BRAVE: David’s Slingshot VS. Goliath, Oatly’s Rise & Southeast Asia’s VC Jungle - E635

Li Hongyi, Director of Open Government Products, and Jeremy Au discuss how leaders can define, measure, and sustain real performance within organizations. They unpack why clarity of purpose matters more than ambition, how to design fair and motivating systems, and how to prevent burnout in high-performing teams. Their conversation bridges lessons from public service and startups, showing how structure, accountability, and empathy build lasting excellence. 00:56 What is performance: Hongyi explains that success begins with clarity. Teams fail when they skip defining what “high-performing” means before chasing results. 03:15 Why clarity matters more than profit: In the public sector, lacking a clear anchor like profit causes teams to chase noise instead of purpose. 06:43 Designing the right metrics: He suggests tracking three to five key metrics that collectively prevent failure while balancing usability, reliability, and cost. 12:44 Communication through signposting: Hongyi shares that being explicit with intent by saying “this is advice” or “this needs to be done” reduces confusion and builds trust. 14:15 Rethinking performance reviews: Self, peer, and manager evaluations should gather information for better decisions rather than serve as political rituals. 27:00 The danger of over-promotion: Advancing too quickly can destroy confidence and create anxiety. Steady, sustainable growth builds stronger leaders. 31:00 Burnout and sustainable success: True progress comes from building skills, not just adding hours. Leaders must create space for learning and recovery. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/li-hongyi-measure-what-matters 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 #PerformanceCulture #LeadershipDevelopment #OrganizationalClarity #PublicSectorInnovation #BurnoutPrevention #MetricsThatMatter #AccountabilityInAction #TeamBuilding #WorkplaceGrowth #BRAVEpodcast

Dominic Law, CEO of Neopets and Jeremy Au dive into how a beloved millennial-era game evolved from early internet nostalgia into a modern revival story. They discuss the courage it took to spin Neopets out of its parent company, rebuild trust with long-time fans, and adapt a 25-year-old IP for new generations. Their conversation explores the challenges of updating old technology, the role of community-led development, and how emotional attachment can sustain a brand through decades of change. Dominic also reflects on leadership lessons from managing a turnaround, the balance between nostalgia and innovation, and why staying transparent keeps fans loyal for the long run. 00:45 Rediscovering Neopets sparked a new mission: Dominic found the brand’s hidden potential while restructuring NetDragon’s overseas business and proposed a management buyout to revive it. 03:30 Nostalgia and fandom kept the brand alive: A small but passionate community sustained Neopets through decades of inactivity, proving the power of emotional connection. 06:00 Missing the mobile era hurt growth: Neopets stayed static during key shifts to mobile and social gaming, losing younger audiences and momentum. 10:20 Collecting and trading define Neopets’ core: Digital ownership, customization, and item trading remain the game’s central appeal across generations. 13:45 Turning nostalgia into a family experience: Neopets now aims to become a shared parent–child game, offering safe, creative play and educational value. 26:00 Leadership shaped by transparency: Dominic learned that honesty, realistic timelines, and community dialogue rebuild trust better than overpromising. 38:20 Bravery defined the spinout: Taking the leap to lead Neopets independently was a high-risk, high-conviction move guided by belief in its legacy. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/dominic-law-rebuilding-neopets #NeopetsRevival #GamingNostalgia #DigitalCollectibles #CommunityLeadership #GameReboot #TransgenerationalPlay #OnlineCommunity #IPTurnaround #NostalgiaEconomics #BRAVEpodcast

Jeremy Au explains how human civilization remained mostly unchanged for nearly a million years before experiencing rapid economic and technological growth in just the last few centuries. He traces this transformation from basic survival to modern innovation, reflecting on how technology, trade, and governance reshaped human life and why Southeast Asia’s development tells a unique story. 00:42 A Million Years of Sameness: Jeremy describes how humans lived by farming, hunting, and foraging for generations, using the same tools and passing down the same skills over time. 02:00 Flat Growth for Centuries: He explains that for hundreds of thousands of years, the global economy grew only about 0.05% per year, with little change in productivity or living standards. 06:40 Francis Bacon’s Utopia: Jeremy shares how in 1626, Francis Bacon imagined a future where humans could create light and see distant or microscopic objects, which were once seen as miracles. 09:00 Three Generations of Technology: He compares the Walkman era, the Nokia phone generation, and today’s iPhone and ChatGPT world, showing how fast technology evolves within three generations. 20:10 Southeast Asia’s Economic Divergence: He highlights how Singapore’s GDP per capita now matches the United States, while Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines remain far lower. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/future-shock 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 #HumanProgress #TechnologyEvolution #FutureShock #EconomicGrowth #InnovationJourney #SoutheastAsia #AIRevolution #GenerationalChange #DigitalTransformation #BRAVEpodcast

Jeremy Au explained how startups evolve from chaos to clarity and how fragmentation in Southeast Asia creates both problems and opportunities. He used the jungle-to-highway model to describe startup growth, compared founders to David facing Goliath, and showed how innovation, like oat milk or vaping turns small experiments into billion-dollar revolutions. Jeremy also reflected on how VCs spot talent early and why mastering Southeast Asia prepares companies for global expansion. 00:00 Jungle to Highway: Startups begin lost in a jungle, then build a dirt road through early customers, and finally pave a highway once they master product-market fit and scale 02:10 VCs as Recruiters: The best investors act like headhunters, identifying and closing founders before others do, while Southeast Asia’s fragmentation turns inefficiency into opportunity 05:25 Fragmentation as Opportunity: Jeremy explains how logistics and fintech thrive amid Southeast Asia’s complex, inefficient regulations, where “somebody’s inefficiency is my opportunity” 08:10 David vs. Goliath: Startups win by speed and focus, using their “slingshot”—fast execution—to overcome slow, over-armored incumbents 11:45 Oatly’s Rise: The invention of oat milk in 1994 shows how a startup can build a billion-dollar category by rethinking existing markets 13:20 Experimentation Over Scale: Jeremy concludes that small experiments often spark global trends, and founders who navigate Southeast Asia’s “jungle” can later scale worldwide 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 #founders #venturecapital #SoutheastAsia #innovation #fragmentedmarkets #scaling #DavidvsGoliath #entrepreneurship #BRAVEpodcast

Jeremy Au and Jordan Dea-Mattson reconnect to explore how Vernor Vinge’s Rainbows End anticipated today’s world of accelerating technology, reskilling challenges, and demographic shifts. They examine which predictions came true, which fell short, and how these lessons apply to AI adoption, fragile digital systems, and the need for lifelong learning. Their conversation highlights why individuals must build meta-skills, why policymakers lack playbooks, and how Southeast Asia can prepare for a future shaped by both singularity and depopulation trends. 00:41 Tech change accelerates beyond generations: Vinge showed how skills like programming quickly became obsolete, leaving workers structurally unemployed. 07:27 Reskilling mirrors today’s digital divide: Characters were pushed back into classrooms, similar to how older workers struggle with cashless systems and SaaS adoption. 11:56 Rogue AI foreshadowed safety debates: Vinge hinted at AI bargaining to survive, connecting to current AI alignment concerns. 13:58 Belief circles resemble online echo chambers: Communities overlapped with reality, much like radicalization on forums and social platforms today. 18:29 Trust collapses with fragile systems: A single broken security certificate caused global chaos, resembling real-world failures like the CrowdStrike outage. 38:19 Singularity defined as break point: Jordan explains the mathematical roots of singularity as the moment when definitions collapse with exponential change. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/jordan-dea-mattson-rogue-ai-rising 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

Gita Sjahrir and Jeremy Au analyze Indonesia’s nationwide protests to uncover how economic frustration, political tone-deafness, and social media reshaped the country’s trust in government. They discuss how widening income gaps and stalled reforms triggered anger across generations, how empathy and governance broke down, and how technology became both a rallying force and a regulatory battleground. Their conversation highlights the urgent need for reform, the rise of citizen activism, and the lessons Southeast Asia can draw from Indonesia’s call for accountability and change. 02:00 Economic anger ignited mass protests: Gita recounts how outrage over parliamentary pay and weak economic growth led to demonstrations in 33 cities across Indonesia. 03:35 Lawmakers’ high pay exposed inequality: Parliament members earning over $200,000 a year contrasted sharply with citizens living on a $5,000 GDP per capita. 06:46 Empathy collapsed in leadership: Gita explains how tone-deaf remarks and government inaction during hardship revealed a lack of care for ordinary people. 11:20 Citizens demanded reform through “17+8 Tuntutan”: Protesters called for salary freezes, free speech protections, and limits on military involvement in civilian life. 15:00 Political shifts followed public pressure: A new finance minister emerged, promising transparency and empathy amid policy reshuffles. 18:48 Structural reforms proved elusive: Bureaucratic red tape, poor SME support, and a lack of deregulation trapped Indonesia in slow growth. 21:29 TikTok ban worsened SME struggles: A freeze on TikTok Live and Shop disrupted small businesses that relied on digital sales for survival. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/gita-sjahrir-indonesia-protests 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 #IndonesiaProtests #EmpathyInPolitics #SoutheastAsiaReform #TikTokBan #EconomicInequality #CitizenAwakening #DigitalDemocracy #JakartaUnrest #PowerOfConnection #BRAVEpodcast

Jeremy Au discussed the founder’s dilemma of when to persevere or when to pivot, and why company culture works better when treated as a sports team rather than a family. He illustrated the points with startup case studies like Instagram, Netflix, YouTube, and Rippling, showing how companies evolved by changing either product or customer. He also emphasized professionalism in managing team changes and exits. 01:45 Persevere vs. Pivot: Jeremy explains why founders must balance persistence with flexibility, using new data to know when to change direction. 03:20 Lean Canvas in Action: He shows how the tool helps identify whether to adjust the solution or customer, depending on what fails to fit. 05:05 Instagram and Netflix Examples: Case studies show how Instagram pivoted to photo sharing and Netflix shifted from DVDs to streaming and content creation. 07:10 YouTube and Play-Doh Pivots: YouTube evolved from a dating site to a universal video platform, while Play-Doh went from wall cleaner to toy. 09:02 Sports Team Culture: Jeremy stresses that companies should act like sports teams, not families, with honesty, performance focus, and fair exits. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/netflix-startup-playbook 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

Philipp Renner, Founder & CEO of Dr. Shiba, joins Jeremy Au to share his journey from a global childhood to building one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing pet wellness companies. He reflects on how eight years at McKinsey, the personal challenges of long COVID, and the limits of corporate consulting led him to take the leap into entrepreneurship. They discuss the realities of product market fit iteration and the decision to pursue a semi-bootstrapped model rather than a VC-funded growth path. Philipp also shares how his toughest teenage year in Shenyang shaped his resilience and why focus on what truly matters became his personal north star, guiding him as he built Dr. Shiba from functional supplement treats into a wellness ecosystem now serving millions of customers across Southeast Asia and the UK. 02:00 Childhood across Germany, China, and Singapore built resilience and cultural fluency: Philipp recalls being the only foreigner in Chinese kindergarten, summers in Germany with extended family, and adapting to contrasting environments. 07:28 McKinsey years taught structure but came with high pressure: Philipp learned problem solving, investor communications, and performance systems, but he also faced unsustainable hours and a constant cycle of pressure. 14:23 Long COVID forced clarity and career reset: Contracting the virus in New York and suffering heart issues left Philipp fearful and uncertain, which led him to reassess his values and priorities in life. 18:54 Partnership revealed as a golden cage: Observing partners’ constant travel, endless client demands, and limited upside compared to entrepreneurship convinced Philipp to leave consulting. 22:21 Transitioning to founder life meant unlearning: Moving from slide decks to execution, Philipp raised funds, managed co-founder conflicts, and worked from a Manila coffee shop with no salary while building Tyger Brands. 27:36 Product market fit narrowed focus to Dr. Shiba: Starting with three consumer brands, Philipp and his team doubled down on the pet supplies line that scaled fastest, allowing the others to fade. 31:32 Bravery defined by survival in Shenyang: At 16, Philipp lived through minus 30 winters, two-hour commutes, and forgotten Chinese in an industrial city, which tested and built his resilience.  Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/philipp-renner-brave-brand-leap 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

Jeremy Au shared lessons from Toyota’s Kaizen model, Boeing’s safety lapses, and lean startup methods. He explained why small improvements, frontline empowerment, and rapid iteration matter for both manufacturing and startups. The discussion connected MVP thinking with divergence/convergence cycles and how faster learning beats the competition. 00:46 Kaizen as Learning Flywheel: Jeremy introduces Kaizen as a cycle of building, measuring, and improving that mirrors startup learning. 01:35 Toyota’s Frontline Empowerment: He highlights how Toyota empowered workers to suggest improvements and stop production to ensure quality. 03:10 Boeing’s Safety Failures: Jeremy shows how ignoring frontline mistakes caused costly recalls and damaged Boeing’s reputation. 05:00 Rate of Learning as Edge: He explains why startups win by learning faster than rivals, compounding insights into competitive advantage. 07:15 MVP by Stages: Jeremy uses the skateboard-to-car analogy and China’s EV path to show how MVPs accelerate learning at every stage. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/kaizen-vs-boeing #Kaizen #Toyota #Boeing #LeanStartup #MVP #ContinuousImprovement #Iteration #StartupLessons #ProductDevelopment #BRAVEpodcast 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

Jeremy Au and Valerie Vu sit down in Singapore to examine how Southeast Asia’s private capital markets, Vietnam’s reforms, and regional politics are shaping investor sentiment and startup opportunities. They explore slower fundraising cycles, Vietnam’s push toward technology-driven growth, and how energy shortages and tariff shocks impact manufacturing. Their discussion also covers foreign investor trust, nuclear energy debates, and the rise of cybersecurity and AI as national priorities. 03:52 Vietnam steadies after political consolidation: New leadership pursues double-digit GDP growth, economic reforms, and technology-driven policies. 06:42 Electricity price hikes trigger crisis: EVN’s subsidy rollbacks risk $13 billion in renewable projects and damage foreign investor trust. 12:53 Nuclear energy returns to the agenda: Vietnam revives talks with Russia and Japan to build its first reactor by 2030. 20:47 Tariffs negotiated down to 20 percent: Vietnam avoided harsher 46 percent rates, keeping FDI inflows stable and competitive against India and China. 25:49 Supply chain transparency becomes critical: Firms must prove independence from China to avoid 40 percent penalties, creating opportunities for verification startups. 28:36 Startups align with government priorities: AI, cybersecurity, and data infrastructure ventures gain support through partnerships and favorable policy. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/valerie-vu-powering-vietnam 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