Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/147TDmaS0ERT97vsTDwQf6?si=ad8265642b4d4463

Youtube: https://youtu.be/8XLdOWAnULY

"Two things stood out this year. First, the continued positive momentum. Many expected growth to slow due to global economic headwinds and several high-profile issues in Southeast Asia’s digital economy, yet we still saw double-digit growth in GMV and revenue, more sectors turning profitable, and major platform players performing strongly. Competition remains intense, with constant shifts and new trends emerging, but the overall trajectory stays clearly positive. Second, the focus on AI in Southeast Asia. What stands out is the region’s strong optimism toward AI, with interest levels three times the global average and net positivity higher than any other region." - Florian Hoppe, Partner at Bain

"The headwinds came mainly from global macro trends, including trade wars and tariffs. Southeast Asia largely escaped these impacts, even though there was a moment in April and May when uncertainty was high. GDP continues to trend up, and the digital economy has held up well, with double-digit growth across all sectors we examined. While some markets saw high-profile startup failures and audit issues, these did not detract from overall momentum. Beneath the surface, competition remains intense, especially in e-commerce where platform market shares shifted significantly, but the broader direction is still clearly positive." - Florian Hoppe, Partner at Bain

"Once the infrastructure layers are built, essentially laying the rails and pavement, we see a massive boom in data center investment across the region, alongside the emergence of strong local talent. The real opportunity sits in the enabling layer, which can unlock significant new business opportunities in the digital economy over the next decade. AI will reshape and enhance existing digital sectors, but it will also open new growth in areas that were previously constrained, especially healthcare and education." - Florian Hoppe, Partner at Bain

Florian Hoppe, Partner at Bain, joins Jeremy Au to unpack insights from the Bain Southeast Asia Digital Economy Report 2025 and explain why the region’s digital economy keeps growing despite global uncertainty and negative headlines. They explore the long-term forces behind this resilience, including consumer adoption, payments and logistics infrastructure, and sustained middle-class demand. The conversation covers the expansion from ASEAN six to ASEAN ten, how regional scale really works for founders, and why competition from China and global players continues to fuel innovation. Florian also explains why AI and data centers should be seen as foundational utilities, how local AI solutions create real value in healthcare and education, and what investors, policymakers, and parents should focus on as Southeast Asia enters its next digital decade.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1pBgSYGCnUAryHvtJGuJDb?si=7b1c2ba2a2d947a2

Youtube: https://youtu.be/xTImaXI-9-g

"Startup founders have to always make a decision because they either have to persevere or pivot because they are always going through some level of crisis. Persevere means continuing what they are doing, or pivot means changing what they are doing. Founders have to iterate and find the right problem, then finally arrive at the right solution. I was talking to a startup founder and it took him 15 years to generate product-market fit. He built one company, then built another company to service his first company’s problem, and that company ended up being successful. If you look at Slack, it was built by a game developer. They started building their own messaging system, realized the messaging system was a better idea than the game, and Slack was born because they had a problem communicating effectively." - Jeremy Au, Host of BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast

"We look at Mark Zuckerberg and other founders today and see how amazing they are, and they seem like no-brainers. He is an MIT dropout, and there are incredible stories attached to that. But these are stories told looking back. The tricky part is looking forward. There are 100 MIT dropouts, and most of them are dropping out to build startups, so which one will succeed? There is a gap between who a founder is today and their ability to build a unicorn in the next 10 years. That gap is shaped by time, grit, perseverance, VC support, luck, and macro timing. All of these play a role. The real challenge is choosing one unicorn founder out of 40 top founders who are all scrambling for a VC check." - Jeremy Au, Host of BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast

"When a VC meets a startup, the question is whether it will become a unicorn in 10 years. Is there a way for it to double this year, then double again next year, and so on. I recently reviewed a company with a strong founder in the AI space. After consideration, we felt the historical growth rate was not there, and we did not believe it could accelerate fast enough. We decided to say no, even though many friends had already invested or planned to invest. It was a difficult conversation, but we could not see clear differentiation from other AI startups. VCs are ultimately looking for founders who can build a unicorn over the next 10 years." - Jeremy Au, Host of BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast

Jeremy Au breaks down how venture capitalists actually think about startups, founder selection, and long-term value creation. Drawing from real VC decisions, classroom debates, and emerging technologies, he explains why learning speed beats polish, why most “obvious” winners only look obvious in hindsight, and how founders navigate pivots, problem selection, and 10× breakthroughs. The conversation also explores how strange technologies move from science fiction to commercialization, and how VCs evaluate scale, network effects, and unit economics in practice.

WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e

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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

Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/episode/1UJxhZae3p4I8ZTjT2z1Wo?si=87d5d4b29e8344bc

Youtube:https://youtu.be/56oEw05KUSM

“I hope that AI becomes a partner to people rather than something that replaces or eliminates humans. I believe that in ten years AI will be more reliable, allowing us to trust it with many tasks. If robots become common, that is a good thing because they save time on labor like washing dishes. Today, language models still hallucinate, so we double-check their work. In the future, I hope we can rely on AI without constant verification, coexisting with it and becoming far more productive together.” - Kelvin Chan, AI researcher at Google

“One year ago, I did not expect image editing or image generation to become this good. There is always something new in this field, which is why I stay excited working in AI at Google. We do not know where the limit is, and that uncertainty drives me every day. Ironically, I have no artistic sense at all, yet I work on images. When I take photos for friends, they usually retake them because I cannot frame good shots. That became a motivation for me to work on image editing and generation, because now I can take a random photo and ask AI to adjust the angle or make it more artistic. It is genuinely useful, and it saves me from my friends’ sarcasm.” - Kelvin Chan, AI researcher at Google

“Google encourages us to use the AI tools we build because using them is the fastest way to understand what people need and what can be improved. When we build the tools and then use them ourselves, we learn how to refine them and create better models for the public. This feedback loop makes the work more effective and is what makes this an exciting moment to be working at the frontier of AI.” - Kelvin Chan, AI researcher at Google

Kelvin Chan, an AI researcher at Google, joins Jeremy Au to unpack his unconventional path from mathematics in Hong Kong to applied AI research across Singapore and the United States. They explore how AI research differs from traditional academic work, why iteration and results often matter more than theory, and how scale has transformed research culture from small experiments to highly collaborative, compute-heavy systems. The conversation covers the rapid evolution of image and video models including Google’s Nano Banana model, the push toward world modeling and embodied AI, and how AI tools are reshaping daily productivity for engineers. Kelvin also reflects on choosing AI in 2018 before it was mainstream, and why he believes the long-term future lies in AI as a trusted partner that augments human work rather than replaces it.

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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

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/00cU6wGB2utIqgcUMspb6y?si=b5decd6b2a344f3e

Youtube: https://youtu.be/4vKHENNO1so

“From an ecosystem point of view, this year we have been talking to many brand operators and retailers who are being impacted by Chinese competitors, and you should feel threatened by the ones who know how to localize. If they do not know how to localize, that is actually a good thing for local players, because if you exclude half of the population as your customers, you will eventually have problems. These are the ones you should look at and study their playbook, and if they can adapt parts of that playbook to this market, maybe you can adapt parts of that playbook as well.” - Jianggan Li, Founder of Momentum Works 

“Many F&B players in China see Southeast Asia as a natural extension for expansion for a few reasons. The region is historically linked to China in cuisine types, taste preferences, and the raw materials that can be sourced. In some cases, they can easily tap into supply chains in China, or Chinese suppliers can set up factories locally, which allows them to expand faster. When you look at Chinese F&B players setting up in Southeast Asia, many do not resemble traditional restaurants focused on cooking meals. They operate more like factories.” - Jianggan Li, Founder of Momentum Works 

“It is a big shock for many Singapore F&B retailers because there is both a business angle and a societal angle. On the business side, Chinese restaurants sell cheaper, turn tables faster, secure strong locations, and appear backed by investor capital, which makes local players feel outcompeted economically. On the social side, Singapore is a multiethnic society, and for people who are not Chinese or Chinese-speaking, the experience can be difficult. Many outlets are not halal, the menus and ordering systems are in Mandarin, and there is little localization, which makes the experience feel exclusive and closed off to racial or language minorities.” - Jeremy Au, Host of BRAVE Southeast Asia Podcast

Jianggan Li joins Jeremy Au to break down why Chinese consumer, F&B, and hardware companies are expanding so aggressively into Southeast Asia and global markets. Drawing from years of observing Chinese operators and supply chains, they explore how brutal competition inside China forces firms to look outward, why Southeast Asia becomes a natural first testing ground, and how factory-style operations reshape local markets. The conversation covers why many Chinese brands delay localization, how fast natural selection plays out among entrants, and why the most dangerous competitors are those that adapt quietly. Jianggan also explains how low interest rates, capital controls, and brand acquisitions shape expansion strategies, and what founders and investors in Southeast Asia should learn from this wave of competition.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7ssISKrDttIjleuSvyNhT0?si=0d2fb20839444681

Youtube: https://youtu.be/Wi1i4f9gGXM

"One of the headline stats we identified was that 64% of families would not be able to afford a hospital bill of 10,000 pesos without having to borrow or use an HMO or health insurance plan. Ten thousand pesos is under 200 US dollars, an extremely small amount of money, and the fact that two thirds of the population is unable to afford that was quite shocking." - Lance Katigbak, Principal at BCG Manila

"The first thing we learned is that there are six different kinds of Filipino families. When asked to define a family, most people describe two parents and two kids, but in reality this standard nuclear structure represents less than half of the Philippine population. The third and more interesting segment is multi earner families, where more than two people work and make a living. These include sandwich families made up of grandparents, parents, and kids, as well as extended families that add an uncle, cousin, or another relative." - Lance Katigbak, Principal at BCG Manila

"So we ran a survey called the Filipino Dream last year, and the top two dreams that emerged were financial security to absorb health scares and starting a business. To understand why these rank highest, it is important to note that when Filipinos talk about financial security against health risks, they are not most afraid of getting sick themselves but of a family member getting sick. When a mother or grandmother falls ill, the entire family is expected to pitch in and help pay for the hospital bill." - Lance Katigbak, Principal at BCG Manila

Lance Katigbak, Principal at BCG Manila, joins Jeremy Au to break down why Filipino households, not individuals, are the true drivers of economic decisions in the Philippines. Drawing from BCG’s large scale research on the Filipino family, they explore how family structures shape spending, saving, and borrowing behavior, and why health risk sits at the center of financial anxiety. The conversation covers multi earner and extended households, the role of informal lending, and how overseas Filipino workers remain deeply involved in family decisions from abroad. Lance also explains why most products miss the market by designing for individuals, and how companies can unlock real opportunity by building for the household instead.

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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

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5NCQJJgzmLlMR8GsP5DL9Y?si=konf4sikTYqi7oo3SjTrbA

Youtube: https://youtu.be/ARrCiTF3qcA

“The bravest moment in my life was deciding to have my twin boys during my two years of MBA and still graduating on time. I walked on stage to receive my diploma with a child in each arm, and that was the bravest thing I have done. I did this while completing a Harvard MBA and launching a search fund at the same time, which still feels mind-blowing.” - Annie Huang, Founder of Taiwan’s first traditional search fund

“There are pros and cons to it. On the plus side, when I am doing search fund work, many sellers are older gentlemen or their wives, and they are genuinely delighted to hear that I have kids because it signals seriousness and commitment. Many side conversations naturally shift to children. You cannot build trust by talking about sales or operations, but you can build trust by talking about how you play with your grandkids or what their favorite snacks are. These kid-related topics are the best icebreakers and the strongest trust builders when speaking with people across generations.” - Annie Huang, Founder of Taiwan’s first traditional search fund

“Why not? If I had the chance to go overseas to see what top talents are learning and doing and to make friends with them, I did not want to lock myself on the island. That is a common islander mindset. You go overseas because an island is an island and you need to see the world. I knew I wanted a master’s degree in business and I wanted to do it before turning 30, while I still had the energy to work hard, do late nights, and explore what I had and what I lacked. So I did it, and I was fortunate to be admitted to Harvard.” - Annie Huang, Founder of Taiwan’s first traditional search fund

Annie Huang, Harvard MBA and founder of Taiwan’s first traditional search fund, joins Jeremy Au to share how global exposure shaped her decision to return home and build in a market others overlook. She traces her journey from growing up outside Taiwan’s major cities to working across Southeast Asia, then studying at Harvard Business School before choosing entrepreneurship over a conventional prestige path. Annie explains how Taiwanese capital and talent move fluidly across China, Southeast Asia, and the US, why aging founders and overseas children have created a real SME succession crisis, and how search funds offer a practical solution. They discuss her experience fundraising from both global and local investors, what daily life looks like as a searcher speaking with founders nearing retirement, and how becoming a mother during her MBA unexpectedly strengthened trust with business owners. Their conversation explores why the biggest opportunities often sit in familiar markets, how autonomy and equity drive long-term wealth, and what it takes to build conviction while balancing family, risk, and leadership.

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

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5lBPM26poIG5TxRGH8HapT?si=5427cd0f479342ec

Youtube: https://youtu.be/8Xuc_mDtWF4

“When people know that I’m a matchmaker, they ask me, ‘I don’t understand why she’s single.’ I tell them I don’t even need to meet their friend to explain why. I say, ‘For example, you say your friend is very good. On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate her?’ If your friend is an eight, what do you think she’s looking for? At least a nine. And if the guy is a nine, what is he looking for? A ten. It’s very simple. Your friend has two options. One option is she figures out how to move herself from an eight to a ten. Or she looks around and realizes the guys who are eights are actually amazing. These guys would love to get to know her better, but she doesn’t even give them the time of day.” - Violet Lim, Co-Founder & CEO of Lunch Actually Paktor Group

“WhatsApp critique is when someone messages you, because some people haven’t dated for a long time, or they dated in a completely different era. For example, the era I dated in had no messaging. Now everything is through text, and some people are just really bad at texting. If you think about it, there are so many options now. Unlike 21 years ago, people have Bumble and Tinder, and chances are they’re talking to many different people at the same time.” - Violet Lim, Co-Founder & CEO of Lunch Actually Paktor Group

“There are so many love scams. The reason love scams work is because the scammers, even though they are bad people, fulfill a certain need that people have. In a way, isn’t it better if people are not scammed but their needs are fulfilled through AI? Obviously, I don’t think this is the most ideal situation, and I’m still trying to focus on the solution I’m trying to roll out.” - Violet Lim, Co-Founder & CEO of Lunch Actually Paktor Group

Violet Lim, Co-Founder & CEO of Lunch Actually Paktor Group, and Jeremy Au explore how dating, expectations, and technology have evolved across Southeast Asia over the past two decades. Violet traces her path from studying law in the UK to banking in Singapore, before leaving a stable career at 24 to start Lunch Actually, now one of Asia’s longest-running matchmaking groups. They discuss the early stigma around dating services, why lunch dating worked as a low-pressure solution for busy professionals, and the realities of expanding across markets like Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Their conversation digs into why some people find partners quickly while others repeat the same patterns, how coaching closes gaps in mindset and behavior, and why surface-level filters often block long-term compatibility. They also examine how dating apps reshaped expectations, how Gen Z, millennials, and Gen X approach dating differently, and how AI companionship is beginning to challenge traditional ideas of intimacy, loneliness, and commitment.

WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e

TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau

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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

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3WKIO3O1Nh25POw6X8wYf7?si=c8e8ae34bf6e484a

Youtube: https://youtu.be/hv0pPhc1lQE

"I'm really excited to introduce this concept to Singapore as an immersive outdoor festival. It is an outdoor event rooted in historical elements, typically from the English Renaissance. You will see people dressed as Queen Elizabeth or Shakespeare, alongside buskers playing period-appropriate instruments like the violin and harp. In recent years, Renaissance fairs have become more fantasy-focused, with people dressing as wizards, fairies, goblins, and rats. These fairs are usually held outdoors, with the most elaborate and established versions found in the United States." - Caylee Chua, Founder of Strawberry Champagne Sparkles

"Compared to other Renaissance Faires, our branding leans more toward fairytale because we wanted something more intuitive and closer to medieval fantasy. The obvious references are Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, but those worlds are very dark, with a lot of death and violence. I tried to think of something adjacent that everyone in Singapore would understand. Many kids grew up with American and Western fairytales like Disney, which also makes the experience more family-friendly." - Caylee Chua, Founder of Strawberry Champagne Sparkles

"I was lucky with my strategy because I started my socials around April or May and used them as a landing page to build an early audience. I did not post on Instagram until August 3rd, and I made that launch a big moment. For the first few posts, every time I published something, I also sent an email asking people to reshare the content. That helped a lot. The early posts got many views because the initial audience really pushed them out, and that momentum helped us unlock more opportunities." - Caylee Chua, Founder of Strawberry Champagne Sparkles

Caylee Chua, multidisciplinary artist and founder of Strawberry Champagne Sparkles, joins Jeremy Au to share how she built Ren Faire SG: The Origin from a niche idea into Singapore’s first Renaissance Fair. She traces her journey from crafting fairycore jewelry to designing an immersive festival that blends artistry, performance, and community play. Caylee explains how early inspiration from overseas fairs sparked her vision, how months of quiet TikTok posts built the first wave of support, and how strict venue rules forced her to redesign logistics with precision. They discuss why Singaporeans crave spaces for imagination, how grassroots creativity grows when subcultures meet, and why young founders can move fast even without industry backing. Their conversation explores the mix of cosplay, crafts, DnD, book culture, and youth communities that shaped the fair, the emotional work behind cold outreach and rejections, and the courage required to keep building when early metrics stay small. 

WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e

TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau

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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

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ixzddQGt1W0MjzhwounqB?si=fb5d6025ceb44340

Youtube: https://youtu.be/bMfI6vw0wU0

“I went to the interview, it was partly in Spanish, my Spanish was terrible, and we still cobbled the interview together. Three days later he called and said, ‘I’ve got some good news and some bad news.’ I asked what the bad news was, and he said I didn’t get the teaching job. I asked what the good news was, and he said they were giving me the center manager role and that I needed to fly to Barcelona the next Monday for two weeks of training at the company’s headquarters. I thought, ‘Oh man, let’s do it.’” - Paul Blackstone, Founder of SummitLearn

"China was thriving at that time, and that was the rocket ship. It became an amazing opportunity to learn from a leadership perspective while scaling a business from something relatively small. It was a boiling pot of problems and challenges, but sometimes you have to take those opportunities. You’re going to get punched in the face, things will go wrong, there will always be something, but if you see growth and believe you can learn from it, you hang on because you don’t know where it will take you." - Paul Blackstone, Founder of SummitLearn

"To be an entrepreneur and create something new takes incredible courage and bravery. Anytime you step off and take that entrepreneurial journey, especially when you know it will take three times longer, cost three times as much, and be ten times more painful than you remember, that is brave. From the outside it looks easy, but on the inside you don’t know where the money is coming from to pay salaries that month. To be an entrepreneur and build something from zero demands real courage and bravery." - Paul Blackstone, Founder of SummitLearn

Paul Blackstone, longtime education operator and founder of SummitLearn, joins Jeremy Au to unpack his path from running a small health-food shop in Australia to leading one of China’s largest English-learning organizations and advising education companies worldwide. He shares how early failures taught him to learn fast, why teaching adults unlocked his passion for human development, and how China’s boom years shaped his leadership approach. They discuss how culture and discipline drive scale more than perfect products, why schools struggle to build creativity and mindset, and how parents can raise independent kids in an AI-first world. Their conversation explores the tension between academic metrics and behavioral growth, the power of founder-led culture in scaling teams, and why entrepreneurship can thrive both inside companies and in startup life. Paul also reflects on world-schooling his children, building Curio to fill classroom gaps, and why resilient learners will define the next generation.

Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions atwww.bravesea.com

WhatsApp:https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e

TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau

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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

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5n6EUBRs1erxuBoTPxW3ej?si=979f179e32424152

Youtube: https://youtu.be/6txIaL28z2s

"New directions are coming from Gen Z as they believe in entrepreneurship more than having a normal job, which can be a good thing because they want to create new ideas and solve real problems that customers genuinely need. They will likely facilitate the rise of more entrepreneurs, but they should stay aware and focus on solving real problems in their market and ensure the solution can scale to enough customers to succeed."

"Teaching is an important topic because Gen Z is very advanced; my son uses tablets and digital tools better than me, while his teacher is not matching his level. Tablets, digital tools and current teaching methodology still feel old, and teachers need to be updated and aware of new ways of teaching, including how to conduct effective remote teaching and present information in a better way that matches this new generation."

"Regulations are starting to promote startups and include them in the GDP, with laws changing to better fit the needs of new companies. Other countries like Saudi Arabia have an entrepreneurial license that reduces the cost of establishment and jobs in the first three years, and the Emirates, UAE and Qatar offer similar support. The atmosphere in the Middle East is helping and supporting startups to begin their work, and there are good grants and funding opportunities available."

Maged Harby, General Partner at VMS, joins Jeremy Au to share his journey from publishing to building one of the Middle East’s earliest EdTech venture programs, explain how Egypt and Saudi Arabia differ as innovation ecosystems, and guide founders on how to enter the region with cultural fit and strong partnerships. They discuss how EdTech adoption accelerated during COVID, why parents still steer children toward traditional fields, and how Gen Z is shifting toward entrepreneurship. Their conversation explores the contrast between Egypt’s talent depth and Saudi Arabia’s purchasing power, the need for localization in pricing and UX, and why Middle Eastern markets must be treated as distinct rather than homogeneous. Maged also outlines what he hopes to see next in personalized learning and why teacher training remains the region’s biggest unlock.

Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions atwww.bravesea.com

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English:Spotify |YouTube |Apple Podcasts

Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts

Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts

Vietnamese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1vyYY6H8ktMPuNezhYbqq9?si=Ylw79Y9STtuiMONgy_hG0A

Youtube: https://youtu.be/T2i9EBPiyic

"Screen time is inevitable because many digital materials have real learning value, and I see Stick'Em as a way for kids to step away from screens. Kids used to go to the playground or void deck to play, but now they choose online games like Fortnite with friends. If we show them that building is fun, robots are fun, and hands-on learning is fun, we can shift them away from being fully digital." - Chong Ing Kai, Founder and CEO of Stick’Em

"We were fresh out of secondary school with useful skills and decided to solve the problem ourselves, so I gathered my friends and we sketched an idea to make something like LEGO robotics but ten times cheaper. It would help kids be more creative than simply building a fixed LEGO creation, and we wanted to work with schools. Five years ago, we built a prototype within a few weeks using our school’s makerspace, spending about 100 USD of our own money. We tested it with our parents’ friends’ kids, spoke to teachers we knew, and slowly grew the idea through continuous testing." - Chong Ing Kai, Founder and CEO of Stick’Em

"Honestly we did not think we were going to win; the Hult Prize was simply a chance to get exposure to great mentors and spend a month in London meeting world-class teams in the social impact space. We planned to refine our pitch, learn as much as possible, and out of 15,000 teams we entered the accelerator with around twenty others, then made it to semifinals, finals, and the final eight, where we realized we might actually have a chance. It became a matter of showing the judges that even though the idea is simple and easy to understand, a million dollars could truly scale our impact." - Chong Ing Kai, Founder and CEO of Stick’Em

Chong Ing Kai Founder and CEO of Stick’Em joins Jeremy Au to unpack how tinkering shaped his early years, how ADHD influenced his learning journey, and why he built a chopstick robotics kit to make STEAM education affordable for all. They explore how schools struggle with hands-on learning, why teachers need flexible tools rather than rigid kits, and how students learn better when they build instead of follow instructions. Their discussion covers the rise of open-ended tinkering, the pitfalls of screen-first childhoods, and the structural challenges of selling innovation into schools. Kai also shares how Stick’Em grew from a hundred-dollar prototype to a company used by thousands of students and how winning the Hult Prize at 22 changed his plans for global expansion.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0GrgShMUAE2zeETQ11k3vf?si=9ea8fd6d823b4346

Youtube: https://youtu.be/BBnqH3SE3e4

"Education is expensive, and in emerging markets many students have limited options; the crypto and DeFi markets offer a single global liquidity pool that lets anyone place capital into one source that can be distributed to underserved places like the Philippines for student loan financing, and real loans have already been originated to fund students in the Philippines and Indonesia with plans to continue scaling." - Shan Han, Portfolio Manager at Animoca Brands

"Fundamentally all on-chain capital is seeking yield and we're bringing a high-quality yield that exists in the real world that's hard to access but we're bringing it on chain and making it investible for people; that is one of the key things we're doing here, and importantly we're simplifying access to it because if you think about it an investor in London who wants to invest in student loans in Vietnam faces multiple steps and might have to put money into a fund that goes into another fund that then gets distributed through probably five intermediaries before the capital reaches the borrower, and at each step there is structural inefficiency and additional cost, so that is the simplification piece on chain." - Shan Han, Portfolio Manager at Animoca Brands

"But what's also exciting is that with blockchain technology you can do meaningful things, such as creating alternative credit by using data points that students already have; in Web2 this raised privacy concerns, but with zero-knowledge proof technology you can take that data, create a ZK-proof, and build new alternative credit scoring models for students who would not otherwise have one, bringing ancillary benefits that are driven by capital and supported by the technology." - Shan Han, Portfolio Manager at Animoca Brands

Portfolio Manager at Animoca Brands and former Chief Investment Officer at Node Capital, Shan Han joins Jeremy Au to trace his path from Hong Kong trading to fintech and Web3, discuss how early crypto grew from ideology, and explain why tokenizing assets like student loans can unlock education across Southeast Asia. They explore how customer urgency validates real problems, how global liquidity reshapes emerging markets, and how regulation and permissioned systems will define the future of crypto. Shan also reflects on leaving hedge funds to build companies that solve urgent needs.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/61R81hDG5zgeJPHvsn4l4k?si=152b8a02d323476a

Youtube: https://youtu.be/6bsWJ4GP8QU

"America looked at China as Russia with communist leadership and a weak, fragile economic engine, assuming China was politically communist and economically the same. The Chinese economy is actually a hybrid system with a communist structure on top and a strong capitalist engine underneath that drives production, innovation, and competition. That bottom engine responds quickly to tariffs, policy changes, and the closing of the de minimis loophole, revealing far more flexibility than many expected." - Jeremy Au, Host of BRAVE Southeast Asia Podcast

"Media outlets naturally focus on stories that attract attention and clicks, making nuanced views hard to deliver, and if I'm running a media outlet and driven by KPIs, I will write something sensational that gets more clicks, forwards, likes, and comments compared to a balanced analysis." - Jianggan Li, Founder of Momentum Works 

"NVIDIA said that if the US prevents them from selling top-end chips to China, China will develop its own, and that narrative resonated with some people in the administration, leading to late-year moves to relax certain rules. From both a narrative and prediction perspective, it is worth thinking beyond headlines by mapping the players, the scenario, and how each actor’s moves could shift the landscape, and if you do not want to run that analysis in your own mind, you can run it with ChatGPT, which handles this kind of strategic game modeling well." - Jianggan Li, Founder of Momentum Works 

China analyst and Momentum Works founder Jianggan joins Jeremy Au to break down how US–China tensions evolved through a year of tariffs, rare earth leverage, supply chain shocks, and fast-moving geopolitical swings. They examine why both sides misread each other, how Chinese companies adapted faster than expected, and why the global system settled into a tactical pause instead of a decisive split. Their discussion shows how on-the-ground China differs from Western narratives, how product iteration and factory conditions changed under competitive pressure, and why neither side can force a quick victory. Jianggan also shares insights from thirteen trips across China as he tracks e-commerce exporters, shifting macro sentiment, and the emerging negotiation patterns that shape 2026.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/17VbPPcalOQ1LbrGnBo2Zp?si=a63b190f539e4069

Youtube: https://youtu.be/CqdLklyyquY

"the crux of the issue is that there's a fundamental underreporting of this shift I have traveled the Middle East over the past five years and the magnitude is not obvious western media focuses on the West Middle East dynamic and on China West tensions but there is systematic underreporting about the relationship between the Middle East and China which remains a neglected topic" - Kristie Neo, VC & Startup Journalist

"Saudi Arabia was historically the most isolationist and insular of the Arabic states but that shifted when MBS entered the picture in 2018 and pushed to open the kingdom by inviting foreign investors to help develop the economy build and invest and within just five to seven years he rolled out large economic reforms under the Saudi 2040 vision and as Chinese companies look for growth beyond the US they turn to other markets after Southeast Asia and India pushed them out which makes the Gulf one of the last frontiers for expansion." - Kristie Neo, VC & Startup Journalist

"the China Gulf corridor is the one everyone talks about because it involves China and Saudi Arabia but there are many more corridors emerging and 2026 will bring even more attention to the Gulf Africa corridor and it is surprising to now discuss Southeast Asia and Latin America which barely had any ties until comparisons like the fintech ecosystems began these cross border exchanges and talent flows are only in their early stages and much more is coming in the years ahead" - Kristie Neo, VC & Startup Journalist

Jeremy Au and Kristie Neo break down how China, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia are forming new economic corridors that reshape trade, capital movement, and technology strategy. They describe how China and the Gulf now work together at a scale that surpasses Gulf–West flows, how the UAE and Saudi Arabia use bold planning to diversify their economies, and why Western reporting still misses the magnitude of this shift. They examine how Chinese overcapacity fuels Middle Eastern mega projects, how sovereign funds on both sides deepen cross investment, and how AI, data centers, and energy abundance position the Gulf as a future compute hub. Kristie also outlines the gap between vision and execution in projects like NEOM, while Jeremy reflects on how these moves echo earlier global cycles.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1EhNP2nnxuMt4AzxJ5bW1c?si=cd7a8270a4bb45e8

Youtube: https://youtu.be/KpVMgqzDq0Q

"Many people use ChatGPT for marketing because instead of hiring someone for 60,000 dollars a year, they can pay 600 dollars a year for AI that delivers equivalent quality, creating a 100x cost difference as companies choose AI SaaS over hiring a fresh graduate for marketing." - Jeremy Au, Host of BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast

"Starlink customers grew sharply from 2020 to 2024 because many regions still lack good internet, making Starlink a 10x better product with stronger speed, reliability, and access, and this improvement in coverage and quality raises the possibility that users may eventually choose Starlink over local telcos like SingTel or M1 since paying the same subscription price could provide global roaming anywhere once enough satellites are deployed, which is why traditional telcos are increasingly concerned about this shift in how people may choose their future phone access." - Jeremy Au, Host of BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast

"Airbnb created more value than Uber and Lyft for every dollar raised because as a sharing economy platform the more people who use Airbnb the more apartments become available and the more people continue to use it, which makes the company far more capital efficient by generating roughly a 10x return relative to the funding it raised compared to Uber and Lyft which produced only about 2 to 3x, and although Uber is larger with more funding and Lyft is smaller with lower market share and valuation, Airbnb stands out for creating significantly more value for each dollar invested." - Jeremy Au, Host of BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast

Jeremy Au outlines why founders must choose a single 10x advantage and commit to it. He explains how products win by being better or faster or cheaper than the status quo and why unfair advantages are required to defend that lead. He also highlights the Southeast Asian invention of the USB thumb drive as a case where a first mover delivered a better experience but still lost when fast followers and scale overtook them.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6RhSZ8erXlbXjqjEYXRgEC?si=f1dc628dd7ec408d

Youtube: https://youtu.be/GsZtFoNJRM8

"we initially had these insights of what people want but then we dig deeper into the fundamental drive of customers' behavior it took me almost three years to actually articulate it at this level here’s what it is and put it into a framework there is a price tag that any business is willing to pay to get you to engage with them they pay different things for different actions they pay you to look at their TikTok that’s one price if you try their product there’s another price if you buy their product there’s another price if you become a long-term customer or partner that’s another price everything has a price tag and companies like Facebook or Google built strong engines to figure out what that price tag is and effectively monetize it for themselves" - Joe Lu, Co-Founder of HeyMax

"what I am predicting and this is my very convicted view of the future is that consumers will increasingly be universally smart and savvy because it will cost almost nothing to be smart and savvy miles and rewards will be done automatically and the trade-off disappears so more people become universally savvy which means consumers will win and feel entitled to get all their own value into their own wallet in the cheapest and easiest format possible and that is what HeyMax is" - Joe Lu, Co-Founder of HeyMax

"why does the consumer have to start with a loss that is the fundamental question what if I figure out a way to let you tell me what you care about and what segment matters to you then I upsize the rewards for you this becomes a redesigned consumer rewards model truly a consumer first product instead of rewards being business products disguised as consumer offerings created to retain customers or increase loyalty or AOV the real consumer rewards ecosystem should start by asking what do you want as a reward" - Joe Lu, Co-Founder of HeyMax

Joe Lu, Co-Founder of HeyMax, joins Jeremy Au to unpack how layoffs, timing, and conviction turned a setback into a startup opportunity. They trace Joe’s journey from Shanghai to Michigan to Facebook Singapore, and how getting laid off in 2022 pushed him to co-found HeyMax. The conversation explores his reflections on building a consumer-first fintech, understanding mindshare arbitrage, and predicting how AI will reshape loyalty and value distribution between businesses and consumers. Joe also shares how fatherhood, risk-taking, and curiosity shaped his path as a founder.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2DFU4PQUDRtoBTLvcXbLV8?si=87d274dc286a407d

Youtube: https://youtu.be/qvNwTDgNcKw

" I was in a meeting with other bankers and we were notified that Microsoft Copilot had been switched on to take meeting minutes. All of us senior executives laughed and said it made our lives easier, but it made the lives of junior finance staff harder because that used to be their job. The banker beside me said it’s interesting because now our associates have to work a lot harder since they can’t rely on minutes-taking as a core responsibility. It’s an important dynamic to consider because it automates the work while reducing the man-hours needed for many entry-level jobs. " - Jeremy Au, Host of BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast

" We always talk about a time machine, right? Can I travel 20 years in time? For someone from the Philippines, the average Filipino traveling to Singapore would feel like jumping 45 years into the future. The difference between 1980 and 2025 is about 45 years of progress in infrastructure, education, and entertainment. It’s a 45-year leap in development. We’re not saying whether it’s good or bad, but we should acknowledge this as the power of technology and economic growth. These time machines exist even between neighboring countries in Southeast Asia or broader Asia, showing 45, 50, 20, or 10-year gaps in development. That’s important for us to think about. " - Jeremy Au, Host of BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast

" Every generation today experiences massive change, some might even call it acceleration. Over the last three generations, from Gen X to Millennials to Gen Z, we’ve seen how each era had its own defining gadget — from the Walkman that let people listen to music on the go, to Nokia phones that allowed SMS messaging, to today’s Apple and Android devices. The question is what comes next for the next generation. I have a three-year-old and a five-year-old, and in twenty years, they will be reporting to you. What technology wave will they encounter? It’s something worth thinking about. " - Jeremy Au, Host of BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast


Jeremy Au explores how technology, economics, and startups shape Southeast Asia’s future. He shares why young founders should take early risks, how AI is changing entry-level jobs, why GDP growth reflects centuries of human progress, and how unicorns are built across different customer and revenue models.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4stbjZ8GXzHEywvCy9lfVG?si=9f0f40b3504a4e2a

Youtube: https://youtu.be/0YHvg7SZxy4

AVP of Investments at ACVLarry Susanto and Jeremy Au discuss Larry’s journey from a Berkeley-trained engineer to a climate-tech investor shaping Indonesia’s sustainability future. They trace how his career evolved across research, product management, and consulting, and how Southeast Asia’s climate ecosystem compares to Silicon Valley’s innovation-driven model. Their conversation explores Indonesia’s renewable potential, capital gaps, and the role of government policy in turning natural resources into long-term value creation. Larry also shares how courage, learning agility, and purpose guided each of his career leaps across industries and continents.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/30BQ8qSNlXceQIFGxb0WAD?si=ce7b112c99ff460b

Youtube: https://youtu.be/Uv8LYTd7qaI

"At an event for the Management Association of the Philippines, the Singaporean ambassador gave a 15-minute speech about the strong relationship between Singapore and the Philippines. Her final paragraph encouraged everyone to do more business in Singapore, and she ended by saying, 'In the time it took me to give this speech, you could have registered a business in Singapore.' It was mind-blowing because, in the Philippines, our study with portfolio companies showed that simply registering a business can take up to 45 days—45 days where businesses can go to die." - Franco Varona, Managing Partner of Foxmont Capital Partners

"Everybody keeps asking, 'When is AI going to kill this?' but it hasn’t happened yet. What we’re seeing instead are many efforts to upskill workers using AI within the BPO sector. Nothing has fully replaced voice, and I think that’s because of empathy. Filipinos make phone calls to credit card holders in the US and to people whose flights are canceled in places like the US and Australia. How many times do people press one just to reach a human voice? It happens all the time, especially when your flight is canceled at an airport."  - Franco Varona, Managing Partner of Foxmont Capital Partners

"Foxmont likes to invest in Filipino solutions to Filipino problems, which is a simple way of saying this country has many challenges. We complain about it every day, and anyone arriving at the airport and taking a Grab ride will have their share of complaints. But that also means there’s plenty of opportunity—many services and products still need to be built. If you’re a regional startup that hits the right price point and solves a problem no one has tackled before, there’s huge potential to be the winner in this country." - Franco Varona, Managing Partner of Foxmont Capital Partners

Franco Varona, Managing Partner of Foxmont Capital Partners and returning guest from episodes 357 and 516, joins Jeremy Au to unpack why the Philippines is fast becoming Southeast Asia’s next big investment and startup hub. They explore the country’s rapid digitization, growing middle class, and unique strengths like its global diaspora and English fluency. The conversation covers how Foxmont’s latest fund is backing local solutions to Filipino problems, the rise of accessible health and wellness ventures, and the government’s evolving role in supporting innovation. Franco also shares why first movers can dominate the Philippine market and how solving for price and accessibility unlocks massive opportunity.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5UOTK8yw1MLTYNVUzuFg0k?si=821585679adb44ab

Youtube: https://youtu.be/EX95v1eaHWw

Shao Ning, Cofounder of AngelCentral and returning guest from Episode 267, joins Jeremy Au to reflect on Southeast Asia’s startup evolution from the fundraising highs of 2021–2023 to today’s disciplined recalibration. They unpack how founders, investors, and angels are adapting to longer fundraising cycles, stricter due diligence, and a renewed focus on cashflow and execution. Shao Ning shares lessons from building AngelCentral, how she balances investing and family life, and what she tells her four sons about navigating an AI-driven future. Their conversation spans shifting market dynamics, founder accountability, and why sustainable growth now matters more than rapid expansion.