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In this episode of Next Big Wave, Tim Grassin speaks with Hsu Ken Ooi, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Iterative.

Tim and Hsu Ken discuss their experiences as founders and the qualities that make a successful co-founder. They emphasize the importance of low ego, shared values, and a passion for learning. They also discuss the challenges of finding the right co-founder and offer advice on how to increase the chances of a successful partnership. They highlight the value of making oneself valuable and increasing the surface area of potential co-founders. 

 Hsu Ken also shares his journey from being a co-founder to becoming a venture capitalist (VC) in Southeast Asia. He explains that he became a VC out of frustration with the lack of support and development for founders in the region. He started Iterative, a VC firm, to bridge this gap and support founders in Southeast Asia. In this final part of the conversation, Hsu Ken discusses the concept of growth hacking and shares examples of unconventional strategies. He emphasizes the importance of thinking outside the box and doing things that don't scale, even if they may seem embarrassing or unconventional. He also talks about the challenges of building a company and the need to hire the right people and create a framework for experiments and bets. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the VC model in Southeast Asia and the unique challenges and opportunities it presents.

Checkout Iterative: https://www.iterative.vc/

Here are the key segments for today's episode!

0:00 Intro

0:52 Getting to know Hsu Ken

4:44 Fundraising Tips in Southeast Asia

6:30 How Hsu Ken started as a founder

13:40 Founder Matchmaking

26:02 How Hus Ken Went From Being A Founder to VC

36:45 Growth Hacks

49:04 What Hsu Ken is Struggling with Most at Iterative Now

51:00 Do You Really Need To Get Funding and is the VC Model Working in SEA?

58:44 Has Hsu Ken Ever Regretted Investing in a Startup

1:05:22 Outro

#NextBigWave #startups #southeastasia #vc #iterative #venturecapital