CEO Roundtable bridging Asia

In this episode, I speak to Sugahara Tomomi, founder and Chair of Emerald Club

Sugahara and I talk about:

Her background and journey to founding Emerald Club 

What are the main challenges for female professionals and CEOs in Japan

How Emerald club is trying to solve the problems

A movie project of Emerald club: What is the title, storyline and the objectives the club wants to achieve. How do you finance production cost? 

About the real business (subscription of perfume sales) the club is trying to launch based on the story of movie.

Her long-term vision of the emerald club.

Pencil Group is an indie group of agencies combining creativity and technology in marketing services from brand building to e-commerce enablement. Pencil Group exists to make, collaborate and nurture meaningful human connections between companies and their customers in the digital era. Some of their retainer clients are LG Group, Carlsberg Group, Vingroup. The group is founded by some ex C-level leaders from global agency networks, headed by Nguyen Tien Huy, former Chief Digital Officer at Ogilvy Vietnam.

Huy and I talk about:

His background and journey to founding Pencil Group

The ecosystem of the digital agency market in Vietnam

The business model and differentiation of Digipencil

How Digipencil expanded the business (Pencil group) during the pandemic.

The long term vision for Pencil Group

Who is the nicest person he has ever met in his life and why.

In this episode, I speak to Amun Thapa, founder and CEO of sastodeal.com ,

the largest local born E-commerce platform in Nepal.

Nepal's local leading ecommerce company. Strategic partners with Flipkart & Myntra. Partners with the Government of Nepal, Food Management Division. Marquee investors - Dolma Impact Fund, Televentures, ICTC Group, IME Group. The company is fighting a global giant – Alibaba Group in its home turf and is doing really well in an industry that is poised to grow to $1BN GMV by 2026.  

Amun and I talk about:

His background and journey to founding comsastodeal

What problems he is solving now and How his business model works

Ecommerce infrastructure in Nepal including Internet and mobile penetration and payment solution (credit card, e-wallet )

The problems are not issues but opportunities to grow.

The growth strategy map of sastodeal; From Nepal to the world.

His long term vision for csastodeal

Who is the nicest person he has ever met in his life.

In this episode, I speak to Llyod Park, Founder and CEO at Elancer Korea

Elancer Korea matches freelancers of  Software programmers and IT engineers with corporate clients in South Korea. The core of matchmaking is to fill both parties' needs. Elancer platform uses AI for the matching which is leading the technology in freelancer matching platform. As a platform, Elancer strives to create a culture where freelancers can work anywhere and anytime.

Lloyd and I talk about:

His background and journey to founding Elancer Korea.

What is the problem he is solving now?

How his business model works

Who are the competitors? How to differentiate the solution against others in the markets?

His fundraising plan to scale the business and expand into overseas markets

What is the biggest challenges in scaling your business and taking it to the next level

His long-term vision for Elancer Korea.

In this episode, I speak to NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman African Energy Chamber

Voice of the African energy industry, representing all facets of the African oil and gas sector.

 

The AEC is the leading chamber of successful networks, transactions and partnerships at the helm of Africa’s growing energy industries.

 

NJ Ayuk and I talk about:

1. The introduction of the African Energy Chamber and its role in the African energy sector 2. Which companies and countries play a key role in Africa’s oil and gas industry? 3. The main challenges for the energy sector in Africa? 4. How AEC solves these problems or improves or evolves African energy sectors 5. What kind of collaboration and partnership AEC is looking for or promotes with Asian countries, investors, and partners? 6. What kind of specific collaboration you are expecting to develop with Korean companies and partners, e.g short term, and long term and any advice to share 7. Any plan for this or next year and Long term plan for African Energy Chamber?

In this episode, I speak to Manolo Atala -Co Founder and CEO at Fairplay

Fairplay is the first revenue-based financing enabler for the new digital economy in Latin America that supports entrepreneurs’ growth with a flexible, fast & friendly product by investing in their performance marketing campaigns and their inventories. For fast-growing businesses, Fairplay offers a sales advance as funding in exchange for a steady revenue share of their earnings until capital is paid back plus a flat fee.

Manolo and I talk about:

His background and journey to founding Fairplay.

What is the problem he is solving now. (Freedom to Scale for digital SMEs)

How his business model works

Who are the competitors? How to differentiate the solution against others in the markets?

His fundraising efforts and the challenges in fundraising?

How he found smart people/employees for his business.

What is the biggest challenges in scaling your business and taking it to the next level

His long term vision for Fairplay

Who is the nicest person he has ever met in his life.

"UTU is building the trust infrastructure of the internet to help businesses and consumers engage and transact in an easier, safer, and more trustworthy way. Our AI-based API products collect and analyze data to create trust signals and personalized recommendations that help consumers and businesses make the best decisions for their situation. And the UTU blockchain protocol rewards users for trustworthy actions and compensates them for sharing their data while protecting their privacy. UTU changes the economics of trust, ensures trust can’t be bought or manipulated and leverages data to help people make better decisions."Jason and I talk about:1.     His background and journey to founding Utu. How he fell in love with Africa.2.     How he is solving trust issues in the internet and E-commerce.3.     How his business model works4.     Who are the competitors? How to differentiate the solution against others in the markets?5.     His fundraising efforts and the challenges in fundraising?6.     What is the biggest challenges in scaling your business and taking it to the next level7.     His long-term vision for Utu.8.     Who is the nicest person he has ever met in his life.

In this episode, I speak to Mike Williamson, CEO and President of Cascadia Seaweed

Cascadia Seaweed is growing to be one of the largest providers of cultivated seaweed, a climate-positive crop with a variety of uses requiring only the sea and sunlight to grow. This British Columbia based corporation was founded in 2019 by three maritime professionals who believe in building a profitable and scalable business that enhances the natural environment, reverses human impact on the oceans, and provides economic opportunity for rural and coastal communities.

Mike and I talk about:

1.  His background and journey to founding Cascadia Seaweed

2.  What problems he is solving now and How the business model works

3.   How he came up with a business idea

4.   Innovative seaweed products and potential market 

5.   The long term vision for Cascadia Seaweed

In this episode, I speak to Yvonne Otieno, founder of Miyonga Fresh Greens ENT in Kenya.

Miyonga begun as a transitional horticultural farm with 10 acres located in Lukenya, Machakos County to fully established exporters with access to a network over 10000 small holders out grower’s across East Africa

In the past three years the company has grown from out growers of fresh produce to award winning in exporters of fresh fruits and vegetables to UK, Norway, Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Ireland and South Africa.

Yvonne and I talk about:

Her background and journey to starting a family business, Miyonga

What Miyonga (company name) means.

What problems she is solving now and How her business model works

How the supply chain works (mobile food factory)

How she came up with a business idea

The potential market and target clients

Her long term vision for Miyonga

Who is the nicest person she has ever met in her life. (learned humility from a Korean professor)

In this episode, I speak to Cecile Dekeuwer, an international lawyer turned entrepreneur, Founder and CEO at WeCo-Toilet

WeCo are the first eco-innovative autonomous flushing toilets. All the excrements are recycled on site into treated water for flushing and energy. WeCo are developing the eco toilets of the future with a strong R&D and eco-design focus. WeCo co-develop with Alstom a plug and play system, a cartridge for wasted water treatment in the train toilets and other public toilets.

Cecil and I talk about:

Her background as an international lawyer and journey to founding WeCo Toilet

What problems she is solving now and How her business model works

Co-development with Alstom a plug and play system in the train toilets and other public toilets.

The potential market and target clients 

Her long term vision for WeCo Toilet 

Who is the nicest person she has ever met in her life.