Rising Up

Jackie is a serial entrepreneur (2x Exit) with experience in finance, education, and artificial intelligence. He is a PhD holder, and the Co-Founder and CEO of Border Dollar.

In this episode, he shared what it was like founding a startup when he was still a student, the importance of validating your startup idea & how to do it effectively, and his thoughts on startup mentorship. 

Some key sharings include:

• How did he start his first company, what made him transition from a life scientist to an entrepreneur?
• The company underwent three pivots to reach its final version. What was the basis of these pivots, and what was his thought process behind them? 
• What has he done differently when building his second startup, reflecting on the lessons learned from his first startup journey?

Connect with Jackie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackietanyen/

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Andrew is passionate about building ecosystems to help people help others. He drives Wantedly, a social recruitment platform, as the Country Manager, and also serves Asia Startup Network together with Elise and its team of amazing volunteers, as the co-Founder. Andrew is also a new father raising his young toddler to be a dedicated Liverpool Football Club fan, and just welcomed a newborn into the family in May this year.

In this episode, Andrew recounted his journey that eventually led him to co-found Asia Startup Network. He also reflected on his formative experiences and the process through which he discovered his place within the startup ecosystem.

Some key sharing include: 

• What prompted Andrew to collaborate with Elise in building the Makan For Hope (now rebranded as Asia Startup Network) initiative?
• What drives Andrew to champion initiatives and cultivate a culture of giving back and paying it forward within the startup ecosystem?
• What was the younger Andrew like, and did he always have a clear sense of what he wanted to do from a young age?
• What was Andrew's entry point into the startup scene and what has his journey been like?

Relevant links: 

Andrew Tan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew10/ 

Wantedly Singapore: https://sg.wantedly.com/companies/wantedly_sg

Asia Startup Network: https://linktr.ee/asiastartupnetwork 

Special thanks to Adeline, Jieyu, Sydnie, and Patricia for your help in making this come to life!

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Elise is Director, Communications & Community at Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India. Before Vertex, she was the VP for investor relations and partnerships at Longhash Ventures, a global blockchain fund backed by Fenbushi and Hashkey Capital. She previously led and built up the investor relations team at Entrepreneur First across Singapore, Hong Kong, and India. In 2011, she helped to start the Singapore Chapter of the Startup Leadership Program, a not-for-profit accelerator program, and has been actively supporting the Asian startup ecosystem. Outside of work, she runs the Asia Startup Network, which organizes startup community-driven and charity fundraising events, Mentor For Hope and Makan For Hope.

In this episode, she elaborated on how Asia Startup Network was started, how her childhood shaped who she is and how she works today, and the importance of giving back to those in need.

Some key sharings include:

• How did the community-driven and charity fundraising events, such as Mentor For Hope and Maken For Hope all start?
• How did her journey during her formative years shape her, and did she ever anticipate becoming the person she is today?
• What stands out as the most memorable entrepreneurial endeavor, particularly from her life before entering the workforce?
• How does Elise effectively balance all her commitments, and has she ever experienced burnout?
• How does she sustain her drive and energy in her commitments, especially when instant rewards and gratification is not readily apparent?
•  What advice would she give to her 16-year-old self?

Relevant Links:

• Elise’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/Elisetanyl/
• Asia Startup Network: https://linktr.ee/asiastartupnetwork 

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Steve is a serial entrepreneur, investor and advisor. He has scaled teams from zero to 1,500 staff, built a tech unicorn, PropertyGuru, used by 40M monthly users, raised $400M+ funding, led 5 M&A deals, IPO on NYSE, invested/advises 20+ greentech start-ups and launched Wavemaker Impact, a Climate Tech fund. He’s passionate about entrepreneurship, climate change and social equality.

In this episode, he took us down memory lane on the lessons he learned from starting and scaling Property Guru, and why it is crucial for us to pay more attention to the emerging climate space. He also called out a stupid decision made during his time at Property Guru. 

Some key sharing include:

• What was Steve’s childhood ambition and did he expect himself to be where he is today?
• How did Steve meet his co-founder, Yani, and what made him certain that this Yani was the right person for initiating the business together?
• Over the course of the decade, have there been any instances of close encounters with failure while building and scaling PropertyGuru?
• How did Steve manage to shift his mindset to recognise the issues and successfully navigate through the trying periods?
• What are the climate impact activities that Steve is currently working on and his view on the prospects of climatetech

Relevant links: 

Steve Melhuish’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevemel/ 

Wavemaker Impact: https://wavemakerimpact.com/

Special thanks to Adeline, Jieyu, Sydnie, and Patricia for your help in making this come to life!

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Azran is the CEO and co-founder of Naluri, a digital behavioral health startup that addresses mental health and chronic diseases together. He was previously CEO of AirAsia X and iflix Malaysia and held leadership roles at Astro, Bursa Malaysia, and McKinsey & Company. He chronicles his leadership challenges, failures, and overcoming adversity in his book, ’30 Days and 30 Years’. He is an Ironman triathlete.

In this episode, we delved into all these interesting transitions, and what he learned from one of the biggest failures he had faced throughout his career.

Some key sharing include:

• What was the younger Azran like, and did he know what he was getting into from a young age?
• Did Azran always possess the certainty that he wanted and would pursue a career in business, even though he held a degree in engineering?
• How one’s network and proven track record of experts can play a pivotal role in attracting meaningful career opportunities
• One of Azran’s biggest failures throughout his career
• Azran’s inspiring Ironman triathlete journey

Relevant links:

• Azran Osman-Rani’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/azranosmanrani/
• Azran Osman-Rani’s personal website: https://www.azranosmanrani.com/
• Naluri: https://www.naluri.life/
• Free 24/7 counseling support: https://www.naluri.life/contact-us/carelines

Special thanks to Adeline, Jieyu, Sydnie, and Patricia for your help in making this come to life!

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

Introducing the Rising Up podcast by Asia Startup Network!

"Rising Up" is where we celebrate the diverse paths to success in Asia's startup ecosystem. Join us as we share inspiring stories from founders, operators, and venture capitalists who have overcome challenges and risen to their own version of success. Whether it's breaking through societal norms or overcoming personal setbacks, their stories demonstrate that the path to success is never one size fits all.

Let the stories of resilience and determination shared on "Rising Up" fuel your inner fire and propel you towards your own version of triumph.

Stay updated with Asia Startup Network Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/asiastartupnetwork

Stay connected with Asia Startup Network Telegram:

https://t.me/+Dswf_VEsJWdkYjRl

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