Tiang Lim Foo is the Managing Partner and Co-founder of Forge Ventures, a venture capital firm that aims to partner with founders in Southeast Asia at the pre-seed or seed stage. Before Forge, he was a Partner at SeedPlus, a seed fund in Southeast Asia Supported by SGInnovate, Jungle Ventures, Cisco, and the IFC. He also launched and managed Evernote's operations in Asia.

How did a visit to Evernote's office in the US as a college student turn into an opportunity to lead their Asia operations? What impact did his experience at Evernote have in shaping his career? What inspired him to co-found Forge Ventures, and what is the firm's investment focus in Southeast Asia? What were some of the key lessons that Tiang gained from investing in seed-stage startups in Southeast Asia?

Topics

[00:02:23] - Childhood and Education

[00:05:34] - Working at a Startup in Mobile Payments

[00:07:15] - Launching Evernote Operations in Southeast Asia

[00:09:00] - Emergence of Southeast Asia's technology and venture ecosystem

[00:11:06] - Moving to Singapore

[00:16:16] - Importance of deliberate practice

[00:19:51] - International Experience

[00:26:54] Difficult Moments

[00:27:49] - Being a Role Model

[00:29:35] - Impact of Marriage and Fatherhood

[00:35:18] - Curiosity and Making Your Own Luck

[00:37:47] - Building a lasting franchise

[00:40:34] - Involvement in company building

[00:44:02] - Proactive work and strategy sounding board

[00:45:58] - Challenges of being a VC

[00:48:22] - Spending time with family 

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 Tiang Lim Foo’s social media pages: 

Tiang Lim Foo (LinkedIn): https://sg.linkedin.com/in/tlfoo

Tiang Lim Foo (Twitter): https://twitter.com/tianglim?lang=en

Tiang Lim Foo (Substack):https://substack.com/profile/16062924-tiang-lim-foo

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Honey Mittal is the Co-founder and CEO of low-code startup Locofy.ai, which turns your designs into production-ready code you can place straight into your apps and websites. They raised a $3M pre-seed in 2022. Before Locofy, he was CPO at startups like FinAccel, Homage and Wego.

How did he go from dreaming of being an Air Force pilot in India to accidentally ending up in Singapore for university? Lessons from building his first startup a few years after graduating university? When did he know it was time to leave the CPO role and start a startup?

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 Honey Mittal's social media pages: 

Honey Mittal (LinkedIn): https://sg.linkedin.com/in/honeymittal

Honey Mittal (Locofy): https://www.locofy.ai

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Arnold Chan is the Hong Kong & Southeast Asia General Manager for Airwallex. He handles Airwallex’s overall business growth in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, building out its local commercial teams and operations and helping businesses in those regions leverage fintech solutions to grow internationally.

Before Airwallex, he was the founder and executive chairman of Teach4HK, a local education social enterprise in Hong Kong.

How has Arnold's passion for people development and empathic leadership driven his career and the way he works? What motivated him to move from NGO to startup? How did he shift from working for an NGO to working at a high-growth startup? 

Topics: 

00:01:15 - Started career at Goldman Sachs 

00:06:18 - Using nonprofit expertise to land a role at Airwallex

00:09:25 - The importance of constant growth

00:14:38 - Passion for Learning and People Development

00:17:26 - Starting a Nonprofit Teach4HK

00:19:36 - Empathy in Leadership

00:24:19 - Developing Personal Relationships with Team Members

00:28:19 - Maintaining Personal Relationships in a Small Team

00:44:20 - Importance of Empowerment in Managing a Remote Team,

00:48:50 - Hiring and Managing Your Own Team

00:50:44 - Challenges of Managing Growth Across Markets

00:52:43 - Importance of Calibration in Leadership

00:57:59 - Motivating Underperforming Team Members

00:59:54 - Building a Culture of Growth

01:00:23 - Personal Goals: Promote people development and leadership that values empathy and growth.

01:01:13 - Advocating for People Development

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 Arnold Chan’s social media pages: 

Airwallex (Website): https://www.airwallex.com/

Airwallex (Linkedin): https://www.linkedin.com/company/airwallex/

Arnold (Linkedin): https://www.linkedin.com/in/arnoldchanhbs/

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Joshua Kevin was the Founder and CEO of Talenta, an Indonesian HR software startup that was acquired by Mekari in 2018. Now, he is Experiments Lead at Xendit.

What was his turning point after his "dark" childhood? How did organizing startup events and being a journalist and VC help him when he started his own startup? What is the personal impact of exiting your own startup? What is it really like to be a founder?

Topics: 

00:02:04 - Childhood and Inspiration 

00:04:20 - Gambling and Turning Point 

00:06:23 - Entry into Tech Industry 

00:13:21 - Getting into the startup ecosystem

00:16:17 - Managing two jobs and graduating early 

00:19:58 - Working in East Ventures and Tech in Asia

00:22:18 - Using Credentials to Gain Access

00:29:50 - Starting Talenta

00:30:02 - Knowing When to Quit

00:32:07 - The challenges of Building Talent 

00:35:51 - Onboarding Grab and Go-Jek 

00:38:27 - Personal Cost of Being a Founder 

00:40:24 - Challenges of Being a Solo Founder 

00:42:27 - Scaling a company and hiring management

00:45:30 - Challenges of exiting a company 

00:47:59 - Personal impact of exiting a company 

00:50:20 - Living a Double Life as a Founder

00:57:11 - Finding a Company That Matches Your Expertise and Values

01:01:30 - Inspiring Others Through His Life

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

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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/HeyA

Visit Joshua Kevin’s social media pages: 

Joshua (Linkedin): https://id.linkedin.com/in/joshuakevin

Joshua (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/joshuakevin/?hl=en

Mekari Talenta (Twitter): https://twitter.com/talentaco

Mekari Talenta (Website): https://www.talenta.co/en/

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Fannie Lin is the Co-founder and CEO of Ailiverse, a no-code AutoDL platform that allows anyone to build custom Computer Vision models with small datasets. 

Before Ailiverse, Fannie co-founded her own edtech startup that taught affordable and high-quality GRE English courses to Chinese university students who want to study overseas.

What led Fannie to believe that AI may change society and the economy through entrepreneurship? How did Fannie realize that the existing AI ecosystem is capital- and time-intensive and unavailable to many people and businesses? What solutions can Ailiverse offer to empower and meet the growing expectations of companies aware of AI's benefits?

Topics: 

00:02:11 - Growing up at two different places

00:04:14 - The winter and personal relationships 

00:07:32 - Being fascinated in technology at very young age

00:09:12 - Captivated with technology and multidisciplinary topics

00:12:45 - Getting two majors to focus and explore

00:14:14 - Encouraging other women to go after their dreams

00:22:02 - Fannie wants to make a shift in the predominantly male entrepreneurial scene

00:25:06 - Figuring out what’s your life goal

00:27:40 - How Fannie get started with edtech startup

00:29:07 - Using Taobao as one of largest channels to gain clients

00:33:38 - The disadvantage of focusing on one channel

00:37:48 - Coming from technology without sales and marketing background is tough

00:40:45 - Learning investor relations as a founder

00:45:20 - What is NeuCore/Ailiverse?

00:48:28 - Ailiverse allows companies to develop computer vision models with 10% of the traditional data

00:50:50 - Balancing founder and personal life

00:53:17 - Pushing other women to pursue what they want in their life

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 Fannie Lin’s social media pages: 

Fannie (Linkedin): https://sg.linkedin.com/in/fanfanlin

Ailiverse (beta): https://www.ailiverse.com/

Ailiverse (linkedin): https://sg.linkedin.com/company/ailiverse

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Marina Tran-Vu is the Founder and CEO of EQUO, a sustainable brand providing 100% plastic-free and compostable solutions for everyday single-use plastics.

Their products are made from materials like grass, rice, coconut, sugarcane and coffee. They have raised over $1.3M for their seed round and were featured in global media, including Forbes, Shark Tank Vietnam and Front Office by PlayersTV in the US.

How did Marina's family develop a successful business from the beginning despite the hardships they faced as immigrants arriving in Canada? How did Marina discover her personal interest in marketing? How has she adjusted to her new environment since deciding to remain in Vietnam?

Topics: 

00:03:15 - Life in Canada, overcoming poverty, and finding inspiration

00:10:04 - The point, the motivation, the endgame

00:19:47 - Almost starting a Kpop Career

00:22:29 - Entry point in marketing and business

00:24:21 - Learned to comprehend people like children

00:27:18 - Choosing family over career and staying in Vietnam

00:29:11 - Realizing the possibilities in Vietnam, the birth of EQUO

00:31:58 - Difficulty dealing with stress and depression

00:34:16 - Separating who I am from what I do

00:37:11 - Pressure is the hardest thing for a founder and an individual to deal with

00:40:56 - Kick starting and branding EQUO 

00:47:05 - Getting inspiration from successful people

00:51:10 - All things Vietnam!

00:56:05 - Add to heart: 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/.

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

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Visit Amanda Cua’s social media pages:

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

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Visit Marina Tran-Vu and EQUO’s social media pages: 

Marina (Linkedin): https://vn.linkedin.com/in/marinatranvu

Marina (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/marinatv_/?hl=en

EQUO (Website): https://shopequo.com/

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Patricia Sosrodjojo is a Partner at Seedstars International Ventures, an early stage venture capital fund focused on emerging and frontier markets. She is a seasoned investor and executive, having worked in the US, Asia, and globally. She has a passion for creativity, storytelling, and understanding people's motivations.

Balancing creativity and business: How does Patricia Sosrodjojo navigate the two and make them work together? Traveling and discovering cultures: How has this influenced Patricia's work and the decisions she has made? Exploring different roles and industries: What has Patricia learned from her journey of switching between different industries and roles?

Topics: 

00:00:32 - Who is Patricia Sosrodjojo?

00:03:12 - How Patricia ended up working at Lehman

00:06:55 - Driven by a passion for advertising and a thirst for adventure

00:08:04 - Her internship at Lehman Brothers 

00:14:58 - Innovation is the link between advertising and commerce

00:17:10 - Showing Patricia's creativity and love of music and dancing

00:21:28 - Going overseas gave Patricia a level of independence

00:27:38 - Discrimination towards women in the workforce

00:31:08 - Operating as a VC in Southeast Asian technology

00:37:40 - What was Patrica's path to VC and becoming a Partner?

00:47:18 - One area of growth for Patricia was going beyond Southeast Asia

00:52:21 - Fundraising for her university at a "student call center"

00:56:31 - What's one thing Patricia wants to achieve in her personal life?

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

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

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Visit Patricia Sosrodjojo and Seedstar’s social media pages: 

Patricia (Linkedin): https://id.linkedin.com/in/patriciasosrodjojo

Patricia (Instagram:) https://www.instagram.com/patriciasosrodjojo/?hl=en

Seedstars (Website): https://www.seedstars.com/

Seedstars (Twitter): https://twitter.com/Seedstars

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Beth Ann Lopez is the Co-founder and CEO of Docosan, a Vietnamese health tech firm that connects thousands of healthcare professionals that provide online and offline care, as well as DTC, doctor-guided home testing, treatment, and monitoring packages, to enhance access to healthcare. Beth worked as a market launcher and Director of Public Affairs at SwipeRx before joining Docosan. She has a master's degree in public health from Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

How did her childhood in New Mexico influence her desire to work in public health? What systemic issues affecting healthcare access in Cambodia prompted her tech startup, Docosan? How did she overcome the obstacles throughout her transition from operator to founder?

Topics: 

00:01:09 - Who is Beth Ann Lopez?

00:03:04 - Growing up in New Mexico and what influenced her to healthcare path

00:05:52 - Joining the Peace Corps and poor healthcare in Cambodia

00:08:33 - Launching the SwipeRx in Cambodia and Vietnam

00:10:09 - Started Docosan to simplify healthcare access for everyone

00:14:28 - How public health systems in Cambodia and Vietnam differ 

00:16:09 - Unforgettable experiences while living in Cambodia

00:26:02 - How does Docosan help individuals acquire healthcare easily?

00:31:20 - The significance of price transparency

00:32:36 - Docosan Cares offers therapeutic treatment packages

00:34:03 - Docosan sample collection decreases stigma, saves money by eliminating requirements for physical infrastructure

00:38:02 - Docosan acquire analytics, detect trends, and design funnels

00:40:15 - US tech startups operate differently from Vietnamese companies

00:49:55 - Things that female founders typically discuss

00:57:29 - Proper sleep is the key to everything

00:58:36 -Take care of yourself, first things first

00:59:24 - Find a good community that will support you

01:02:41 - Beth’s take on entrepreneurship

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

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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 Beth Ann Lopez’ and Docosan’s social media pages:

Beth Ann (Linkedin): https://vn.linkedin.com/in/balopez999

Docosan (Website): https://docosan.com/en

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Jeremy Au is Chief of Staff and an Investor at Monks Hill Ventures. Apart from Monk’s Hill, he is an active angel investor and hosts the Brave Southeast Asia Tech podcast. Before Monk’s Hill, he co-founded and exited his startup called CozyKin in the US and co-founded the non-profit Conjunct Consulting.

What was he like growing up? How did Jeremy Au overcome grief after the passing of a loved one? How did he restart his life and career? What was it like building and exiting his childcare startup, CozyKin? How did he get back to SEA and what is it like now being on the other side of the table as a VC?

Topics:

00:01:06 - Who is Jeremy Au?

00:02:35 - A computer geek and a gamer

00:17:10 - Commitment phobic and figuring how to be in a serious one

00:24:40 - Choosing something that nobody else is doing

00:33:43 - Ended up deferring admission in Harvard to find the right successor

00:44:19 - Self awareness is the backbone of a successful product

00:46:55 - From a founder to VC, what’s the difference?

00:48:48 - VC representing the capital side, level of collaboration, strategy and time horizon

00:50:54 - The best part of having kids and it’s priceless!

00:52:05 - Jeremy’s typical weekend

00:55:15 - Eat, Pray, Love with a hiking twist

00:56:42 - 1 month walking is one thing I want to do!

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

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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 Jeremy Au’s social media pages: 

Jeremy (Linkedin): https://sg.linkedin.com/in/jeremyau

Jeremy (Twitter): https://twitter.com/jeremyau

Jeremy (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz/?hl=en

BRAVE SEA (Website): https://www.bravesea.com/

Monk’s Hill Venture (Website): https://www.monkshill.com/platform-team/jeremy-au

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Kimberly Yao is the Co-founder and CEO of CloudEats, a multi-brand cloud kitchen active in the Philippines and Vietnam and recently raised $7M in a Series A extension. She previously co-founded and exited her liquor startup, Boozy, after two years of management.

How did her F&B career influence her decision to launch her own startup? What were the particular challenges she encountered as a female founder? How did her initial startup help her develop as a founder?

Topics: 

00:02:31 - Food is my passion

00:04:13 - Being a part of the Palace Group and learning a lot from mentors

00:06:09 - Managing Boozy as an integral part of her career

00:08:21 - How to build a scalable, sustainable, financially viable business

00:10:09 - Turning off autopilot mode

00:12:37 - Allowing people to discover their own professional or personal purpose

00:15:02 - Addressing the lack of help and support for women leaders

00:16:53 - Personal struggles and looking forward fulfilling the dream

00:21:01 - Turning the pros into more opportunity for women

00:24:32 - Managing anxiety

00:26:04 - How does Kim spend her normal weekend?

00:28:22 - Understand what your body needs in order to make healthy choices

00:29:57 - How I achieve in business determines how I succeed as a person

00:32:05 - If you want to start a successful business, you need to love it every single day

00:33:32 - Starting a family as a personal accomplishment

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

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

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Visit Kimberly Yao’s social media pages: 

Kimberly (Linkedin): https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-yao-81a24914a/

Kimberly (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/kimyaoza/?hl=en

CloudEats (Linkedin): https://www.linkedin.com/company/cloudeats

CloudEats (Website): https://www.cloudeats.com/

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