In this episode of Tank Talks Asia, Manisha Tank sits down with pioneering Thai economist, technologist, and Silicon Valley venture capitalist Jeep Kline, Founder & Managing Partner of Raisewell Ventures.
Jeep shares her remarkable journey from growing up in Bangkok, to earning her stripes at the World Bank, and launching the world’s first Android tablet at Intel, before ultimately founding a VC firm focused on both deep-tech innovation and real impact across Southeast Asia.
Jeep opens up about resilience, failure, identity, the challenges facing young entrepreneurs, the future of climate tech, and her mission to unlock Southeast Asia’s full potential in the AI age.
Featured Voices
Host: Manisha Tank
Guest: Jeep Kline, Managing Partner & Founder, Raisewell Ventures
Key takeaways
- Jeep believes that growing up through the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, combined with years of never winning anything as a competitive swimmer, helped teach her how to adapt and move on after failure.
- A revelatory experience in Tanzania made Jeep realize that technology, and not just policy, is key to improving lives. This realization resulted in her pivoting from economics to tech.
- At Intel, Jeep helped launch the world’s first Android tablet, motivated by a belief that powerful technology should be affordable and accessible across emerging markets.
- Raisewell is Jeep’s fourth fund and the one closest to her mission: backing founders tackling massive global problems in climate, AI, healthcare, and hard tech.
- Jeep talks about how women in Venture Capital can be stereotyped and how this has inspired her to double down on deep tech.
Chapter heads
00:00 – Welcome & Introduction
Manisha introduces Jeep Kline and her trailblazing role as a Thai-born Silicon Valley VC.
01:10 – Growing Up in Bangkok
Jeep talks about how her education and cultural background have shaped her outlook.
03:05 – Language Barriers
Jeep recounts helping teach herself English by listening to news programs.
04:55 – Living Through the Asian Financial Crisis
How failure, family hardship, and resilience have helped form Jeep’s worldview.
06:10 – A Calling to Economics
Why the financial crisis pushed Jeep to study economics.
10:10 – Hustling Her Way Into the World Bank
How cold calling 50 economists paid off for Jeep.
11:35 – Seeing Technology’s Power in Tanzania
The moment Jeep realized tech is key to improving the lives of millions.
13:50 – Pivot to Tech: UC Berkeley & Intel
Her transition from economics to tech, earning her MBA, and joining Intel.
15:30 – Launching the First Android Tablet
Why affordability mattered so much to Jeep.
18:05 – Early Startup Lessons
How Jeep learnt to understand founder–VC dynamics.
20:30 – Founding Raisewell Ventures
Why Jeep focuses on high-return, high-impact deep tech.
22:00 – What She Looks for in Founders
Jeep rates authenticity, clarity and intellectual honesty.
23:20 - Quick Fire Questions
Jeeps answers questions about Ray Dalio, Zohran Mamdani and the K shaped economy.
26:30 – The Future of Climate Tech
Jeep talks about why now, not later, is the time to invest heavily.
28:45 – Advice to Young Southeast Asian Entrepreneurs
Jeep says don’t give up and think globally.
29:50 – Jeep’s Supply–Demand Graph Memento
Jeep gifts the studio her version of the “perfect” economics graph.
31:20 – Closing Remarks
Jeep promises to return—maybe before Raisewell Ventures hits $100M.
Useful links
Chulalongkorn University
The World Bank
Ann Arbor
Berkeley Haas
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Tank Talks Asia is an AsiaWorks production.
