BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech: Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines & Malaysia Startups

Co-founding JFDI.Asia, Southeast Asia's first startup accelerator, gave Hugh Mason the chance to work with and invest in the ideas of hundreds of local entrepreneurs, just as the regional startup scene got going. He's also worked with some of the biggest multinationals in the region to inspire corporate innovation. Now with the freedom to reflect on what makes some ventures succeed and others not, he's partway through a PhD that's helping to reveal the underlying psychology of startup founders, the networks they need to succeed and what his own career as an entrepreneur was all about. "The conclusion I’ve come to, which academic research also shows, is that a well-run accelerator does make a difference by attracting great talent. The aggregation of great talent and the community you build around an accelerator are more important than any kind of process. There isn’t a magic selection process to pick out winners and ensure success. We created a community because we wanted to bring people together. If you think of trying to get chemical reactions to happen, you put some molecules in a box and shake it and try and bang them into each other." - Hugh Mason “The theory that I'm trying to explore through my Ph.D. is that when we are stuck on the level of operational or immediate activities in front of us, we can't see the big picture. The key is reframing what you’re trying to understand and control, knowing where that’s in conflict, and reframing things to remove the conflict. Pivoting is about reframing. If there’s no way to do that, it means that’s a good time to close down and move on.” - Hugh Mason Read the transcript here at: https://www.bravesea.com/blog/hugh-mason WhatsApp Daily Insight: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CeL3ywi7yOWFd8HTo6yzde Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TnqkaWpTT181lMA8xNu0T Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyAu/featured Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/brave-southeast-asia-tech-singapore-indonesia-vietnam/id1506890464 Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau Visit our community at: https://www.bravesea.com

In this episode of BRAVE, Jeremy Au and Shiyan Koh discuss the ongoing conflict between TikTok and Congress, examining both the pro and anti-ban arguments. They also dive into the role of Gen Z in lobbying for TikTok, the Darwinian content curation of the platform, and historical parallels to similar conflicts in the past. “I believe the argument is valid and relevant to the need for broader social media regulation. I support the idea of equal rules for all. Similar to the implementation of seat belts in cars, initially, there was resistance to the idea until the government intervened to address the high number of injuries and deaths caused by car accidents. The mandate led to the creation of safer steering wheels and airbags. In the same way, there should be a minimum requirement for social media platforms to adhere to safety standards, and the government should create fair rules for everyone.” - Jeremy Au “I worry that this is the world our children will grow up in. They would have to sort through what is true, what story is being told, what they really believe, or what other people’s motivations are in pushing these narratives. There’s a lot of media awareness that has to be taught these days that we didn’t have to face when we were kids.“ - Shiyan Koh Read the transcript here at: https://www.bravesea.com/blog/tiktok-vs-congress WhatsApp Daily Insight: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CeL3ywi7yOWFd8HTo6yzde Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TnqkaWpTT181lMA8xNu0T Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyAu/featured Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/brave-southeast-asia-tech-singapore-indonesia-vietnam/id1506890464 Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau Visit our community at: https://www.bravesea.com

In this episode of BRAVE, Jeremy Au and Adriel Yong discuss how to choose great VCs, conduct reference checks, increase capital optionality, and the red flags to watch out for. “Building a great business with product market fit gives you a lot of capital optionality. You don’t have to build a billion-dollar company in order to raise millions of dollars. It means if you're trying to raise from angel capital, then you should de-risk. You have to be thoughtful about strategy. You should think about how you're bracketing the set of de-risked experimental progress milestones that help you understand the business model in a way that's proportionate to what the capital is looking for.” - Jeremy Au “I had an experience with a great VC. We told each other what we wanted because we’re both going to gain if we hit a certain level of outcome. If we don't get there, we won’t get an outcome. We have a conversation about what the parameters are and the reasons why they are important. We build trust because I'm going to have to fundraise from the next investors. I have to trust this guide explaining the financial terms because it's a long relationship.” - Jeremy Au Read the transcript at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/choosing-vc WhatsApp Weekday Insight: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CeL3ywi7yOWFd8HTo6yzde Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TnqkaWpTT181lMA8xNu0T Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyAu/featured Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/brave-southeast-asia-tech-singapore-indonesia-vietnam/id1506890464 Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau Visit our community at: www.bravesea.com

Will Fan is an accomplished business leader, writer, and academic. He is the CEO and Head of School at NewCampus, a prestigious business school catering to emerging leaders in Asia. Prior to this, Will was the co-founder and CEO of QLC, a successful startup focused on virtual internships. Will is also a respected writer and has contributed articles to e27 and Forbes Business Council. Will holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws from UNSW. “My grandfather who I never met, fled the Vietnam War. He sent his seven kids, in three different parts. One was by foot through Thailand, the other was by boat to Malaysia and the other by train to China. My mom was actually through the train. My grandfather went MIA with my grandmother and two of my uncles never heard from me again. I put together a journal of all those stories of Vietnamese families two years ago with the family and I think a lot about the legacy that his family and our family have built, his brother and all the cousins, including my mom who went to Sydney. I actually felt so proud that was part of a legacy that they built.” - Will Fan “My LinkedIn has a dove that’s a personal representation of strength. When I'm back against a wall or having a bad day, it allows me to take a step back, reflect and realize it's not that big of a deal, and move forward. I use the word “invincible” as a reminder that the world's not gonna die tomorrow. Just keep moving forward, sleep it off, and restart.” - Will Fan Read the transcript here at: https://www.bravesea.com/blog/will-fan WhatsApp Daily Insight: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CeL3ywi7yOWFd8HTo6yzde Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TnqkaWpTT181lMA8xNu0T Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyAu/featured Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/brave-southeast-asia-tech-singapore-indonesia-vietnam/id1506890464 Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau Visit our community at: https://www.bravesea.com

In this discussion, Jeremy Au and Valerie Vu explore the Vietnam market from both bull and bear perspectives. The bull case is supported by factors such as education, foreign direct investment, and "friendshoring," while the bear case highlights concerns about exit pathing, the stock market, and banking liquidity. The conversation also covers the potential impact of the anti-corruption campaign and the importance of patient capital in Vietnam's economic development. "I hope to see more talents returning to Vietnam. I’m so impressed with Vietnam’s Gen Z but now they choose to start their careers in developed countries like Singapore, the US, and Europe. I spend a lot of time giving them advice on how to best move back to Vietnam and navigate the differences here. That's why I'm passionate about building a community and giving out the best educational content. I show conviction and build up their conviction for the country so they can return home to make an impact and build up Vietnam." Valerie Vu "We get a lot of learning and inspiration from Chinese politics. China has also consolidated power and launched anti-corruption campaigns in the last eight years. Vietnam is also going through an anti-corruption campaign, but on a shorter timeline. Things might seem overwhelming for a lot of foreign investors, especially US investors who are not familiar with Asian politics. We want to attract more FDIs for the country, grow the economy, and improve Vietnamese people's lives." Valerie Vu Read the transcript here at: https://www.bravesea.com/blog/vietnam-market-dive WhatsApp Daily Insight: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CeL3ywi7yOWFd8HTo6yzde Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TnqkaWpTT181lMA8xNu0T Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyAu/featured Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/brave-southeast-asia-tech-singapore-indonesia-vietnam/id1506890464 Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau Visit our community at: www.bravesea.com

In this episode of BRAVE, Jeremy Au answers a listener’s questions about why founders “show off”, the fiduciary duties of executives, board members, and VCs, and the advantages of being able to raise capital in startups and how to responsibly deploy it.  “The difference between privilege and advantage is what you are doing with it. A lot of people have advantages but they just sit on them. They’re comfortable with it and some of them even squander it. We have advantages in different areas, so let’s be clear-eyed and realistic and build in those areas as much as we can. Let’s take a step back and respect those who want to make a difference regardless of their advantage.” - Jeremy Au "The media really wants human stories. It’s interesting to know company stories about growth rates and how robust the business is, but they want to talk about classic heroes' journeys that came through, how they overcame obstacles, got advice, changed their lives, and built a business that’s doing well." - Jeremy Au Read the transcript at www.bravesea.com/blog/fundraising-privilege WhatsApp Daily Insight: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CeL3ywi7yOWFd8HTo6yzde Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TnqkaWpTT181lMA8xNu0T Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyAu/featured Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/brave-southeast-asia-tech-singapore-indonesia-vietnam/id1506890464 Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau Visit our community at: www.bravesea.com

Roger Egan is a serial entrepreneur and angel investor. He is currently Cofounder & CEO of Nurture, a pre-launch EdTech / Media startup that enables children to co-learn with their parents via fun, bonding activities. Prior to Nurture, Roger was Cofounder and CEO of RedMart, the largest online grocery in Singapore. Roger has an MBA in Entrepreneurship from INSEAD Business School and a BA in Economics from The University of Pennsylvania. “The Constructionist Learning Theory is about learning by doing and experiencing things. It's self-directed so that you learn in the context of something you're motivated to learn about. You can apply those skills as needed, as opposed to instructionism, where there's an authoritative figure who has all the knowledge that they impart to the student, which you see as a vessel to fill up with a lot of materials. They measure learning through a test which is not the best way to measure learning and determine how successful someone’s going to be.” - Roger Egan “Technological change is only going to accelerate. We’re seeing a huge acceleration in AI which will make human skills uniquely valuable in the future. Adapting is going to be much more important and there is learning that you have to do alone. I would teach kids how to use AI as a tool, ask it the right questions, learn from it, and apply it in building a second brain. They should learn how to leverage this tool than ban it.” - Roger Egan Read the transcript here at: https://www.bravesea.com/blog/roger-egan WhatsApp Daily Insight: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CeL3ywi7yOWFd8HTo6yzde Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TnqkaWpTT181lMA8xNu0T Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyAu/featured Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/brave-southeast-asia-tech-singapore-indonesia-vietnam/id1506890464 Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau Visit our community at: www.bravesea.com

In this episode of BRAVE, Jeremy Au and Shiyan Koh delve into F Prime’s 2023 report on fintech, and also empowerment and gender equality for women on International Women’s Day. They also discuss the rise of Pay Now and its impact on the payment industry, taking the lead over traditional players like MasterCard.  Check out F Prime’s 2023 State of fintech report here.  “Intellectually, everybody knows what to do because there's so many substacks, and VC taught leadership what to do. It's either expense reduction, cost reduction, or revenue improvement. What's interesting is, people are looking for stories. It's more about the emotionality and not in a bad way, but at the end of the day, it's a human decision by the founder to change mindset, point of view, or optimism. People are looking for human stories. That's so important because that's what people are asking for.” - Jeremy Au “Product market fit means you aren’t blowing yourself up with your underwriting when these books are starting to mature. In the early days, people often get really loose with their underwriting standards to show growth. When the market turns, that's when a lot of this stuff blows. At the end of the day, the capital efficiency piece is really important whether you are an investor or a founder. You are in the business of capital allocation and you need to be really honest about how effectively that capital is working for you.” - Shiyan Koh Read the transcript here at: https://www.bravesea.com/blog/silicon-valley-bank-implosion WhatsApp Daily Insight: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CeL3ywi7yOWFd8HTo6yzde Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TnqkaWpTT181lMA8xNu0T Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyAu/featured Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/brave-southeast-asia-tech-singapore-indonesia-vietnam/id1506890464 Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau Visit our community at:www.bravesea.com

In this episode of BRAVE, Jeremy Au discusses the dynamics of the metaverse. He explains the parallels between the development of AI and VR in terms of generational adoption, the bullish market of VR in the long run, and the rise of whales in the next generation. "At the end of the day, is virtual reality dead? The answer is no. It's alive in the hearts of Generation Alpha who will really drive it to peak usage. The ones who are going to build and monetize it are the millennials and Generation Z.” - Jeremy Au Read the transcript at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/future-of-vr WhatsApp Weekday Insight: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CeL3ywi7yOWFd8HTo6yzde Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TnqkaWpTT181lMA8xNu0T Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyAu/featured Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/brave-southeast-asia-tech-singapore-indonesia-vietnam/id1506890464 Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau Visit our community at: www.bravesea.com

Caela Tanjangco is a Director for Asia at Endeavor Catalyst. She started with Medical School but later pursued a business career, including founding a healthcare startup. She is also Co-Chair of the Impact Council at the Global Shapers Community and holds a Master's Degree in International Management and a BS in Psychology. "We have companies that have raised Series B, had the first female founder raise the highest amount of Series A funding, and have CBCs, which is the biggest ever in the Philippines. I'm cautiously optimistic about the country in terms of the next stage of funding because of what's happening in the market. We have a lot of good founders and strong fundamentals, but because of what's happening in the public and private markets, we’re affected in terms of the succeeding funding in Series C, pre-IPO, and Series B. We lack investors in that area for all the companies that have just raised their Series B."- Caela Tanjangco "There are disadvantages to being founders who don't speak English or who might have problems communicating about their startup when pitching to global funds. I won’t say that's a shortfall, but it's an issue that entrepreneurs need support with. It’s a gap that we need to address so that they're better acknowledged and understood by global investors." - Caela Tanjangco Read the transcript here at: www.bravesea.com/blog/caela-tanjangco Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/brave-southeast-asia-tech-singapore-indonesia-vietnam/id1506890464 Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau Visit our community at: www.bravesea.com