• Build Southeast Asia's Future Together

    Learn from the best. No B.S. #1 regional startup podcast with 60,000+ listeners. Global top 10% podcast. Community, resources and coaching for founders, investors and tech operators.

     

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  • What We Do

     

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    Hosted By Jeremy Au

    VC & serial founder (1x sale, 1x bootstrapped). Harvard MBA & UC Berkeley. Adjunct university lecturer on entrepreneurship. Angel investor in 24 startups. Former Bain consultant. Forbes 30 Under 30. Sci-fi nerd & dad of two daughters. The best feeling is coaching good humans to be great leaders.

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    Covering Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand & Beyond

    Co-hosts: Shiyan Koh (Managing Partner, Hustle Fund), Gita Sjahrir (Head of Investments, BNI Ventures), Valerie Vu (Founding Partner, Ansible Ventures), Wing Vasiksiri (General Partner, WV) and Nir Eyal (WSJ Bestselling Author)

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    Every Monday, Wednesday & Friday

    Monday: Weekly regional tech news with thought leaders. Wednesday: Changemaker interviews. Friday: Bite-sized insights and Q&As. Videos with transcripts released at 6am (Singapore Time) in English, Bahasa Indonesia and Mandarin.

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  • Episode Library

    Transcribed, highlighted and hyperlinked. Search by keyword or (desktop only) topics, roles, geography, gender & episode number

        Gita Sjahrir, Head of Investment at BNI Ventures, and Jeremy Au discussed: 1. Trump 2028 Tariffs: With Trump’s return to the presidency and Republican dominance in the Senate, House, and Supreme Court, the stage is set for new tariffs on Chinese imports. This is likely to redirect...
      Shiyan Koh, Managing Partner of  Hustle Fund, and ​​Jeremy Au discussed: 1. Trump Win vs. Southeast Asia Trade: Trump’s 2024 landslide election victory across the White House, Senate and House of Representatives, will reshape Southeast Asia’s economic landscape. His proposed “global 10%...
      Charles Ormiston, Founding Partner of Bain Southeast Asia, and Jeremy Au discussed: 1. Founding Bain Southeast Asia: Charles established Bain's office in Singapore, which initially faced major skepticism from Bain’s leadership who favored Hong Kong as the regional hub. Believing Singapore’s...
      Jeremy Au and Adriel Yong discussed whether Southeast Asian founders should move to Silicon Valley, and why "sea turtle" professionals are returning from America (and China) to Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam. San Francisco and New York are global tech talent vortexes, where non-American...
        Adrian Tan, Author of “No More Bosses” & Chief Marketing Strategist at Marketing Sumo, and Jeremy Au discussed: 1. Laid-Off To HR Founder: Adrian’s career in HR began as he navigated the volatile job market of the early 2000s. After layoffs from tech companies during the dotcom bubble...
      Gita Sjahrir, Head of Investment at BNI Ventures, and Jeremy Au discussed: 1. 109 Member 48 Ministry Cabinet Coalition: With the inauguration on October 20, 2024, President Prabowo Subianto expanded the cabinet from 34 to 48 ministries, the largest since 1966. Prabowo's coalition-building...
      Jeremy Au explored the evolution of technology marketing and how marketers have adapted to communicate complex innovations effectively. He began by referencing sci-fi writer Arthur C. Clarke’s 1974 “crazy” prediction about how their room-sized computers would eventually shrink to the size of...
      Tina Amper, Strategic Director of Geeks on a Beach, and Jeremy Au discussed: 1. Burnout to Community Leader: Tina shared her experience of migrating from the Philippines with an engineering degree from the University of San Carlo to California’s booming tech industry in the 1990s. She...
      Shiyan Koh, Managing Partner of Hustle Fund, and ​​Jeremy Au discussed: 1. Singapore Vetoes Allianz $4.4B Insurer Acquisition: They discussed the Singapore government’s veto of the NTUC Income and Allianz merger, primarily over concerns of an undisclosed plan for $2B capital withdrawal...
      Jeremy Au breaks down the "David vs. Goliath" dynamics of startups challenging industry giants. Startups face unique marketing challenges but can thrive by focusing on experimentation and innovation, creating entirely new market categories. Just like the rise of oat milk and nicotine vapes,...
      Michael Chua, Award-Winning Actor, and Jeremy Au discussed: 1. Consultant to Award-Winning Actor at Age 50: Michael had a a long and successful career as a technology consultant traveling across Europe. At the age of 50, he was talent-scouted through a Facebook photo to become an actor. His...
      Jianggan Li, Founder & CEO of Momentum Works, and Jeremy Au discussed: 1. US$1.1 Trillion Monetary Stimulus: Jianggan and Jeremy examined China’s recent monetary measures (equivalent to 6% of nominal GDP) boosting consumer confidence and stabilizing the housing and stock markets. The...
      Jeremy Au defined startups as newly established businesses bringing future technologies to the present, with unicorns being those valued at over $1 billion. These valuations are typically driven by revenue generation of around $100 million annually and market confidence in future...
      Johann Wah, President & Cofounder of Nika.eco, and Jeremy Au discussed: 1. Student Founder Beginnings: While attending Yale-NUS, Johann founded a sustainable apparel company to pay for his university expenses and dates with his now-wife. The business started gaining traction after a Straits...
      Wing Vasiksiri, General Partner & Founder of WV Fund, and Jeremy Au discussed: 1. Founder Failure Stigma: They compared how failure is perceived by founders and society in Southeast Asia versus the US, focusing on Thailand and Singapore. In Thailand, failure carries a strong stigma, making...
      Jeremy Au moderated a panel of venture capitalists to unpack the key trends shaping APAC’s investment landscape. Nruthya Madappa emphasized India's rapid recovery in early-stage VC, driven by second and third-time founders and $600 million deployed across 80+ companies at 3one4 Capital. She...
        Borko Kovacevic, Cofounder of Poddster, and Jeremy Au discussed: 1. Serbia Childhood to Singapore: Borko reflected on his childhood in Serbia during the 1980s and 1990s, witnessing both Yugoslavia's prosperity and the hardships of the Bosnian and Kosovo wars. Economic instability and...
      Gita Sjahrir, Head of Investment at BNI Ventures, and Jeremy Au discussed: 1. Pope Visit: They reflect on Pope Francis’ recent visit to Indonesia, emphasizing its significance as a beacon of positive media influence. The visit was part of a broader Asia Pacific tour and marked the first...
        Valerie Vu, Founding Partner of Ansible Ventures, and Jeremy Au discussed: 1. $3.3B Super Typhoon Disaster: Super Typhoon Yagi caused over $3.3 billion in damage and resulted in more than 300 deaths in northern Vietnam. The typhoon was one of the worst in 30 years, which significantly...
        Audra Pakalnyte, Partner at First Move, and Jeremy Au discussed: 1. Lithuania To Malaysia: Growing up as the youngest of three daughters, Audra's childhood was shaped by Lithuania's national post-Soviet transformation. Her parents' dinner table conversations about multiple...
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