rights: Investors reflect on the downside of weak protections and wish they had negotiated stronger control measures earlier. 01:18 Exit Management Is a VC Skill: The discussion shifts to exits, emphasizing that building value and realizing value require different skills and planning. 06:09 Light-Touch Governance and Fraud Risk: How US-style light governance in Indonesia contributed to aggressive growth, weak oversight, and fraud issues. 09:07 Growth Pressure and Revenue Fraud: A direct link is drawn between growth-at-all-costs behavior and manipulation of revenue numbers in emerging markets. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/exit-risk-exposed Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Vietnamese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts #VentureCapital #StartupGovernance #FounderInvestor #EmergingMarkets #SoutheastAsia #StartupRisk #ExitStrategy #VCInsights #StartupLessons #BRAVEpodcast

Jeremy Au breaks down why most startups fail even after raising capital and why failure is often misunderstood by founders, investors, and the media. Drawing from venture data and real startup case studies, the discussion unpacks common failure patterns, the role of timing and macro forces, and why economic failure does not always mean bad judgment. The episode reframes failure as part of innovation, while staying honest about incentives, power laws, and investor reality. 01:40 The Brutal Math of Venture Capital: Jeremy explains why only about 1% of startups become unicorns, with high death rates at every funding stage. 03:55 Are Failed Startups Really Failures?: The discussion reframes failure, asking whether founders are failures or pioneers who were simply too early. 06:10 Jibo and Being Too Early: Jeremy shares how a social robot startup failed due to high hardware costs and missing infrastructure years before AI and sensors were ready. 12:30 Six Common Startup Failure Patterns: Jeremy outlines repeatable failure modes, including bad teams, false starts, speed traps, and bad macro luck. 20:10 Bad Macro Luck and Market Cycles: The episode explains how funding winters and external shocks can kill startups that were otherwise doing fine. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/why-startups-fail-power Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Vietnamese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts #startupfailure #venturecapital #founderlessons #powerlaw #startuplife #VCinsights #techstartups #buildinpublic #learningfromfailure #BRAVEpodcast

Jeremy Au breaks down how venture capital deals really close, why many fail after the term sheet, and how financial and control rights shape outcomes for founders and investors over a 10-year relationship. Drawing from real cases across Southeast Asia, he explains the hidden trade-offs behind valuation, governance, and trust, and why “good economics” can still destroy long-term value if handled poorly. 01:00 Due Diligence and Deal Risk: How reference checks, audits, and legal reviews can still miss fraud and derail trust. 03:30 Trust as a 10-Year Decision: Why fundraising is not just about price, but about choosing a long-term partner. 04:45 Valuation Disputes and Ego: How founders and VCs clash over worth, and why bad negotiations quietly kill companies. 09:00 Valuation vs. Hidden Clauses: How high headline valuations are offset by liquidation preferences and anti-dilution terms. 15:30 Exploding Term Sheets and Founder Regret: A case where aggressive terms improved investor economics but destroyed founder trust. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/power-plays-in-fundraising WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea Spotify English: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TnqkaWpTT181lMA8xNu0T Bahasa Indonesia: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Vs8t6qPo0eFb4o6zOmiVZ Chinese: https://open.spotify.com/show/20AGbzHhzFDWyRTbHTVDJR Vietnamese: https://open.spotify.com/show/0yqd3Jj0I19NhN0h8lWrK1 YouTube English: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyAu?sub_confirmation=1 Apple Podcast English: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/brave-southeast-asia-tech-singapore-indonesia-vietnam/id1506890464 #VentureCapital #TermSheets #StartupFunding #FounderVC #Valuation #Governance #StartupDeals #ControlRights #Fundraising #BRAVEpodcast

Beatrice Lion, General Partner and CEO of True Global Ventures, joins Jeremy Au to unpack how early conviction, long cycles, and hands-on learning shaped her path from finance student to venture capital leader. They explore why blockchain and AI only look obvious in hindsight, how decentralization solves real risks created by centralized platforms, and why hype often masks weak demand rather than weak technology. The conversation covers building a venture fund from self-funded roots to institutional scale, navigating fundraising and regulation, and what it takes to grow as an investor across multiple market cycles. Beatrice also shares how staying in one firm for years can still mean many different careers, and why resilience and judgment matter more than timing. 02:52 A no-pay internship reshaped career direction: Shadowing a GP showed how small actions, like one introduction, could determine a startup’s survival. 04:11 Venture capital felt more meaningful than banking: Direct impact on founders and companies mattered more than prestige or salary. 13:20 Decentralization drove blockchain conviction: Seeing Animoca lose its business overnight to a centralized platform clarified the risk of single gatekeepers. 16:33 Technology does not create demand: Tokenization only works when real markets already exist, not when assets lack buyers. 22:22 Market crashes build resilient founders: Repeated crypto downturns filtered out weak actors and strengthened surviving teams. 29:00 Eight years in one fund meant many roles: Beatrice moved across portfolio support, fundraising, regulation, and investment decisions without stagnation. 41:20 Leadership required personal courage under scrutiny: As a young CEO, Beatrice led a long MAS licensing process while managing deep self-doubt. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/beatrice-lion-application-layer-advantage WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea Spotify English: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TnqkaWpTT181lMA8xNu0T Bahasa Indonesia: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Vs8t6qPo0eFb4o6zOmiVZ Chinese: https://open.spotify.com/show/20AGbzHhzFDWyRTbHTVDJR Vietnamese: https://open.spotify.com/show/0yqd3Jj0I19NhN0h8lWrK1 YouTube English: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyAu?sub_confirmation=1 Apple Podcast English: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/brave-southeast-asia-tech-singapore-indonesia-vietnam/id1506890464 #VentureCapital #AIApplications #BlockchainInvesting #TechCycles #EmergingManagers #FundraisingJourney #InvestorConviction #StartupEcosystem #RegulatedInnovation #BRAVEpodcast

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 real companies. The conversation covers Rocky’s journey from academia to entrepreneurship, how dinners and hackathons sparked breakout AI startups, and why AGI should be understood as a system of applied intelligence rather than a single god-like model. Rocky also shares his views on resilience, uncertainty, and how young people and parents should think about work, purpose, and opportunity in an AI-shaped future. 02:00 Early fascination with computer graphics shaped Rocky’s path: Curiosity about how computers generate realistic images pulled him into computer science long before AI was mainstream. 06:06 The pandemic triggered a mission reset: Isolation and deep conversations about purpose and intelligence sparked the idea that later became AGI House. 08:12 Talent density became the core design choice: AGI House prioritized curating elite researchers and founders over scaling a broad, open community. 12:32 Invite-only dinners and open hackathons worked together: Private discussions built depth while hackathons surfaced raw, unproven talent who later broke out. 15:29 Resilience comes from knowing why you build: Rocky explains that founders who love status quit early, while those driven by curiosity endure hardship. 17:21 AGI is a system, not a single god model: Intelligence emerges from many specialized agents improving through real-world deployment. 29:02 Learning to live with uncertainty builds founders: Traveling the world with no money trained the mindset Rocky later relied on as an entrepreneur. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/rocky-yu-building-agi-together WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea Spotify English: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TnqkaWpTT181lMA8xNu0T Bahasa Indonesia: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Vs8t6qPo0eFb4o6zOmiVZ Chinese: https://open.spotify.com/show/20AGbzHhzFDWyRTbHTVDJR Vietnamese: https://open.spotify.com/show/0yqd3Jj0I19NhN0h8lWrK1 YouTube English: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyAu?sub_confirmation=1 Apple Podcast English: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/brave-southeast-asia-tech-singapore-indonesia-vietnam/id1506890464 #ArtificialIntelligence #AGI #AICommunity #TechFounders #StartupEcosystem #FutureOfWork #FounderMindset #TalentDensity #HumanPotential #BRAVEpodcast