Steve Sy is the Founder and CEO of Great Deals E-Commerce, an end-to-end Philippine e-commerce enabler that helps global and local brands sell and grow online.

How did faith change his perspective on money? How did he redefine success after making his first million? How have his faith and family affected his life and career decisions?

Topics: 

[00:02:36] - How Steve earned his first peso

[00:06:28] - The influence by their parents to do business at an early stage

[00:09:20] - Getting involved with the business

[00:14:17] - Balancing studies and hitting the goal

[00:17:55] - Steve aka The Divisoria Guy

[00:20:37] - Life is more than just making money

[00:22:51] - A very traumatic experience

[00:24:13] - Change of faith and choosing their own paths

[00:27:28] - Money is a fuel for your dreams

[00:29:09] - Having debt at 28 years old

[00:32:04] - Faced adversity and ecommerce as a blessing

[00:33:47] - Paying taxes led to his company being investable.

[00:37:29] - Venturing into ecommerce industry

[00:39:05] - Trying Lazada’s new business model

[00:41:18] - From offline stores and concentrating online

[00:42:20] - Setting up Great Deals

[00:45:14] - Becoming the number one fashion brand in the Lazada platform and getting noticed by bigger brands

[00:47:15] - The principle of building capabilities

[00:51:34] - 50, 000 orders and a whole lot of problem

[00:53:33] - Surpassing challenging times

[00:56:16] - The angel investor

[00:58:16] - Seed investment

[01:00:16] - From 1.1 billion to 4.4 billion revenue

[01:01:35] - The difficult parts of building a business

[01:02:48] - Making mistakes and acknowledging it

[01:04:02] - Success is nothing if you don't have success in the 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/.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hsu Ken Ooi is the Co-founder and Managing Partner at Iterative, a twelve week Y Combinator-style startup accelerator focused on Southeast Asia. He previously co-founded Decide.com (acquired by eBay), was VP of Product at Weave (acquired by Lunchclub) and was CPO at Workmate.

How did teenage rebellion and curiosity lead to his poor performance in school? What changed everything for him? How did he get into startups?

Topics: 

[00:00:40] - Introduction to Hsu Ken Ooi

[00:05:49] - Growing up in Penang

[00:07:50] - More about Hsu Ken

[00:10:41] - Rebellious side of Hsu Ken

[00:12:31] - Hsu Ken pushing his boundaries

[00:15:29] - Choosing your own life

[00:18:37] - What kind of career did he want to get into?

[00:23:39] - Starting his own startup

[00:28:26] - Hsu Ken’s companies coming out one by one

[00:32:48] - Something can be fun, but also painful

[00:43:39] - Imposter syndrome

[00:48:18] - Hsu Ken’s love for math

[00:51:33] - Hsu Ken: If there's anything that I care about, it's curiosity 

[00:54:29] - Rethinking ecosystem programs particularly in Southeast Asia

[00:59:11] - Doing Iterative really makes you think about startups more broadly

[01:00:17] - Reasons why startups don't work

[01:03:49] - A community of peers

[01:05:05] Hsu Ken: I want to go to outer space

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 Iterative and Hsu Ken Ooi's social media pages:

Iterative (Website): https://www.iterative.vc

Iterative (Linkedin): https://www.linkedin.com/company/iterative-capital/

Hsu Ken Ooi (Linkedin): https://www.linkedin.com/in/hsukenooi/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Qin En Looi is a Principal at Saison Capital, where he actively leads pre-seed and seed investments in Fintech and Web3 firms, Prior to that, he served as co-founder and COO at Glints, the leading talent ecosystem in Southeast Asia.

In his free time, he founded and hosts Parents in Tech, a podcast for parents in Southeast Asia.

What made him decide to drop out of college? What were the events in his early life that shaped his path? What series of fortunate events that led him on an unlikely journey to co-found Glints?

Topics: 

[00:01:15] Introduction

[00:02:33] Doing research papers at 15 and family background

[00:05:41] Taking a leap

[00:06:06] Chances and opportunities

[00:08:05] Stanford: dream school

[00:10:55] Serendipity

[00:12:39] Internship while serving military service

[00:14:06] Angel investing

[00:15:04] Research as a passport to international travel

[00:16:20] Taking chances, opportunities that changed his life

[00:17:56] Every day is a new a challenge

[00:25:51] What's safest might not be the best

[00:26:48] Parenting goals and challenges

[00:28:48] Letting go

[00:32:09] Appreciating your team wholeheartedly 

[00:35:18] Interacting with team members' families to further educate them about life at work in a startup

[00:40:32] A parent’s dream: Getting a degree 

[00:44:58] Understanding what’s really important and less important

[00:46:29] Graduating from Stanford in two years

[00:48:56] Fun times at Stanford

[00:52:23] Sentimental reflections: being at the right place at the right time

[00:54:36] Balance in every aspect of life

[01:01:23] Equal parenting

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 Qin En Looi’s social media pages:

Linkedin: https://sg.linkedin.com/in/looiqinen

Twitter: https://twitter.com/webthreedad

Parents in Tech: https://www.parents.fm/

Saison Capital: https://www.saisoncapital.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kevin Brockland is the Founder and Managing Partner of Indelible Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital firm focused on tech-enabled B2B solutions with worldwide scalability. He grew up in the United States and worked in finance and as an investor before moving to Malaysia. 

What prompted him to leave the West and build his own firm in Malaysia? What difficulties did he experience when establishing Indelible Ventures in a foreign country? What has changed since he left his corporate job in the United States, and how is his life now as a VC?

Topics: 

[00:02:06] - Growing up with Kevin

[00:03:23] - Working at Tiger Capital as formative years in corporate world

[00:04:37] - Switching to international, emerging markets

[00:06:09] - Inner wanderlust

[00:10:50] - Business and Finance over Computer Science

[00:11:13] - Taking up grad school at Seton Hall, New Jersey

[00:18:53] - Emigrating from hometown to pursuit a higher education

[00:24:51] - Thoughts from the road: Cultures may vary but people are the same 

[00:29:35] - From Wall Street to Tiger Capital

[00:34:00] - Comparison between New York and DC

[00:41:57] - Agility, flexibility and curiosity are Kevin’s key aspect to adapt to various environments

[00:45:36] - Totally obsessed with exploration!

[00:48:48] - Gaining confidence and grit from accumulated experience

[00:54:07] - Lack of funding hinders Malaysia’s commercial opportunities

[00:57:20] - Getting into the game of investing

[01:01:29] - Defining your intent

[01:06:22] - Resistance and adopting technology and South East market competition

[01:11:30] - Hiking, traveling and competing for Ironman as a bucket list

[01:13:53] - Kevin’s takeaway: It doesn’t have to be a straight line

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 Kevin Brockland’s social media pages:

Kevin Brockland (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbrockland/

Indelible Ventures (Linkedin): https://www.linkedin.com/company/indelible-ventures/

Indelible Ventures (Website): https://indelible.vc/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dexter Ligot-Gordon is the Co-founder and CEO of Swarm, a community connecting founders with freelance tech builders. He was also the Co-founder of Kalibrr, the first Southeast Asian and Philippine startup accepted into the global startup accelerator Y Combinator. Before his career as a founder, he spent almost ten years in public service, helping Filipino-Americans break through the glass ceiling.

What motivated him to pursue a career in public policy for nearly a decade? What was it like to build a startup in the early days of the Philippine startup ecosystem? How did it all lead to Swarm?

Topics: 

• Who is Dexter Ligot-Gordon?
•  How his family impacted him and how he got involved in job matching opportunities
• Changing rules and creating opportunities
• Kalibrr as a game changer
• Fending off major tech companies
• From social studies educator to politician
• Becoming student regent at UC Berkeley
• Building programs for Filipino-American students
• Turning point: political career
• Moving back to Philippines
• Combining tech, entrepreneurship and strategy
• Alignment, ability to bring solutions to that affects people's lives
• Working at Swarm is about range of commitment
• The early days of Kalibrr and building a startup in the early days of the Philippine (and Southeast Asian) startup ecosystem
• Funding the business
• Creating a culture of learning and training team members
• What are the challenges and motivations as he builds a startup?
• Living in a hostel and the birth of Kalibrr
•  What he wants to achieve in his 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/.

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 Dexter Ligot-Gordon’s social media pages:

Dexter (Linkedin): https://www.linkedin.com/in/ligotgordon

Swarm: https://www.swarm.work/

Swarm (Linkedin): https://www.linkedin.com/company/swarmnow/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ronald Ishak is the Co-founder and CEO of Hacktiv8, a coding bootcamp that teaches Indonesians how to code and helps them get hired as web developers. He started out in the Indonesian tech scene in 2008 when he was in his early 20s. Now, after nearly 15 years in the tech scene as a founder, CEO and CTO, he’s been able to launch, fail and grow multiple startups. 

Learn about the accidents, the unexpected, what he learned and what success now means to him. How did he get into the tech scene in the first place? What did he suck at as a founder early on? What helped keep him going in the toughest times? What is life like now? 

In this episode, you will learn the following: 

•  How Ronald's early life influenced his entrepreneurial journey
•  Maintaining good relationships with people you have worked with
•  His accidental launch of a BlackBerry app and the surprising response it received
• Significance of inner peace and faith in his profession and 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/.

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 Ronald Ishak’s social media pages:

Hacktiv8: https://www.hacktiv8.com

Linkedin: https://id.linkedin.com/in/ronishak

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One More Scoop is where you get to hear the unfiltered stories of Southeast Asia's top tech startup founders, executives and VC investors. Listen to their personal journeys, get to know who they really are and find out what actually happens behind the scenes. It’s honest. It’s casual. And this is totally not your usual “thought-leader” kind of thing.

One More Scoop is a podcast by BackScoop. BackScoop is a free daily newsletter read by thousands of founders, execs and investors in Southeast Asia. We make it fun and easy to stay updated with the latest news on Southeast Asian tech and startups in minutes.

Subscribe for free: www.backscoop.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.