Navigating the Pitfalls of being an Aspiring Entrepreneur in China with Mike Burns, Founding Partner of Asia Growth Solutions and Executive Coach

Final call for signing up for Chinaccelerator 20 Demo Day Nov 24 on Eventbrite. We will soon be back with the brand-new season. 

Today, ASP selected the special episode that Oscar Ramos sat down with venture capitalist and fintech investor Wei Hopeman. After beginning her career in financial services and investment banking, Wei co-founded Arbor Ventures in 2013, the first VC fund specialized in fintech in the Asian ecosystem. She talks to us about the growth of fintech, the benefits of corporate VCs, and how founders and corporate VCs can improve their interactions with each other.

Show notes:
1:28 Intro 

2:07 How Wei got into financial services 

5:46 Going into investment banking 

7:30 The growth of fintech in Asia 

9:32 The lack of infrastructure in financial services 

12:18 Launching fintech in China 

15:18 Benefits of corporate VCs 

17:08 Key questions a founder should ask corporate VCs 

18:31 Key difference between types of VCs 

21:02 Educating corporates in working with startups 

23:17 Women in VC 

30:16 The future of Arbor Ventures

thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, guest Wei Hopeman, editor David and Geep, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website at Chinaccelerator Website

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Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com

Sign up for Chinaccelerator 20 Demo Day Nov 24 at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chinaccelerator-demo-day-20-livestream-20-tickets-188035859317?aff=podcast

In this episode, we talk about Peng’s journey as an investor and how he perceives the great potential in Southeast Asia. More importantly, he summarizes a very important trend in SEA’s startup ecosystem, "Technification". We also talk about the impact that China's Internet giants have on SEA through investments and M&A.

Show Notes:

2:26 Peng’s journey as an investor
3:54 Main differences btw seed round and Series A
9:47 More capital investment in SEA
10:52 The most interesting trend in SEA
11:28 “Technification” in China
12:36 The opportunities of “technification” in SEA
15:05 “There is no way for a company to grow that fast without technology”
18:03 The core DNA of a successful founding team
19:26 China’s role in SEA’s service industry
22:58 The role of Chinese and Japanese corporate venture capital in SEA
26:56 The infrastructure development in SEA
28:57 A hard push on deep technology in SEA?

Many thanks to our guest Peng T.Ong; host Oscar Ramos; producers  Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

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In today’s episode, we talk with Sanjay Nath, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Blume Ventures, one of India’s leading early-stage venture funds. Sanjay also represents Blume on the boards of Arka Venture Labs and the Draper Venture Network. Blume focuses on Seed to Pre-Series A stages of funding and has made over 100 investments across its 10-year history across multiple funds. Sanjay has invested in and advises a wide portfolio of startups including GreyOrange Robotics, Dataweave, Locus, Tricog, LBB, Lulu, Lambdatest, TapChief (acquired by Unacademy), Nektar.ai, and Obviously.ai amongst others.

What is the trajectory for Indian startups expanding abroad? How do they start in India and move to the US and SEA? How can startups build and sell remotely and operate in a virtual world? What are the repercussions of localization when internationalization? Sanjay, as an active investor in the space, brings his experience in answering all these questions and more!

Sign up for Chinaccelerator 20 Demo Day Nov 24 at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chinaccelerator-demo-day-20-livestream-20-tickets-188035859317?aff=podcast

Show Notes

02:10 Introduction to Sanjay Nath
02:55 Sanjay’s transition from consulting to VC
07:41 The trend of Indian startups expanding overseas
11:20 Overcoming the barriers of  cross-border expansion
16:38 How Blume VC supports startups with their expertise and best practices
24:10 Localisation vs Internationalisation from Day 1
28:22 Popular revenue models among Indian startups
31:04 The second-order effect of Covid19 on cross-border expansion
38:22 Opportunities for Indian SaaS companies in China
41:05 Leveraging diaspora and ecosystems to expand to the US and Europe
45:17 Sanjay’s final thoughts 

Many thanks to our guests  Sanjay Nath; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David Xu; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

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In this episode, we go deep into marketplaces  with James Tan, Managing Partner at Quest Ventures. James  was co-founder and COO of 55tuan, a NASDAQ listed e-commerce group that grew to more than 200 cities and 5,000 employees across China. 

Sign up for Chinaccelerator 20 Demo Day Nov 24 at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chinaccelerator-demo-day-20-livestream-20-tickets-188035859317?aff=podcast

Show notes:

2:43 - Introduction to James Tan
4:21 -  Transition from startup founder to venture capitalist
6:06 - Introduction to Quest Ventures
7:20 -  Most rewarding achievements of running a marketplace
9:37 -  Why James is excited about marketplaces
12:23 -  The advantages of a marketplace over a B2C company
15:41 -  How to manage and control your marketplace
17:55 -  The most innovative marketplace models that James has seen
20:28 - Is a marketplace in Southeast Asia a regional business?
23:21 -  The right time for marketplaces to internationalise
25:53 -  How should companies localise in Indonesia?
31:31 - Where should Indonesian companies internationalise to
34:13  - When should companies reconsider expansion
35:13  - How to innovate the marketplace revenue model?
40:11  - Does “marketplace” have a higher valuation multiple compared to e-commerce?

Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse
To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation.
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Many thanks to our guest  James Tan; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David Xu; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

Having accomplished his goal of transforming the gaming industry, Johnson Yeh is now turning his attention to his long-time passion: circular economy and sustainability. He founded ROEHL to provide consumers with a more sustainable and convenient lifestyle, starting with a subscription-based home appliance service.

Johnson recently sat down with Oscar Ramos in our Shanghai recording studio. Listen for their discussion on:

• Why Johnson left his job at the summit of the gaming industry to pursue this mission
• What we can do in a world of planned obsolescence
• Economic benefits to a circular economy
• How ROEHL is speeding up the rate of green-tech adoption, starting with air-purifying products
• China’s leading position in green technology
• The most exciting opportunities for new companies in the sector

About the speaker:

Johnson Yeh is the founder and CEO of ROEHL, the world’s first Lifestyle-as-a-Service (L.a.a.S) company. Before founding ROEHL in 2019, Johnson led Riot Games in China, Southeast Asia, and Japan. Under his leadership, LPL and e-sport went through a formidable transformation, becoming China's biggest spectator sport, with viewing numbers increasing by 15 times in 5 years. In 2019, the total number of hours watched reached 4 billion in China alone, surpassing CSL, NBA, and other traditional sporting events.

Many thanks to our guest Johnson Yeh; host Oscar Ramos; producers Sagar Chaudhary and Lace Nguyen; editor David Xu; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com.

To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation.

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“Drones, in itself, is just a dumb flying platform. What makes it intelligent is the analytics and smart sensors; and how that can be disruptive in providing real value to our enterprise clients,” said Kamarul Muhamed, who founded Aerodyne in 2014 and has grown the company into a world-leading drone-based enterprise solutions provider and, more importantly, a pioneer in the use of AI for large-scale data operations and process optimization. Today, we sat down with Kamarul to talk all things drones, the Uberization of agritech, how drone tech has created a new market for technology talents. We also discussed why Southeast Asia, once dominated by traditional agriculture, is so bullish on new technologies, and the wonderful future of the region’s home-grown unicorns. 

About the speaker:

Kamarul Muhamed left the corporate world to pursue his passion in technology and digital innovation, founding Aerodyne in 2014 with a specialty in aerial imagery. The company has since pivoted to data intelligence, integrated solutions and now, Drone Tech, Data Tech and Digital Transformation (DT3). Ranked second in the world by Drone Industry Insights of Germany, Aerodyne has over 400 drone professionals operating in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAS) services sector, managing more than 300,000 infrastructure assets with 110,000 flight operations across 35 countries globally.
 

Show notes:

01:39 Introduction to Kamarul Muhamed and Aerodyne Group
02:29 How the pandemic has accelerated the adoption of agritech
05:52 Contactless technologies to automate infrastructure operations for powerlining and solar farms
07:15 Transforming traditional labor-intensive agriculture jobs into tech talents
10:15 How the Uberization of agritech has created a new micro-economy
13:05 Southeast Asia’s governments are already channeling agriculture subsidy into the adoption of technology
18:36 How Aerodyne tackled the challenges of adoption and scaling a cross-border team
22:00 The future of aerial robotics and AI’s pivotal role in the ecosystem
26:40 Entering the bigger B2C market with the super-app model for agriculture
32:35 What the world can learn from China’s speed of innovation and Southeast Asia’s massive opportunities

Many thanks to our guests Kamarul Muhamed; host Oscar Ramos; producers Sagar Chaudhary and Lace Nguyen; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com.

To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation.

Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse

Email us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com

Robby Yung is the CEO of Animoca Brands, the developer of a broad portfolio of blockchain games, traditional games, and other products, many of which are based on popular global brands including Formula 1®, Marvel, WWE, Power Rangers, MotoGP™, and Doraemon. Animoca Brands is also a prolific investor with more than 50 investments in NFT-related blockchain companies, including Sky Mavis (Axie Infinity), Dapper Labs (CryptoKitties and NBA Top Shot), OpenSea, Harmony, Bitski, and Alien Worlds. Yung previously was the co-founder of Redgate Media, acquired by Inno-Tech Holdings Limited. 

Yung recently sat down with Oscar Ramos to talk about all things NFT, digital entertainment, and what excites him about the future of blockchain.

Show Notes

02:35 How Animoca made its foray into blockchain games with Dapper Labs and CryptoKitties
04:25 How blockchain revolutionizes gaming with digital ownership
09:02 Incentives for people to spend more money on blockchain games
11:24 A fully decentralized game is a lot like a democracy
12:50 Behind the rise of NFTs: companies at the intersection of gaming and DeFi such as Sky Mavis
15:52 Could blockchain the third tech revolution?
19:11 Robby Yung's investment philosophy
22:15 How virtual experiences will change the traditional business model
24:21 What we need to speed up blockchain adoption
27:27 Why regulations will increase clarity and transparency
32:16 The attraction of collectibles and art
36:05 The metaverse 10 years from now

Many thanks to our guests Robby Yung; host Oscar Ramos; producers Sagar Chaudhary and Lace Nguyen; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com.

To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation.

Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse

Email us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com

The open-source model has been a big catalyst for technology businesses across the world. While it is clear how they fit into other business models, it is still unclear what the business model behind an open-source business is. In this episode, we aim to answer that and more. We invited Neil Han, Head of APAC and EMEA for PingCAP, the first open-source unicorn in China, which raised 340million USD in total. Neil is a hardcore software person and a well-connected professional in the software industry across the globe with great operations and management skillset, looking forward to working with a fast-growing company and great leadership team to grow together.

Show Notes:

[1:26] Introduction to Neil Han

[2:39] PingCap’s value proposition

[5:14] Companies that best leverage PingCap’s services

[8:05] The business model behind an open source business

[12:08] Where the community contributors come from

[15:05] Where the customers come from

[17:29] Experience of selling the service to Chinese customers

[2200] Customers as contributors to the product: A case of Square

[26:38] The scope of growth for open-source software in APAC

[30:16] Connect with Neil

Many thanks to our guests  Neil Han; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

Share, subscribe, review, enjoy!

To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation.

To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit  www.asiastartuppulse.com

Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse

Email us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com

In today’s episode, we invite Sanjay Nath, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Blume Ventures, one of India’s leading early-stage venture funds. Sanjay also reprerepresents Blume on the boards of Arka Venture Labs and the Draper Venture Network. Blume focuses on Seed to Pre-Series A stages of funding and has made over 100 investments across its 10-year history across multiple funds. Sanjay has invested in and advises a wide portfolio of startups including GreyOrange Robotics, Dataweave, Locus, Tricog, LBB, Lulu, Lambdatest, TapChief (acquired by Unacademy), Nektar.ai, and Obviously.ai amongst others.

What is the trajectory for Indian startups expanding abroad? How do they start in India and move to the US and SEA? How can startups build and sell remotely and operate in a virtual world? What are the repercussions of localization when internationalization? Sanjay, as an active investor in the space, brings his experience in answering all these questions and more!

Show Notes

01:35 Introduction to Sanjay Nath

02:20 Sanjay’s transition from consulting to VC

07:06 The trend of Indian startups expanding overseas

10:54 Overcoming the barriers of  cross-border expansion

16:03 How Blume VC supports startups with their expertise and best practices

23:35 Localisation vs Internationalisation from Day 1

27:47 Popular revenue models among Indian startups

30:29 The second-order effect of Covid19 on cross-border expansion

37:47 Opportunities for Indian SaaS companies in China

40:30 Leveraging diaspora and ecosystems to expand to the US and Europe

44:42 Sanjay’s final thoughts 

Many thanks to our guests  Sanjay Nath; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

Share, subscribe, review, enjoy!

To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation.

To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit  www.asiastartuppulse.com

Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse

Email us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com

We invited Chris Lerner, Managing Partner at MSA Capital, to join us to share his experience on starting and running a successful venture fund, and also how MSA Capital has supported startups to grow and expand to different markets. Founded in 2014, MSA Capital is an independent global private equity and venture capital firm with over $1.5 billion assets under management. Most notably, 60% of its 26 early stage investments have become super unicorns.
 

We also extended the conversation from a “cross-border” perspective by discussing about the potential opportunities for foreign startups and foreign VCs to enter China.
 

Show Notes:

2:48 Introduction to MSA Capital

5:22 What has kept Chris Lerner living in China

9:12 What makes the Chinese VC industry different

13:10 The DNA of Chinese corporate VCs (CVCs)

15:13 Conflicts happen when startups work with different CVCs

17:38 What takes to launch a VC fund

19:57 Who is investing in VC funds in China

24:40 The difference between RMB funds and USD funds

27:44 How VC funds can exit themselves in China

31:38 The trends of consolidation for financial returns

33:18 What support MSA Capital provides to startups

38:13 Potential opportunities for foreign startups to enter China

41:18 The opportunity of foreign VCs to enter China

42:32 How to contact Chris Lerner

Many thanks to our guests Chris Lerner; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

Share, subscribe, review, enjoy!

To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation.

To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit  www.asiastartuppulse.com

Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse

Email us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com