SEA of Startups

This week we are joined by Sharma Lachu the Founder of Accendo, which is a Talent Intelligence Platform company that helps organizations revolutionize how to attract, assess, align, develop, and retain top talent, both inside and outside the company.

This was a great conversation with Sharma where we talked about how his childhood led to his entrepreneurial journey.  We also discuss the pivot from a consulting business model versus a scalable SaaS model.  We talk about scaling the business model and the geographic differences as they impact his product.  This was a great conversation with a lot of insights.

I’d love to know what you took away from this conversation with Sharma Lachu. If you’d like to be considered as a guest or have someone that you’d like to hear me speak to, drop me a message.

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Where to find Sharma Lachu:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharma-lachu-04976125/

• Accendo: https://accendotechnologies.com/

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Where to hear more from The Indelible VC:

• Newsletter: https:insights.indelible.vc

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/IndelibleVc

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbrockland/

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In this episode, we cover:

[1:37] The origins of becoming an entrepreneur and leading toward Accendo

[8:44] Going from a consulting model to a software model and remembering their Why.

[21:16] Addressing nuance and differences across borders while relying on psychometrics and behavioral psychology.

[25:52] From bundling services to productizing automations to create self-serve bundles.

[33:15] Impact of the “jaguh kampung” reputation in Malaysia on fundraising

[36:30] Taking the playbook used to build Malaysia and applying, with tweaks, to new markets.

[43:25] Closing questions

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit seaofstartups.substack.com

This week we are joined by Shayna Teh the Founder of Food Market Hub, which helps restaurants & suppliers to increase efficiency by centralizing all F&B backend processes in one app.

This was a great conversation with Shayna where we cover the journey to launching Food Market Hub from entrepreneurial family to a fashion startup to restaurateur to present.  We talked about building the MVP, scaling customers, raising capital and expanding internationally.  So much useful insights uncovered in this journey.

I’d love to know what you took away from this conversation with Shayna Teh. If you’d like to be considered as a guest or have someone that you’d like to hear me speak to, drop me a message.

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Where to find Shayna Teh:

• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/shayna-teh/

• Food Market Hub:  https://www.foodmarkethub.com/

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Where to hear more from The Indelible VC:

• Newsletter: https://insights.indelible.vc

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/IndelibleVc

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbrockland/

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In this episode, we cover:

[1:22] The origins of becoming an entrepreneur and leading toward Food Market Hub

[11:46] From MVP to traction.

[21:51] Looking back at the moment they had Product Market Fit (PMF).

[27:41] Figuring out what price to charge.

[33:21] Knowing when the right time to expand internationally and how.

[41:09] Building teams to address new country markets.

[46:49] Closing questions

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit seaofstartups.substack.com

This week we are joined by Dr Darren Gouk the Founder of AOne.  For those of you who don’t know, AOne eases digitalization of education centers with a learning center management system.

This was a great conversation with Darren as we talk about going from a marketplace to a SaaS business.  Through the conversation we navigate from MVP through the various product launches and international expansion.

I’d love to know what you took away from this conversation with Dr Darren Gouk. If you’d like to be considered as a guest or have someone that you’d like to hear me speak to, drop me a message.

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Where to find Dr Darren Gouk:

• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-darren-gouk/

• My AOne:  https://aoneschools.com/

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Where to hear more from The Indelible VC:

• Newsletter: https://insights.indelible.vc

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/IndelibleVc

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbrockland/

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In this episode, we cover:

[1:28] The origins of becoming an entrepreneur and deciding to build AOne

[4:17] Understanding the key pain point for the market and preselling the solution prior to building.

[16:08] The go to market strategy and customer acquisition.

[25:45] Expanding international and building local teams.

[36:20] Looking towards the future for AOne.

[39:55] Closing questions

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit seaofstartups.substack.com

This week we are joined by Jason Low the Founder of Virtualtech Frontier, which is a virtualization and Metaverse enablement company that is developing engagement-driven virtual events, with virtual fairs, exhibitions, livestream events and hybrid events.

This was a great conversation with Jason as we talk about the pathway he took, from becoming an entrepreneur, merging with a marketing firm, then back to entrepreneur.  We talk about what he is building in the metaverse and their most recent product launch.

I’d love to know what you took away from this conversation with Jason Low. If you’d like to be considered as a guest or have someone that you’d like to hear me speak to, drop me a message.

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Where to find Jason Low:

• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-low-vtf/

• Virtualtech Frontier:  https://virtualtechfrontier.com/

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Where to hear more from The Indelible VC:

• Newsletter: https://indelible.vc

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/IndelibleVc

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbrockland/

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In this episode, we cover:

[1:28] The origins of becoming an entrepreneur and leading toward Virtualtech Frontier

[10:26] The pandemic causes one chapter to close, but opportunity opens.

[19:20] Raising funds and the difference in the questions posed by 500 Global

[26:01] Post-pandemic transition from virtual events to low-code Metaverse solution

[35:31] The Wix for Metaverse

[41:11] Closing questions

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit seaofstartups.substack.com

This week we are joined by Martin Perez the Founder of PetChef, which is D2C company offering a subscription service of healthy foods for your furry friend.

This was a great conversation with Martin where we talk about his background in entrepreneurship and traveling the world.  We talk about the passion for healthy foods for pets and scaling his business.  We close off talking about what comes next for the business.

I’d love to know what you took away from this conversation with Martin Perez. If you’d like to be considered as a guest or have someone that you’d like to hear me speak to, drop me a message.

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Where to find Martin Perez:

• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/zorvak/

• PetChef:  https://www.petchef.my/

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Where to hear more from The Indelible VC:

• Newsletter: https://indelible.vc

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/IndelibleVc

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbrockland/

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In this episode, we cover:

[0:27] The origins of becoming an entrepreneur at an early age from necessity.

[5:40] Getting started despite constrained resources.

[9:07] The launching of PetChef from personal use to friends to customers

[14:56] Marketing healthy foods advantages for pets versus processed foods.

[19:10] Varying the recipe offerings of healthy foods plus supplements and treats.

[24:24] From home kitchen to dedicated facilities and continuing to outgrow spaces.

[28:32] Using metrics and feedback to drive decisions.

[30:56] Product positioning and price.

[33:43] The next steps for PetChef’s growth

[40:22] Closing questions

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit seaofstartups.substack.com

This week we are joined by Fabio Miceli the Founder of Sonno, which started as a bed in a box D2C company but has now evolved into a full sleep brand with both online and offline channels.

This was a great conversation where we learn the origins of launching a sleep brand and how entrepreneurship was always part of him.  We talk about the challenges in launching a physical product and utilizing a D2C approach in a traditional brick and mortar business.  We close with the evolution towards a full sleep brand of products that is now grown beyond D2C to be omnichannel.

I’d love to know what you took away from this conversation with Fabio Miceli. If you’d like to be considered as a guest or have someone that you’d like to hear me speak to, drop me a message.

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Where to find Fabio Miceli:

• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabiomiceli/

• Sonno:  https://www.sleepsonno.com/

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Where to hear more from The Indelible VC:

• Newsletter: https://indelible.vc

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/IndelibleVc

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbrockland/

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In this episode, we cover:

[0:27] The origins of becoming an entrepreneur and landing on sleep products.

[5:32] Getting the first physical product ready.

[12:35] Creating a D2C approach in a typical brick and mortar industry.

[22:37] Expanding beyond the bed-in-a-box start towards a full sleep brand.

[26:45] Systems for getting customer feedback.

[29:52] From D2C to omnichannel with opening physical stores.

[39:57] Closing questions.

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit seaofstartups.substack.com

This week we are joined by Suthan Mookaiah the Founder of Edar.com, which is an online to offline retail grocery chain across Malaysia, and soon to be Indonesia, that allows payment by recycling household waste.

This was a great conversation with Suthan was fantastic as we go from corporate retrenchment to covid entrepreneur to business model pivot.  A recurring them to this conversation is partnerships and leveraging those to get scale faster.  This is a social enterprise that is focused on recycling and bring tangible value as credit to the grocery bill.

I’d love to know what you took away from this conversation with Suthan Mookaiah. If you’d like to be considered as a guest or have someone that you’d like to hear me speak to, drop me a message.

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Where to find Suthan Mookaiah:

• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/suthan-mookaiah-a931242a/

• Edar.com:  https://edar.com/

—

Where to hear more from The Indelible VC:

• Newsletter: https://insights.indelible.vc

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/IndelibleVc

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbrockland/

—

In this episode, we cover:

[1:28] The origins of becoming an entrepreneur after a corporate job retrenched.

[8:53] A pivot after post-covid reopening changed the business and B2C to B2B2C model.

[14:20] The thought process on establishing partnerships and expanding a new model.

[16:25] Positioning on the value-chain when partnering with existing grocery outlets.

[19:27] Managing minimum volume requirements in collecting recyclables/

[23:58] Managing the logistics is where the secret sauce lies.

[31:43] Understanding the breakeven point of a new expansion market.

[38:45] Closing questions

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit seaofstartups.substack.com

This week we had a special collaboration with Founder Institute Malaysia as part of their relaunch and announcing they are open for applications.  In this session, we were joined by Eric Cheng the Founder of Carsome, which is Malaysia’s first and only unicorn.

This was a great conversation with Eric as he walks us through the early days of launching Carsome and the pathway they have taken in scaling it to where it is today.  We discuss scaling internationally and the pathway of being a venture-backed company.  An inspiring journey with a lot of lessons for aspiring founders.

I’d love to know what you took away from this conversation with Eric Cheng. If you’d like to be considered as a guest or have someone that you’d like to hear me speak to, drop me a message.

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Where to find Eric Cheng:

• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericcheng85/

• Carsome:  https://www.carsome.my/

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Where to hear more from The Indelible VC:

• Newsletter: https://insights.indelible.vc

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/IndelibleVc

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbrockland/

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In this episode, we cover:

[2:25] The origins of entrepreneurship and the pathway to launching Carsome.

[7:07] Lessons learned from past entrepreneurship.

[9:46] Validating the market and getting feedback.

[17:57] From launching to adding features and services.

[29:41] Looking to become international early in the business.

[34:28] Becoming a Venture-backed company and how it evolves from early stage to later rounds

[47:35] Closing questions

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit seaofstartups.substack.com

This week we are joined by Top Lim of FinHero, which is a FinTech solutions provider operating a Finance as a Service platform ranging from credit scoring, KYC, collections and even supply chain financing.

This was a great conversation to discuss how he transitioned from a corporate career at equipment financing entities to launching his own firm.  We talk about the particulars in leveraging technology towards a traditional lending business to bring efficiency and more risk mitigation.  We close out with addressing the need to build trust in entering new markets.

I’d love to know what you took away from this conversation with Top Lim. If you’d like to be considered as a guest or have someone that you’d like to hear me speak to, drop me a message.

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Where to find Top Lim:

• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/top-lim-3a38842b/

• FinHero:  https://finhero.asia/

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Where to hear more from The Indelible VC:

• Newsletter: https://indelible.vc

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/IndelibleVc

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbrockland/

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In this episode, we cover:

[1:25] Worked in equipment financing overseeing a large portfolio but decided to strike off on his own.

[5:48] The starting point for FinHero product

[9:37] Using technology to bring efficiency to traditional lending

[14:07] The typical financing case for FinHero

[20:35] Building the pool of capital to facilitate the lending activity

[27:22] Leveraging technology for credit scoring in B2B

[33:35] Navigating regulation

[39:35] The biggest hurdle towards expansion

[42:26] Closing questions

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit seaofstartups.substack.com

This week we are joined by Goh Ai Ching of Piktochart, which is an all-in-one tool to easily create infographics, presentations, reports, posters, and videos online either from scratch or by editing a broad range of templates.

This was a great conversation to discuss the pathway of a bootstrapped founder.  We talk about what led to the founding of the company, building in the early days, and how the go to market has evolved over time.  We touch on competition with Canva and what the differentiating factor is.

I’d love to know what you took away from this conversation with Goh Ai Ching. If you’d like to be considered as a guest or have someone that you’d like to hear me speak to, drop me a message.

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Where to find Goh Ai Ching:

• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/gohaiching/

• Piktochart:  https://piktochart.com/

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Where to hear more from The Indelible VC:

• Newsletter: https://indelible.vc

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/IndelibleVc

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbrockland/

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In this episode, we cover:

[1:25] From corporate burnout to entrepreneur

[4:37] Going from an idea to building a product

[10:27] First steps towards a go to market

[16:25] Evolution of the product over time and competition

[27:57] Establishing a pricing model and price point

[30:52] Managing with metrics as an organization

[40:01] The future of Piktochart

[42:52] Closing questions

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit seaofstartups.substack.com