Asia Tech Podcast

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Produced by Pikkal & Co - Award Winning Podcast Agency.

[20:42] What do you try to do differently than other co-working spaces? -- Co-working has become global now with the rise of players like WeWork in the US. We see co-working as still in its infancy. What we see is the difference between a business center and co-working. A business center is just about leasing space out. Co-working, however, is all about community. The logic is if you have a more diverse environment with different viewpoints you can collaborate better and get better outcomes. We are still at the very early phases here.

[31:50] How does creating community work? How do you achieve this? -- There are two things you need in business. One is scale, the other is trust. What we try to do is not only connect our clients with each other but also to other businesses in the neighborhood. This creates a far bigger network, this is the scale. The way we build trust is through encouraging meetings and bringing people together and overcoming the barriers to contact. This happens offline, face-to-face.

[41:30] Let\'s think now about co-working in Asia. Where are we going to be in 10 years time? -- The future of work is about flexibility. Younger generations want new environments. They no longer want to sit in stuffy offices anymore. There will be more flexibility in terms of where and when people work. Another trend is with so-called \"glocalization,\" which is a response to globalization. People are starting to look more at their own neighborhoods and connecting to the people around them. The future will see far more interaction and sharing within local communities.

Discover more tech podcasts like this: Tech Podcast Asia.

Produced by Pikkal & Co - Award Winning Podcast Agency.

Vybes is a platform for millions of influencers to sell goods and services they create directly to their followers. We are disrupting the influencer market in a big way, allowing influencers to bypass brands and sell directly to their followers.

Discover more tech podcasts like this: Tech Podcast Asia.

Produced by Pikkal & Co - Award Winning Podcast Agency.

[06:35] According to data from the Modern Language Association (MLA) in the United States, since 2016 the number of students at US universities studying Chinese in any form has gone down. How can we explain this given the relevance of China at the moment? -- In Australia the pattern is similar. Historical legacy is part of the reason, there is a shortage of qualified Mandarin teachers. This helps explain the lag in students studying Mandarin. So there are systemic factors at play too and not just purely political ones.

[25:48] Tell us a bit about your day job focusing on millennials in China. What\'s that about? -- CEO and co-found of the China Australia Millennial Project (CAMP). We try to bridge the gap between Chinese and Australian innovators by running an incubator of sorts which puts 50 Chinese and 50 Australians into a 100 day learning program. We challenge them to build the next Uber, or the next Didi. We\'ve had 300 people come through the program so far. It\'s really cool to see how diversity powers new insights. Each cohort is completely different; but you see commonalities in they all have a curious mindset and a desire to engage digitally.

[40:00] In China right now how are young people approaching entrepreneurialism? -- It\'s important to remember there is not simply one type of Chinese millennial, and things differ a lot depending on geography, class, and even gender. Overall there is a shift where people no longer see government jobs as the ticket. There is still a long way to go before things really change, but you see signs it\'s beginning.

Discover more tech podcasts like this: Tech Podcast Asia.

Produced by Pikkal & Co - Award Winning Podcast Agency.

[02:40] Let's put this very interesting podcast conversation in the context: William runs an accelerator. Sebastien runs a startup which was part of the accelerator program and now in scale up phase, and me as the podcast host, as well as, accelerator mentor....

[10:07] What's the difference between being a founder and entrepreneur? William Bao Bean , General Partner at SOSV, Managing Director at Chinaccelerator and MOX explains why founders have to be entrepreneurs. There can't be one without the other. Most normal people don't put all their eggs in one basket. They don't quit their jobs, use up all their savings to try and do something that has not been done before. Entrepreneurs take risks to try change the world and make a significant difference. They are trying to change the way things are being done.

[23:05] What are the factors that contribute to a successful acceleration of a start up or acceleration of a new service/product? 1. EXPERIMENTATION. The first factor is being open to coaching and experimentation. Other factors include persistence. There might be a lot of failures but still you have to keep smashing your head against the wall over and over again. We try very hard to not tell our companies what to do. But we make a lot of suggestions on what to try. And people who are willing to jump off the cliff and try a bunch of new things, even if in the heart of their hearts they think it might not work, nonetheless they try are often the ones who succeed. 2. NOT GIVING UP. So it takes a certain type of personality to try lots and lots of different things over and over again that don't work, becuase in the end you are trying to solve a problem that hasn't been solved before or isnt being solved properly so you are trying to come up with a better solution. 3. THE RIGHT TEAM. Team is what we look at. It's not always about the product. The founder has to be passionate enough to make these first two factors work

[27:09] In the making of any new innovation- product or service is about failures too. Any examples? Sebastien: The fact that i picked up the set of team that i did at start, was a failure. It didn't let us go through this iterations, adaptations and learn and develop fast enough. It took us 2 years to come to the DNA of where we are now. Ofcourse we learnt a lot in this period. But we lost time. Team was too young and not complimentary enough. William: My first startup was a pretty low point. I took my own money and couple of friends while i was still at Soft Bank. First mistake - doing a startup without being 100% focussed. Second mistake - the team combo. Third mistake - I was a bad CEO.

[34:48] - Show finale. Rapid fire round between the host and the guests. What other professional other than your current would you like to attempt? What are you not good at? How do you manage anger? How do you manage stress? What's coming up next - In the Making for The Care Voice and Chinaccelerator What would you like to ask to the network of listeners and Asia Tech Podcast. Make the ask Working in a different country. Why should you consider working in a different country other than your home country? "Commit to the uncomfortable" - #NishHosts Show - IN THE MAKING

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Produced by Pikkal & Co - Award Winning Podcast Agency.

[00:05] PIT - Stuart Kerr - Rock Human Devices - The Pitch

[01:40] What is the point of The Pitch?

[02:40] Stuart talks about Rock Human Devices, a Singapore-based company building tough, well-designed medical devices - starting with hearing loss

[08:15] Stuart and Graham have a look at a functioning prototype of the hearing-aid glasses. How much does it cost to make one? Also, will the hearing-aid glasses be regulated and medically certified soon?

[14:15] How did Stuart fund the making of the hearing-aid glass prototypes? What were the assumptions challenged when he did the trial with 25 people?

[17:05] How light is the prototype? Also, why hasn\'t this been done already?

[18:30] Stuart studied electronic engineering at Strathclyde and robotics in Japan, worked in Japan developing machines used in particle accelerators in CERN and SUPERKEKB, then worked for Singapore-based startup Pirate 3D in launching a 3D printer, then joined Dyson

[22:10] What was Dyson really all about? Ultra-high performance first before aesthetics. Also, the backstory behind Dyson Supersonic hair dryer

[27:35] Dyson develops core technology that solves very fundamental problems with how people interact with machines. So why wouldn\'t companies start with that thought - \"this is the problem the customer has. What is the best way of solving it?\"

[33:00] When Stuart was prototyping the hearing aid glasses, how did he keep it lean? Did he consciously not go out and recruit or was he so busy doing the thing?

[35:20] After receiving funding, what\'s next for Stuart and Rock Human Devices? What would be the value of that to another company? Can Rock Human Devices become the Dyson or Apple of the medical device world or IPO?

[37:35] Stuart says Rock Human Devices will eventually become a software company that has the hardware that the software runs on. Also, he talks about developing a prosthetic limb with machine learning

[44:40] Contact Stuart on Linkedin here sg.linkedin.com/in/stuart-kerr-35a79449

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Produced by Pikkal & Co - Award Winning Podcast Agency.

[04:55] After you founded WellteQ, is that when you decided to move to Asia? -- Basically yes. In the early feedback we received, we understood we had a good idea but were lacking in the tech department. So we moved to Singapore with the goal of hiring from among the region's best tech minds. My background is not in technology, so we knew we had to go where we could find people to in-source and help us in this regard. Ultimately this led us to Singapore in 2014.

[37:00] So then what are some of the challenges you've faced as you built the business? -- Getting talent is not easy, especially when you're operating in a large regional environment. Time pressures may force you to settle on people who are not quite right. Maybe this works out, but it often doesn't. Another big challenge is learning to differentiate between the opportunities you should really spend time on and what are the ones best to say no to.

[42:45] Is the business you're doing now the same as what you set out to do four years ago? Or have you pivoted? -- Our overall goal remains the same. We want to connect millions of people to health improvement using technology. The tools we use are not necessarily what we thought we would be using when we started, yet here we are. The only sure thing with any business plan is that you're not going to adhere to it 100%.

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Produced by Pikkal & Co - Award Winning Podcast Agency.

[01:45] Tony Mai founder of Compliy, elaborates how their AI powered regulatory interpretation platform helps manage financial regulatory change

[09:08] What kind of skills are needed in a team? - Tony Mai explains the manpower needed to develop an usable AI product

[12:06] Tony Mai shares how he started his journey of being a serial entrepreneur at the age of 19. What did he learn from yo Karaoke business? Tony shares his learning journey and business hacks

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Produced by Pikkal & Co - Award Winning Podcast Agency.

[00:55] Tell us more about Makeblock -- Makeblock is a company whose aim is to help people create. Often people have an idea but need help on the mechanical, software, or electronics side of things. What we do is provide a platform to unify these elements and help people create.

[12:15] What advice would you offer people in terms of how to get started? What things do you think are necessary to be successful in this field? -- You have to have an interest in what you\'re doing. Running a business is very very hard, so having that interest is important. Another recommendation is think differently. Many people fail because they just try to copy what someone else is doing and don\'t bring new ideas and products to market.

[51:30] If you can leave listeners with some wisdom, what would it be? -- Do things that help people remain in the physical world. Keep building and creating!

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Produced by Pikkal & Co - Award Winning Podcast Agency.

[04:18] Earlier this year, you picked up an award in Singapore. Tell us a little bit about that. -- We picked up two awards from Campaign Asia-Pacific. Campaign Asia-Pacific is basically the de facto agency world magazine in the region. It was really good recognition for us. Now it\'s onward and upwards!

[26:00] Do you see anything emerging in Thailand on the mobile front that will catch on in the rest of the world? -- On the consumption side, Thailand is leading in terms of time spent on mobile. We\'re talking 4-5 hours a day. There is also mobile payment via QR codes, which are very big here. We see the drive to a cashless society. These are things you would notice in Thailand, people scanning people\'s QR codes and transferring money for products and services very easily.

[44:10] So now you\'re 8 years into the story of Appsynth. Where do things go from here? -- For us it\'s a careful balancing act in terms of having the people we need versus having a situation where work dries up and we can no longer support the number of people we have. Maybe we could expand to 100 people, be we\'ll have to see. We also want to look at growing regionally and also in Europe and the US. One effort we\'ve engaged in is diversifying the nationalities of our employees. As we move forward we need to continue to figure out how to change our structure to support our growth.

Discover more tech podcasts like this: Tech Podcast Asia.

Produced by Pikkal & Co - Award Winning Podcast Agency.

[00:40] Can you give us a quick introduction about yourself? -- Really an entrepreneur who found a way into venture capital and investing. At heart see myself as someone who founds and builds companies. More recently have become infected with the blockchain bug.

[27:10] ICOs and tokenization represent a new tool in the entrepreneur\'s toolbox for how to fund a business while at the same time creating a fan base. It will be very important to see how these things are regulated going forward; however, right now it is possible to be fully compliant with the law, while at the same time developing your business and product in new and truly innovative ways with these technologies. Venture capital has traditionally been very illiquid. When VCs invest in companies, it might be up to seven years before they see a return on investment. With an ICO in contrast, the expectation is that in a matter of weeks coins will be trading on an active market and generating returns and cash flows for investors. It\'s a game changer for venture capital.

[35:45] So this is basically a whole new economy? -- Yes. In fact, if any listeners run or know someone who runs an airline, give us a call. We can help you raise billions of dollars with a token offering. Any company with a loyalty program who does not tokenize moving forward is going to sink to the bottom of the ocean. Large companies will be the big winners here. If you think about it, companies like Costco are already doing something similar in driving a discount-based loyalty program. As soon as companies add liquidity through tokenization, the sky\'s the limit.