The Iterative Podcast

Dear founders, have you ever felt like a fraud? You may be experiencing imposter syndrome. But you're not alone. Research suggests that an astounding 70 percent of people will experience this at some point in their lives.

In this week's Iterative Podcast episode, Charles and Hsu Ken open up about their own experiences with imposter syndrome and offer advice on dealing with it.

Topics discussed in this episode:

00:00 Introductions

00:48 Hsu Ken's experience with imposter syndrome

004:50 Charles' experience with imposter syndrome

08:31 Different types of imposter syndrome

10:35 Cases of disillusionment

13:55 The impact of (not) having a co-founder

15:00 Who doesn't have imposter syndrome? (entering the fictional realm)

19:20 Dealing with imposter syndrome: Goal-setting

20:30 How your objectives affect imposter syndrome

22:35 Dealing with imposter syndrome: acknowledging and identifying the root cause(s)

24:00 Having agency

25:50 Labels

29:40 Dealing with imposter syndrome: collective solidarity and feelings

38:20 Just doing it

39:42 Should anyone feel more imposter syndrome than they do?

40:50 Is imposter syndrome inevitable without experience?

42:40 Reacting to imposter syndrome

45:15 Reframing emotions and feelings

49:18 Dealing with imposter syndrome: gain a broader perspective, get more data points

52:42 Identifying over-confidence and under-selling

56:24 Dealing with imposter syndrome: ground it in reality

57:30 Dealing with imposter syndrome: make a plan

Let us know what you think! We would really appreciate your feedback. https://airtable.com/shrO0s884vjdI1emD

About Iterative Iterative is a YC style accelerator focused exclusively on Southeast Asia by the founders of Divvy (a16z, GIC), Weave (YCS14), Decide (acquired by eBay) who have collectively raised $100M+ in VC. Iterative invests US $150K into early stage startups twice a year then works with them intensely for 3 months culminating in a Demo Day.

Find out more about Iterative: https://iterative.vc

About the Speakers

Charles Lee | Co-Founder and CEO at CoderSchool | https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleslee5/

Charles is the co-founder and CEO of CoderSchool. Charles started CoderSchool in 2015 to bring opportunity to everyone, everywhere, by developing the highest quality technical training programs in the world. Prior to Vietnam, Charles had 10+ years of industry experience working as a software engineer in Silicon Valley. His experience spanned across various industries, including gaming, e-commerce, and digital health. He was an early engineer at Luvocracy, acquired by Walmart; A Bit Lucky, acquired by Zynga; and GemShare, acquired by NextDoor. Charles holds a B.A. in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley. In his free time, he raises a poodle named Chuon Chuon, trains for Ironman Triathalons, and repairs antique typewriters.

Hsu Ken Ooi | Founder and General Partner at Iterative | https://www.linkedin.com/in/hsukenooi

Hsu Ken was previously the Chief Product Officer of Workmate, an on-demand blue collar staffing platform in Southeast Asia. In 2014, he was VP of Product at Weave (YCS14). In 2009, he started Decide, an early machine learning company that predicted the future price of consumer goods. It was acquired by eBay in 2013. Hsu Ken has a BS in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Washington.

In 'Startup 101: How to Master Fundraising', Brian Ma presents us with a Fundraising Bootcamp. As the founder of various successful startups, Brian is no stranger to the process of fundraising. In this session, he will cover the fundamentals of fundraising and common mistakes founders are making.

Topics discussed in this episode:

Let us know what you think! We would really appreciate your feedback. https://airtable.com/shrO0s884vjdI1emD

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About IterativeIterative is a YC style accelerator focused exclusively on Southeast Asia by the founders of Divvy (a16z, GIC), Weave (YCS14), Decide (acquired by eBay) who have collectively raised $100M+ in VC. Iterative invests US $150K into early stage startups twice a year then works with them intensely for 3 months culminating in a Demo Day.

Find out more about Iterative: Podcast • Newsletter • Blog • Website • Twitter

About the Speaker

Brian Ma | Founder and General Partner at Iterative | https://www.linkedin.com/in/zealoustiger/

Brian is a partner at Iterative Capital and three time founder turned investor. Brian was previously founder and CEO of Divvy Homes ($150M+ raised, backed by a16z, GIC, Tiger), Weave (YC S14, acquired), and Decide (Series C company, acquired by Ebay)."

In 'Startup 101: How to Get Into an Accelerator'', Hsu Ken demystifies accelerators. Tune in to find out make makes accelerators unique, how they can help your startup grow, how to choose the "right" accelerator, what accelerators are looking for, and much more.

Topics discussed in this episode: 

0:00 Introductions

Let us know what you think! We would really appreciate your feedback. https://airtable.com/shrO0s884vjdI1emD

About Iterative Iterative is a YC style accelerator focused exclusively on Southeast Asia by the founders of Divvy (a16z, GIC), Weave (YCS14), Decide (acquired by eBay) who have collectively raised $100M+ in VC. Iterative invests US $150K into early stage startups twice a year then works with them intensely for 3 months culminating in a Demo Day.

Find out more about Iterative: https://iterative.vc

About the Speaker Hsu Ken Ooi | Founder and General Partner at Iterative | https://www.linkedin.com/in/hsukenooi

Hsu Ken was previously the Chief Product Officer of Workmate, an on-demand blue collar staffing platform in Southeast Asia. In 2014, he was VP of Product at Weave (YCS14). In 2009, he started Decide, an early machine learning company that predicted the future price of consumer goods. It was acquired by eBay in 2013. Hsu Ken has a BS in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Washington.

Sustainable fashion matters. But instead of the everyday consumer, have you considered sustainable fashion for corporate clients?

This episode features Keith, a rising senior at Yale-NUS College and the Chief Sustainability and Design Officer of Man's Best Friend (MBF), a Singapore-based startup producing sustainable and high-tech apparel for corporate clients by blending cutting edge nanotechnology with quality fabrics. We discuss sustainability in fashion, its shortcomings, what gap MBF is trying to fill, and more.

Topics discussed in this episode: 00:00 Introduction

1:25 What is "sustainability" in fashion?

5:35 The Ecosystem of Sustainable/Fast Fashion

9:06 Problems afflicting sustainability in fashion

12:56 Man's Best Friend (MBF) and Sustainable fashion for businesses

13:36 Sustainable fashion for MBF and their three pillars

15:39 (1) Corporate sustainability

17:25 (2) Functional sustainability

21:35 (3) Progressive sustainability

23:04 Engaging with corporations and juggling a start-up with college

27:30 Demystifying the fashion industry's complex supply-chain

31:00 Impact calculations: How good is good enough?

34:30 Way of assessing sustainability: certifications and standards

37:17 Difficulties procuring certifications

39:28 Customisation and sustainability

44:12 Barriers to entry in being sustainable

47:52 MBF's goals

49:50 Future of sustainability in fashion

Let us know what you think! We would really appreciate your feedback. https://airtable.com/shrO0s884vjdI1emD

About the Speaker Keith Wo | Chief Sustainability and Design Officer of Man's Best Friend (MBF) | https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-wo/

Keith is the Chief Sustainability and Design Officer at MBF and is a rising senior at Yale-NUS College. His passion for marrying aesthetics into functional and practical forms has allowed him to open up the conversation on sustainable apparels

About Iterative Iterative is a YC style accelerator focused exclusively on Southeast Asia by the founders of Divvy (a16z, GIC), Weave (YCS14), Decide (acquired by eBay) who have collectively raised $100M+ in VC. Iterative invests US $150K into early stage startups twice a year then works with them intensely for 3 months culminating in a Demo Day.

Find out more about Iterative: https://iterative.vc

In 'Startup 101: How to Get Into an Accelerator'', Hsu Ken demystifies accelerators. Tune in to find out make makes accelerators unique, how they can help your startup grow, how to choose the "right" accelerator, what accelerators are looking for, and much more.

Topics discussed in this episode: 

0:00 Introductions 

0:29 Overview of the startup ecosystem 

3:38 What makes accelerators unique 

6:46 Impact of Covid-19 

9:51 How accelerators approach (a lack of) contextual-specificity 

12:50 Finding the "right" accelerator and defining a "good" accelerator 

22:05 Application approaches: Intentional vs Spray and pray 

23:13 When to apply 

25:33 The application process and what accelerators look for 

29:55 How startups can prepare 

34:04 What happens in an accelerator and how to maximise the experience in one 

40:40 Post-programme 

43:20 Gaps in the accelerator ecosystem 

46:21 Final thoughts

Let us know what you think! We would really appreciate your feedback. https://airtable.com/shrO0s884vjdI1emD

About Iterative 

Iterative is a YC style accelerator focused exclusively on Southeast Asia by the founders of Divvy (a16z, GIC), Weave (YCS14), Decide (acquired by eBay) who have collectively raised $100M+ in VC. Iterative invests US $150K into early stage startups twice a year then works with them intensely for 3 months culminating in a Demo Day.

Find out more about Iterative: https://iterative.vc

About the Speaker 

Hsu Ken Ooi | Founder and General Partner at Iterative | https://www.linkedin.com/in/hsukenooi

Hsu Ken was previously the Chief Product Officer of Workmate, an on-demand blue collar staffing platform in Southeast Asia. In 2014, he was VP of Product at Weave (YCS14). In 2009, he started Decide, an early machine learning company that predicted the future price of consumer goods. It was acquired by eBay in 2013. Hsu Ken has a BS in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Washington.

In 'Startup 101: How to Deal with Burnout', Hsu Ken Ooi and Brian Ma discuss an often untold story about running a startup: burnout.

Topics discussed in this episode:

Let us know what you think! We would really appreciate your feedback. https://airtable.com/shrO0s884vjdI1emD

About Iterative

Hsu Ken Ooi | Founder and General Partner at Iterative | https://www.linkedin.com/in/hsukenooi

In Part 1 of How to Build a Recruiting Machine, Hsu Ken Ooi is joined by his Iterative Co-Founder, Brian Ma to talk about the following:

Let us know what you think! [email protected]

Speakers

Brian Ma, Founder and General Partner at Iterative

Brian was previously the Co-Founder and CEO of Divvy Homes (a16z, GIC). In 2014, he and Elpizo Choi started Weave (YCS14). In 2009, he started Decide.com an early machine learning company that predicted the future price of consumer goods. It was acquired by eBay in 2013. In 2005, he was one of the first PMs at Zillow before they launched. Brian has a BS in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington.

Hsu Ken Ooi, Founder and General Partner at Iterative

Hsu Ken was previously the Chief Product Officer of Workmate, an on-demand blue collar staffing platform in Southeast Asia. In 2014, he was VP of Product at Weave (YCS14). In 2009, he started Decide.com an early machine learning company that predicted the future price of consumer goods. It was acquired by eBay in 2013. Hsu Ken has a BS in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Washington.

In this episode, we have Yolanda Lee, co-founder of Uncommon. Uncommon is a private leadership network for the next generation of female leaders in Southeast Asia. Uncommon provides a strong and uplifting network, a personalized development roadmap, tailored courses and workshops, and in reaching speaker series, all-in-one membership. 

We talk about her early life in Canada (1:23). At 20, Yolanda rented an abandoned industrial warehouse in her home tenants, funk, and major Lazer to play there by messaging them on MySpace (24:15). She went on to intern at the European court for human rights, graduated top of her class at Oxford, and worked for Uber and Rocket Internet in Africa (32:53). We talk about what drove her to these different paths and how those experiences shape her. She opens up about her motivation for starting Uncommon, what her personal experience has been being in male-dominated industries, why Uncommon is so important, and what men can do to help (49:36).

Tim Grassin is a Co-Founder of TendoPay (Iterative S20), the largest online installment provider in the Philippine. On this episode, I talk to Tim about his earlier influences, switching from finance to entrepreneurship, how he built a multi-million dollar design agency, why he gave that up to start a startup in the Philippines and how they tested their initial idea by building a fake website that sold fake products to see if people would try their fake financing product.

Iterative is a YC style accelerator focused exclusively on Southeast Asia by the founders of Divvy (a16z, GIC), Weave (YCS14), Decide (acquired by eBay) who have collectively raised $100M+ in VC. Iterative invests US $150K into early stage startups twice a year then works with them intensely for 3 months culminating in a Demo Day.

Vibhas Jain is the co-founder and CEO of Outside Voice (Iterative S20), a no-code app builder for WhatsApp. On this episode, we talk about Vibhas (Vibes) childhood growing up in India, getting into and moving to Stanford but never actually attending Stanford, how he met his co-founder and came up with the idea of Outside Voice.

Iterative is a YC style accelerator focused exclusively on Southeast Asia by the founders of Divvy (a16z, GIC), Weave (YCS14), Decide (acquired by eBay) who have collectively raised $100M+ in VC. Iterative invests US $150K into early stage startups twice a year then works with them intensely for 3 months culminating in a Demo Day.