Ami Sugiyama and Shusaku Hayakawa are the Co-founders of Secai Marche, a farm-to-table startup based in Malaysia. Since it was founded in 2018, Secai Marche has been bridging the gap between F&B retailers, hotels, restaurants, and cafes by connecting them directly with farmers in Japan and Malaysia. 

Before Secai Marche, Ami was at Deloitte and was previously in the tea importing and exporting business and had owned a successful cafe Shu, on the other hand, was a senior manager at Deloitte, supporting companies venturing into the global agriculture sector. He has also held positions as a managing director for agriculture companies in both Japan and Hong Kong.

Topics:

00:00:00 - Typical farming supply chain

00:07:55 - How Shu and Ami met

00:09:26 - Why they quit Deloitte to start Secai Marche

00:16:47 - Introduction to Farm Direct

00:21:31 - Finding the Right Co-Founder

00:25:07 - Building the Infrastructure

00:28:17 - Impact on Farmers and Restaurants

00:32:53 - Spending Time with Farmers and Restaurants

00:34:54 - Malaysian Farming Industry

00:41:01 - Expansion to Singapore

00:44:17 - Starting a Business in a New Country

00:47:41 - Personal Lives of Founders

00:52:17 - Childcare in Japan vs. Malaysia and the Philippines

00:53:45 - Remote Work and Wider Options for Women 

00:54:21 - Balancing Motherhood and Entrepreneurship

00:56:05 - Personal Goals Outside of Work

00:57:16 - Making Something from Start to Finish

Like the show? Subscribe to the BackScoop newsletter to stay updated with the latest news in Southeast Asian startups in minutes: https://www.backscoop.com/.

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Visit Amanda Cua’s social media pages:

Amanda (Linkedin): https://ph.linkedin.com/in/amanda-cua

Amanda (Twitter): https://twitter.com/HeyAmandaCua

Visit Ami Sugiyama’s social media pages:

Ami (Linkedin): https://my.linkedin.com/in/ami-sugiyama-96984715b

Secai Marche (Website): https://secai-marche.co.jp/

Visit Shusaku Hayakawa’s social media pages:

Shusaku (Linkedin): https://jp.linkedin.com/in/shusaku-hayakawa-bb61325/en

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Winnie Chua is the Co-founder and CPO of full-stack insurtech startup PolicyStreet. Founded in Malaysia in 2017, they recently raised a $15M Series B and are active across markets in Southeast Asia and Australia.

Topics:

[00:00:00] - Background and Childhood

[00:04:50] - Choosing a Safe Career Path

[00:09:06] - Studying Overseas

[00:11:51] - Challenges of Studying Overseas as a Woman

[00:16:17] - Moving Back to Malaysia

[00:18:27] - Career Growth at Allianz

[00:21:51] - Working in Germany

[00:26:22] - Overcoming Fear and Doubt

[00:29:04] - Being a Woman

[00:32:23] - Embracing Femininity in Leadership

[00:34:07] - Embracing Your Natural Inclinations

[00:36:29] - Corporate vs. Startup

[00:41:50] - Sacrifice and True North

[00:48:12] - Managing People

[00:52:14] - Female Founder Challenges

[00:59:01] - Growing Policy Street

[01:02:51] - Future Plans

[01:04:26] - Hai Di Lao Model

[01:06:30] - Scaling Up

[01:09:10] - Founder's Imposter Syndrome

[01:11:09] - Personal Life Achievements

Like the show? Subscribe to the BackScoop newsletter to stay updated with the latest news in Southeast Asian startups in minutes: https://www.backscoop.com/.

Visit BackScoop’s social media pages and show your support!

BackScoop (Linkedin): https://www.linkedin.com/company/backscoop/

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BackScoop (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/backscoop

Visit Amanda Cua’s social media pages:

Amanda (Linkedin): https://ph.linkedin.com/in/amanda-cua

Visit Winnie Chua’s social media pages:

Winnie Chua (LinkedIn): linkedin.com/in/winniechua

PolicyStreet (Website): https://www.policystreet.com/

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Bhavik Vashi is the Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Carta, a software company that aims to create more ownership in the world by creating a central registry of private assets, providing infrastructure for innovators, and enabling more liquidity.

Carta is privately-held, with top-tier investors like Andreessen Horowitz and Lightspeed Ventures, among others, and was last valued at more than 7B USD as of its Series G fundraising round in 2021, which was supported by their own private capital markets platform called CartaX.

Prior to Carta, Bhavik spent nearly a decade at Anaplan, across a variety of different roles and regions, where he helped build and scale the company from Series C through an IPO in 2018 and an eventual sale to Private Equity for 10.4B USD in 2022.

Topics:

00:02:22 - Childhood, growing up in the US, and passion for basketball. 

00:06:35 - Early career and interest in tech. 

00:15:53 - Career Focus

00:17:37 - Consulting vs. Audit

00:24:22 - Transition to Anaplan

00:27:54 - Career Milestones

00:29:57 - Early Days at Anaplan

00:39:05 - Big Mistakes 

00:42:32 - Prioritizing Character and Motivators, 

00:43:54 - The Future of Work

00:45:08 - Traveling for Business in China

00:50:43 - Working in APAC and Problem Solving

00:55:11 - Leading at Carta

00:56:50 - Bhavik's Leadership Style

00:59:18 - Carta's Expansion Plans, 

01:01:03 - Bhavik's Daily Routine

01:04:59 - Shifting Priorities

01:10:37 - Personal Goals: Career in government, or non-profit organizations to make an impact.

Like the show? Subscribe to the BackScoop newsletter to stay updated with the latest news in Southeast Asian startups in minutes: https://www.backscoop.com/.

Visit BackScoop’s social media pages and show your support!

BackScoop (Linkedin): https://www.linkedin.com/company/backscoop/

BackScoop (Twitter): https://twitter.com/BackScoopHQ

BackScoop (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/BackScoop

BackScoop (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/backscoop

Visit Amanda Cua’s social media pages:

Amanda (Linkedin): https://ph.linkedin.com/in/amanda-cua

Amanda (Twitter): https://twitter.com/HeyAmandaCua

Visit Bhavik Vashi’s social media pages:

Bashik (Linkedin): https://sg.linkedin.com/in/bhavikvashi

Carta (Website): https://carta.com/sg/

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Yu Taniguchi is the CEO of TableCheck, a restaurant booking and guest experience platform with more than 8,000 clients worldwide and 237+ Michelin-starred restaurants in its portfolio. Their motto is ‘Dining Connected’ and their mission is to help restaurants and hospitality operators connect directly with diners while building guest loyalty and driving revenue.

How did Yu Taniguchi’s childhood and working as a salesperson, shape his entrepreneurial approach as TableCheck's founder and CEO? What were the challenges he faced while working for a startup in Japan? How did he identify the need for a restaurant booking and guest experience platform, and what inspired him to found TableCheck?

Topics:

[00:01:32] - Childhood and Education

[00:05:59] - Dropping out of High School 

[00:13:14] - Thinking Outside the Box 

[00:17:47] - Becoming a CEO at 23

[00:19:47] - Managing a Startup 

[00:22:06] - Starting a Company 

[00:27:40] - Passion for Restaurants 

[00:29:32] - TableCheck's Global Expansion 

[00:32:10] - TableCheck's Clients and Global Challenges 

[00:37:36] - TableCheck's Early Days and Fundraising 

[00:40:05] - Approaching the Japanese Market

[00:44:16] - Helping Restaurants Obtain More Diners

Like the show? Subscribe to the BackScoop newsletter to stay updated with the latest news in Southeast Asian startups in minutes: https://www.backscoop.com.

Visit BackScoop’s social media pages and show your support!

BackScoop (Linkedin): https://www.linkedin.com/company/backscoop/

BackScoop (Twitter): https://twitter.com/BackScoopHQ

BackScoop (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/BackScoop

BackScoop (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/backscoop

Visit Amanda Cua’s social media pages:

Amanda (Linkedin): https://ph.linkedin.com/in/amanda-cua

Amanda (Twitter): https://twitter.com/HeyAmandaCua

Visit Yu Taniguchi’s social media pages:

Yu (Linkedin): https://jp.linkedin.com/in/yutaniguchi

TableCheck (Website): https://www.tablecheck.com

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Tanuja Rajah is currently a Partner at M Venture Partners (MVP), an early-stage venture capital firm based in Singapore. Prior to joining MVP, she embarked on her own entrepreneurial journey by founding a dating startup called LoveSprk. Additionally, Tanuja has worked as a launch manager at Entrepreneur First, a renowned global talent investor and also served as the Programme Director at the Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC). Throughout her career, Tanuja has collaborated with numerous companies and founders in diverse sectors such as enterprise internet, deep tech, consumer retail, and blockchain. She is an entrepreneur herself and holds a PhD in Immunology from Monash University.

Topics:

[00:00:00] - Building Relationships and Influence 

[00:01:19] - Childhood and Love for the Arts 

[00:04:15] - Studying Genetics and Immunology

[00:11:25] - Doing a PhD 

[00:17:16] - Starting a lifestyle business 

[00:20:11] - Regrets and Closure 

[00:27:51] - Shutting Down the Startup

[00:33:20] - Joining Entrepreneur First

[00:35:33] - Successful Founder Dynamics 

[00:42:18] - Challenges of an Emerging Fund 

[00:46:27] - Mental shifts in VC 

[00:49:13] - Building a relationship with founders 

[00:52:26] - Assessing market structures 

[01:00:08] - Unwinding activities

Like the show? Subscribe to the BackScoop newsletter to stay updated with the latest news in Southeast Asian startups in minutes: https://www.backscoop.com/.

Visit BackScoop’s social media pages and show your support!

BackScoop (Linkedin): https://www.linkedin.com/company/backscoop/

BackScoop (Twitter): https://twitter.com/BackScoopHQ

BackScoop (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/BackScoop

BackScoop (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/backscoop

Visit Amanda Cua’s social media pages:

Amanda (Linkedin): https://ph.linkedin.com/in/amanda-cua

Amanda (Twitter): https://twitter.com/HeyAmandaCua

Visit Tanuja Rajah’s social media pages:

Tanuja Rajah (Linkedin): https://sg.linkedin.com/in/tanujarajah

M Venture Partners (Website): https://www.m-venturepartners.com/

M Venture Partners (Linkedin): https://sg.linkedin.com/company/m-venturepartners

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Grace Sai is the Co-founder and CEO of Unravel Carbon, an enterprise software that helps companies track and reduce their carbon emissions, backed by Sequoia and Y Combinator.

Grace is a 2 times exited founder, a VC, a Kauffman Fellow, and is widely regarded as a node of the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Asia.

How did a dream kickstart Grace's journey building 3 startups? How has her experience as a two-time exited founder shaped her journey today, and what did she learn? What does Unravel Carbon actually do?

Topics:

[00:00:00] - Shifting Away from Doing Things Directly 

[00:08:10] - Childhood and Early Vision of Success 

[00:11:25] - Living abroad in Singapore 

[00:12:15]- Formative experience in junior college 

[00:17:23] - Starting Books for Hope 

[00:21:27] - Starting a Social Enterprise 

[00:23:19] - Oxford MBA Experience 

[00:29:06] - Impact Hub Singapore 

[00:31:24] - Lessons from Acquisitions 

[00:38:40] - Unravel Carbon's Mission 

[00:40:00] - Reducing Carbon Emissions for Enterprises 

[00:45:25] - Importance of Disclosing Greenhouse Gas Numbers 

Like the show? Subscribe to the BackScoop newsletter to stay updated with the latest news in Southeast Asian startups in minutes: https://www.backscoop.com/.

Visit BackScoop’s social media pages and show your support!

BackScoop (Linkedin): https://www.linkedin.com/company/backscoop/

BackScoop (Twitter): https://twitter.com/BackScoopHQ

BackScoop (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/BackScoop

BackScoop (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/backscoop

Visit Amanda Cua’s social media pages:

Amanda (Linkedin): https://ph.linkedin.com/in/amanda-cua

Amanda (Twitter): https://twitter.com/HeyAmandaCua

Visit Grace Sai’s social media pages:

Grace (Linkedin): https://sg.linkedin.com/in/gracesai

Grace (Twitter): https://twitter.com/GraceSai

Unravel Carbon (Website): https://www.unravelcarbon.com/

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Florian Jaques is the Co-founder and CEO of Midstay, a tech platform for remote workers that helps businesses and individuals break through the isolation of working from home. Florian describes how he went from being a gamer to a business owner and how Midstay is working to solve the problems of working from home and traveling. He also talked about Midstay's platform, which matches users with people who have similar hobbies based on who they are and where they live.

How did Florian's upbringing and his parents' professions shape his entrepreneurial spirit and passion for projects? How does Midstay's platform facilitate connections between remote workers and recreate the social interactions found in a traditional office setting? What specific challenges in the remote work and travel industry did Florian identify, and how does Midstay's platform aim to address these challenges?

Topics:

[00:00:01] - Team Retreats 

[00:04:45] - Florian Jaques's Passion for Gaming 

[00:10:25] - Making Money from YouTube Banners 

[00:14:38] - Flexible Learning and Remote Work 

[00:16:33] - Traveling at a young age 

[00:21:48] - Story of the music festival

[00:27:43] - Deciding to stop the festival 

[00:29:45] - Staying in Bali during COVID-19 

[00:32:17] - Staying Productive While Traveling 

[00:33:22]- Being a Digital Nomad and Settling Down 

[00:37:06] - Midstay's B2C Platform 

[00:39:09] - Midstay's B2B Expansion

[00:42:25] - All-In-One Solution 

[00:45:59] - Breaking the Friction of Meeting New People 

[00:47:29] - Loneliness in remote work 

[00:46:45] - Recreating the social environment of work 

[00:50:40] - Challenges of Building a Startup 

[00:52:36] - Importance of Social Connections While Traveling 

Like the show? Subscribe to the BackScoop newsletter to stay updated with the latest news in Southeast Asian startups in minutes: https://www.backscoop.com/.

Visit BackScoop’s social media pages and show your support!

BackScoop (Linkedin): https://www.linkedin.com/company/backscoop/

BackScoop (Twitter): https://twitter.com/BackScoopHQ

BackScoop (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/BackScoop

BackScoop (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/backscoop

Visit Amanda Cua’s social media pages:

Amanda (Linkedin): https://ph.linkedin.com/in/amanda-cua

Amanda (Twitter): https://twitter.com/HeyAmandaCua

Visit Florian Jaques’ social media pages: 

Florian (Linkedin): https://sg.linkedin.com/in/florian-jacques

Florian (Twitter): https://twitter.com/floflojack

Midstay (Website): https://www.midstay.com/

Midstay (Twitter): https://twitter.com/mymidstay

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Nicolas Bivero is the CEO and Co-founder of Penbrothers, a professional employer organization (PEO) that helps companies around the world scale and grow their businesses through building remote teams from the Philippines. Nicolas is passionate about creating meaningful work opportunities for Filipinos and bridging the talent gap in Asia’s startup ecosystem. Under Nicolas’ leadership, Penbrothers has grown rapidly, serving clients in a wide range of industries, from tech startups to e-commerce companies. The company aims to create 5,000 more jobs for Filipinos by 2026.

How did Nicholas' experiences moving to different countries shape his approach to business? What are some of the biggest challenges that Penbrothers faced in building remote teams, and how did they overcome them? How does Nicholas balance managing the emotional demands of his role as a CEO, and what strategies does he use to maintain his well-being?

Topics:

[00:02:31] - Childhood and Moving 

[00:04:06] - Experience in Japan 

[00:06:07] - Adapting to New Environments 

[00:09:01] - Dreams of working in a multinational 

[00:11:57] - First trip to the Philippines 

[00:14:18] - Setting up a company in the Philippines 

[00:17:40] - Learning from a mentor 

[00:19:18] - Career path and founding Penbrothers 

[00:21:37] - Starting Penbrothers 

[00:26:05] - Growing the Business 

[00:28:54] - Funding the Company 

[00:30:06] -Challenges in Growing the Business 

[00:33:41] - Managing People and Emotions 

[00:36:57] - Evolution of Penbrothers 

[00:40:22] - Contributing to the Philippine Economy 

[00:43:10] - Personal growth through building a business 

Like the show?  Subscribe to the BackScoop newsletter to stay updated with the latest news in Southeast Asian startups in minutes: https://www.backscoop.com/.

Visit BackScoop’s social media pages and show your support!

BackScoop (Linkedin): https://www.linkedin.com/company/backscoop/

BackScoop (Twitter): https://twitter.com/BackScoopHQ

BackScoop (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/BackScoop

BackScoop (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/backscoop

Visit Amanda Cua’s social media pages:

Amanda (Linkedin): https://ph.linkedin.com/in/amanda-cua

Amanda (Twitter): https://twitter.com/HeyAmandaCua

Visit Nicholas Bivero’s social media pages:

Nicholas (Linkedin): https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-bivero-13700110

Penbrothers (Website): https://penbrothers.com/

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Erik Jonsson is a Swedish entrepreneur who moved to Vietnam in 2011. He started his career in private equity before transitioning to entrepreneurship, Co-founding and being CEO of five ventures, including Zalora Vietnam and Adayroi. Currently, Erik is a Partner at Antler, a venture capital firm in Vietnam that invests in early-stage startups. He shares his experiences in the startup ecosystem and how Antler supports the next generation of entrepreneurs.

What inspired Erik to leave his career in private equity and become an entrepreneur in Vietnam? How does Erik see the startup ecosystem in Vietnam evolving in the next few years? How has Eric's background in investment banking and private equity informed his approach to venture capital and supporting early-stage startups in Vietnam?

Topics

[00:00:00] - Eric's motivation to give back 

[00:04:26] - Eric's experience in investment banking 

[00:08:07] - Moving to Vietnam 

[00:09:27] - Learning Vietnamese

[00:14:15] - Language Layers

[00:16:34] - Life as an Expat in Vietnam 

[00:19:35] - Humility and Understanding 

[00:21:15] - The Rogue Employee

[00:24:32] - Lessons from Failure 

[00:27:23] - Challenges of Being an Expat Founder in Vietnam 

[00:32:40] - Investing in Vietnam

[00:35:22] - Setting up logistics hub in Hanoi 

[00:37:03] - Experience on Shark Tank Vietnam

[00:41:53] - Coaching founders in Vietnam 

[00:43:49] - Joining Antler Vietnam 

[00:47:53] - Excitement of being a VC 

Like the show?  Subscribe to the BackScoop newsletter to stay updated with the latest news in Southeast Asian startups in minutes: https://www.backscoop.com/.

Visit BackScoop’s social media pages and show your support!

BackScoop (Linkedin): https://www.linkedin.com/company/backscoop/

BackScoop (Twitter): https://twitter.com/BackScoopHQ

BackScoop (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/BackScoop

BackScoop (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/backscoop

Visit Amanda Cua’s social media pages:

Amanda (Linkedin): https://ph.linkedin.com/in/amanda-cua

Amanda (Twitter): https://twitter.com/HeyAmandaCua

Visit Erik Jonsson’s social media pages:

Erik (Linkedin): https://vn.linkedin.com/in/jonssonej

Antler: https://www.antler.co/

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Franco Varona is the Managing Partner of Foxmont Capital Partners, the Philippines' only independent VC firm.

They recently announced the close of Fund 2 at $21M, which will invest in early-stage, Philippine-focused startups.

Before Foxmont, Franco was the General Manager of Grab Philippines when it was first starting out in the country. He is also the co-founder of media company GMI Post and watch store Vintage Grail.

What was it like for him to move to the Philippines as a Filipino-Canadian after being born and raised in Canada all his life? How did Franco's experience during the 9/11 attack in the US change his life? How did his experience as an entrepreneur help influence the start of Foxmont? Why does VC matter so much not just to the local startup ecosystem, but to the entire country?

Topics

[00:02:13] - Franco's early life in Canada

[00:05:53] - Interest and hobbies growing up

[00:08:20] - Impact of growing up with mostly female friends

[00:08:34] - Growing up with girls

[00:11:14] - Moving to the Philippines

[00:15:51] - Meeting Jesse Maxwell

[00:16:54] - Building Strong Relationships

[00:20:01] - Meaningful Connections

[00:23:37] - Leaving the Philippines

[00:25:53] - Integration into Local School Culture

[00:29:04] - Challenges with Local Curriculum

[00:31:19] - Choosing Syracuse University

[00:33:09] - 9/11 Experience

[00:39:36] - Traveling Sales Job

[00:41:24] - Founding Global Media

[00:42:29] - Building Grab in the Philippines

[00:47:05] - Challenges of Raising Money

[00:47:54] - Venture Capital Landscape 

Like the show? Subscribe to the BackScoop newsletter to stay updated with the latest news in Southeast Asian startups in minutes: https://www.backscoop.com/.

Visit BackScoop’s social media pages and show your support!

BackScoop (Linkedin): https://www.linkedin.com/company/backscoop/

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BackScoop (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/BackScoop

BackScoop (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/backscoop

Visit Amanda Cua’s social media pages:

Amanda (Linkedin): https://ph.linkedin.com/in/amanda-cua

Amanda (Twitter): https://twitter.com/HeyAmandaCua

Visit Franco Varona’s social media pages:

Franco (Linkedin): https://ph.linkedin.com/in/francovarona

Foxmont Capital Partners: https://www.foxmontcapital.com/

Franco (Twitter): https://twitter.com/francovarona

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