Amanda Cua is the founder of Backscoop: the hottest newsletter covering all things in the Southeast Asian startup industry.

She’s only 20 years old but:

• Backscoop has already crossed 10,000 subscribers;
• Has attracted funding from Buko Ventures;
• Been featured on CNN; and
• Has moderated a Wild Digital firechat with Jaeson Ma of 88Rising & OP3N.

All this - with no college degree.

Who said COVID-19 pandemic projects can’t go far? 😉

But if you listen to this STIMY episode, you’ll soon realise that Backscoop is so much more than a mere side project. 

Amanda envisions it to be a regional media company for the people in Southeast Asian tech.

So if you’re interested in what drives Amanda, what it takes to run a newsletter that publishes x5/week (it now has a podcast!) & also what’s happening in the Southeast Asian startup space, then this is the episode for you.

Highlights:

• 7:00 Deciding to not go to university
• 10:11 Maximising her gap year
• 15:53 Cold outreach tactics
• 17:38 Launching her own startup, Backscoop
• 20:36 Why Southeast Asia (and not APAC)?
• 26:59 Researching other newsletters
• 29:58 The different iterations of Backscoop
• 31:24 Dropping Soft Serve
• 32:44 Most effective growth strategy
• 34:34 Getting over stagnant growth
• 35:56 Building a regional media company
• 37:26 Trends in the Southeast Asian tech scene
• 39:36 Accepting investment from Buko Ventures
• 43:39 Launching a new product, One More Scoop
• 44:55 What’s the value proposition?
• 47:02 Serendipity
• 49:37 Personal branding
• 53:42 Competitor that Amanda admires & why

📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/111

🍦Subscribe to Backscoop: https://sparklp.co/p/9c1a338c2c 

💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you can find success & build a portfolio career on your own terms: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062

✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442