15% of the total trade volume of Japan with the world comes from Southeast Asia, the country's third largest trading bloc. More than 15,000 Japanese firms are active in the region. Cash-rich Japanese firms looking to scale up growth globally. Local governments are looking for innovative solutions to societal issues like depopulation.

We discuss these drivers for cross-border innovation and more with Takeo Nakajima, Director General of Innovation at the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).

This interview was recorded live in Singapore from the Japan SEA Market Forum 2025 hosted by the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Nikkei Asia, and JETRO.

Timestamps

(00:25) Japan’s Layered Trade and Innovation Relationship with Southeast Asia;

(03:36) Innovation Opportunities for Southeast Asia and Japanese Innovation;

(06:42) Message to Founders Looking to Build Cross-Border Innovation Between Japan and Southeast Asia;

Directed by Paulo Joquiño

Produced by Paulo Joquiño

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The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Insignia Ventures⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ fund. Any and all opinions shared in this episode are solely personal thoughts and reflections of the guest and the host.

We brought together Philippine digital bank Tonik CEO and founder Greg Krasnov and Tokyo Stock Exchange APAC Deputy Head and IPO Specialist Beomsu Son for a conversation on the Philippines digital banking opportunity (from a Japan POV), opening up Japan's public markets to more issuers internationally, the first Philippine company in TSE's Asia Startup Hub, and the value of going public in Asia's deepest liquidity pool.

Timestamps

(00:08) Not Beomsu's first time in the Philippines;

(00:50) Introducing Tonik and the Philippines;

(01:54) Japan Public Markets going global;

(03:38) A Philippine Digital Bank's View of the Japan Public Markets;

(04:54) Southeast Asia's Impact on the Japan Public Market Playbook;

(06:18) Leveraging Tokyo Stock Exchange's Asia Startup Hub;

(07:48) Making the Most out of Going Public in Japan;

(09:29) What Makes Digital Banking in the Philippines exciting;

Directed by Paulo Joquiño

Produced by Paulo Joquiño

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The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Insignia Ventures⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ fund. Any and all opinions shared in this episode are solely personal thoughts and reflections of the guest and the host.

POPMART Head of Southeast Asia & Middle East Jeremy Lee hops on a quick but jam packed conversation with On Call host Paulo on the role of Southeast Asia in POPMART's Global Business, the opportunities for creators and storytellers in the age of generative AI and new innovations in IP protection, and his learnings on leadership across several years leading regional business development for consumer brands.

This On Call with Insignia episode is part of a series featuring speakers from the NOVA 2025: SG60 Edition event co-hosted by Smobler, the New York Stock Exchange, Gemini, Nifty Gateway Studio, and Skadden.

Timestamps

(00:28) Role of Southeast Asia in POPMART's Global Business;

(01:33) Role of Role of Singapore and Southeast Asia for Consumer Brand Creation;

(02:51) Learnings on IP Protection and IP Innovation for Brands;

(04:40) Thoughts on AI and Future of Storytelling;

(06:41) GTM Learnings from Southeast Asia;

(07:58) Blind Box Leadership Questions;

About Jeremy Lee

Jeremy Lee is Head of Southeast Asia & Middle East for POPMART. Prior to POPMART, he held regional sales and business development leadership roles across consumer brands, from the Lego Group to J&J. He has also been handpicked across these roles to be a leading Diversity & Inclusion advocate, co-creating a psychological safe space to enable team members to bring the best versions of themselves to the workplace.

Directed by Paulo Joquiño

Produced by Paulo Joquiño

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The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Insignia Ventures⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ fund. Any and all opinions shared in this episode are solely personal thoughts and reflections of the guest and the host.

Dr Loretta Chen, PhD, a mulitihyphenate figure in the media, education, publishing, performing arts & cultural scene for over two decades, hops on a quick but jam packed conversation with On Call host Paulo on the future of storytelling, finding its value in leadership, and sifting through the noise to tell stories that matter.

This On Call with Insignia episode is part of a series featuring speakers from the NOVA 2025: SG60 Edition event co-hosted by Smobler, the New York Stock Exchange, Gemini, Nifty Gateway Studio, and Skadden.

Timestamps

(00:18) Significance of SG60 for Loretta;

(01:38) Power of Storytelling in Leadership;

(03:43) Evolution of Storytelling for Leaders;

(05:57) Role of Technology in Storytelling;

(06:57) Emerging Technologies for Storytelling;

(09:24) Future of Storytelling;

(10:45) Advice on Storytelling for Leaders;

(11:51) Blind Leadership Questions;

(14:00) Epilogue: What is Smobler?;

About Loretta

A multifaceted and influential figure in the media, education, publishing, performing arts & cultural scene for over two decades, Dr Chen was the People's Choice for Nominated Member of Parliament and has been the International Consultant to the Kingdom of Bhutan since 2011. She is a passionate advocate for social equity - challenging the status quo through artistic, literary and entrepreneurial avenues.

When the Metaverse came into play, Dr Chen envisioned a unique opportunity to shape social narratives with technology. Through her latest venture, Smobler, Dr Chen aims to create a Metaverse for Good to drive positive change, promote inclusivity and leverage emerging technologies to empower and inspire audiences across the globe. Dr Chen is part of the AWS Women Founders Program, UBS Project Female Founder, a Top 100 WoWomen of the Future, Forbes and Asia’s Most Inspiring.

Directed by Paulo Joquiño

Produced by Paulo Joquiño

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The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Insignia Ventures⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ fund. Any and all opinions shared in this episode are solely personal thoughts and reflections of the guest and the host.

NYSE Head of International Markets Cassandra Seier hops on a quick but jam packed conversation with On Call host Paulo on Singapore and Southeast Asia public market opportunities going global, the ways NYSE is diversifying capital access for issuers and investors, globalization of venture exits, and more.

This On Call with Insignia episode is part of a series featuring speakers from the NOVA 2025: SG60 Edition event co-hosted by Smobler, the New York Stock Exchange, Gemini, Nifty Gateway Studio, and Skadden.

Timestamps

(00:38) Singapore and Southeast Asia Public Market Opportunities Going Global;

(02:32) Diversifying Capital Access for Issuers and Investors;

(03:48) Globalization of Venture Exits;

(05:41) Enriching the Public Markets Playbook;

(07:35) Public Markets as Innovation Bellwether;

(08:25) Why you should engage with exchanges early;

(13:00) Blind Leadership Questions;About Cassandra SeierCassandra Seier is the Head of International Capital Markets for NYSE Group, a part of Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE: ICE).

Cassandra is responsible for attracting new listings from companies around the world, including Asia, Canada, EMEA and Latin America. She advises private companies, private equity and venture capital firms, investment bankers and others on the IPO landscape, NYSE initiatives and listing venue selection.

Prior to joining the NYSE, Cassandra spent more than 24 years at Goldman Sachs, where she most recently served as a Managing Director focusing on futures and OTC clearing. During her time at Goldman, Seier worked in the bank’s offices in Singapore, New York and London.

Cassandra earned a BA in Finance with a minor in Economics from the University of Oregon. She has been a CFA charterholder since 2004. Seier is President and CEO of Women in Financial Markets (WIFM), a 501c3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to connect, elevate, and advance female leaders in the financial industry.

Directed by Paulo Joquiño

Produced by Paulo Joquiño

Follow us on LinkedIn for more updates

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Insignia Ventures⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ fund. Any and all opinions shared in this episode are solely personal thoughts and reflections of the guest and the host.

⁠StraitsX⁠ Head of Commercial ⁠Jason Tay hops on a quick but jam packed conversation with On Call host Paulo on the ways stablecoins are becoming more global, more accessible, and more integral to payment experiences, not just for Web3 wallet holders but more importantly for companies like StraitsX, your chicken rice aunties (among hundreds of thousands other SMEs and more traditional businesses globally).

This On Call with Insignia episode is part of a series featuring speakers from the NOVA 2025: SG60 Edition event co-hosted by Smobler, the New York Stock Exchange, Gemini, Nifty Gateway Studio, and Skadden.

Timestamps

(00:28) Stablecoins Going Global;

(02:02) Technology is Experience;

(04:41) Bringing Web3 to Chicken Rice Aunties;

(07:44) Blind Leadership Questions;

About Jason Tay

Jason Tay is a digital assets and fintech professional and thought leader whose career started in corporate investment banking at JP Morgan and SGCIB. In 2019, he joined MDAQ and later became the Head of Business Development and Government Relations. In 2024, he joined StraitsX as their Head of Commercial, leading the firm's P&L and Revenue generating functions, overseeing Marketing, Onboarding and Strategy business units, as well as launching new chain partnerships and go-to-market strategies for wider adoption of the companies' web3 payment infrastructure.

About StraitsX

StraitsX is the stablecoin-native settlement layer driving global finance, and a Major Payment Institution licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. As the issuer of XUSD and XSGD stablecoins, StraitsX leverages the power of blockchain and stablecoin technology to drive payments interoperability while offering innovative tools for fund management, stablecoin integration, and cross-border transactions. Partnering with leading financial institutions, global liquidity providers, and payment technology partners, StraitsX delivers cutting-edge payment solutions in a highly regulated and reliable environment, bridging the gap between traditional finance and the digital economy. StraitsX is part of Fazz Financial Group, a leading ecosystem of financial services in Southeast Asia.

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Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for all the news and resources

Directed by Paulo Joquiño

Produced by Paulo Joquiño

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Insignia Ventures⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ fund. Any and all opinions shared in this episode are solely personal thoughts and reflections of the guest and the host.

Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction;

(00:29) How a tech exec from China joined a Singapore AI startup;

(02:38) The evolution of LLMs in China;

(03:33) AI Development in China and the rest of the world;

(04:37) The value of building a career in China tech;

(06:34) Scaling a global AI company;

(08:37) Scaling in Southeast Asia vs rest of the world;

(09:39) Driving the AI conversation and building strategic relationships;

(10:34) Future of Conversational AI;

(13:02) MCPs impacting the cost structure of building AI;

(14:26) New paradigm of pricing AI products and solutions;

(15:00) WIZ.AI's AI Roadmap;

(15:54) Considerations of Enterprise Buyers;

(17:14) AI Enterprise Sales;

(22:30) Advice on AI Transformation;

(24:17) Make or Break Moment;

Robin Li is the Senior AI Strategy and Partnerships Director at WIZ.AI, bringing over 20 years of enterprise technology experience and more than 10 years specializing in AI companies. Based in China before joining WIZ.AI in Singapore, Robin has witnessed firsthand the evolution of AI development across different markets, from the early days of conversational AI to the current LLM revolution. At WIZ.AI, he focuses on bridging the gap between AI builders and enterprise buyers, helping organizations navigate the complex journey of AI transformation while building strategic partnerships across global markets.

WIZ.AI is a conversational AI talkbot platform for 300+ global enterprises present in 17+. countries. Their conversational artificial intelligence talkbot mimics conversations with real people by localizing for 17+ different languages and dialects from ASEAN to Latin America. The company’s tech solution replaces traditional human call-centers for different application scenarios (e.g. tele-sales and customer care) across a variety of sectors (financial services, telecommunications, healthcare, etc.). The company’s enterprise grade proprietary technology is built on the company’s R&D into natural language processing, automatic speech recognition and text-to-speech technology. WIZ.AI is a first-mover in untapped emerging markets, with 11 patents in conversational AI technology. The founding team cumulatively has over 40 years of experience in FinTech, big data, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

Follow us on LinkedIn for more updates

Check out Insignia Business Review for more insights

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for all the news and resources

Directed by Paulo Joquiño

Produced by Paulo Joquiño

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Insignia Ventures⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ fund. Any and all opinions shared in this episode are solely personal thoughts and reflections of the guest and the host.

Rinaldi Utama is the CEO and co-founder of Se'Indonesia, launched with a mission to redefine Indonesia’s quick-service restaurant landscape focusing on high-quality smoked beef rice bowls. He was previously CEO and co-founder of Lakuliner, a house of indonesian-fusion culinary brands. Before that he was part of the legal team at Kopi Kenangan.

Follow Rinaldi on LinkedIn

Timestamps

(00:36) Introducing Rinaldi Utama decided to focus on beef rice bowls

(03:47) Why Se’Indonesia also went into QSR business

(07:48) How Se’Indonesia is approaching scale across Indonesia and across SKUs

(14:15) Rinaldi’s Learnings from working at the start of Kopi Kenangan’s scale and starting from cloud kitchens

(15:44) Future of F&B in Indonesia and advice for F&B entrepreneurs starting out

Follow us ⁠⁠on LinkedIn⁠⁠ for more updates

Check out ⁠⁠Insignia Business Review⁠⁠ for more insights

Subscribe to ⁠⁠our monthly newsletter⁠⁠ for all the news and resources

Directed by Paulo Joquiño

Produced by Paulo Joquiño

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Insignia Ventures⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ fund. Any and all opinions shared in this episode are solely personal thoughts and reflections of the guest and the host.

Watch Part 1

Thothathri Srinivasan (who goes by "Tho") is the Head of AI and Engineering at Flip, one of Indonesia's largest consumer fintech companies. With over a decade of experience in Silicon Valley, Tho has built products and systems at some of the world's most recognizable tech companies including Groupon, Netflix, and Pinterest.

Originally from Bangalore, India, Tho began his career in electronics and software engineering before moving to the United States in 2010 to pursue his master's degree in computer science. His Silicon Valley journey started at Groupon in 2011, where he worked on merchant-facing products and learned the fundamentals of dynamic pricing and A/B testing. He then spent six years at Netflix Studio, building the infrastructure that powers content rights management, deals, and contracts - essentially everything from "pitch to play" in Netflix's content ecosystem.

After a stint at Pinterest working on shopping monetization, Tho briefly explored the AI startup space before relocating to Southeast Asia with his family. His transition to the region led him to Flip, where he now leads AI and engineering for Indonesia's growing fintech market.

Tho is also an alumnus of Insignia Ventures Academy's Certificate in Venture Capital program and became involved in angel investing through the XA Network, bringing his technical expertise to early-stage startup evaluation and mentorship.

Follow Tho on LinkedIn

Transcript

Timestamps

(00:00) Kickstarting AI Transformation in Flip;

(03:28) Measuring ROI on Flip's AI Initiatives;

(07:04) Learnings from Tho's Make or Break Moments in Tech

(10:21) Leading Engineering teams in Southeast Asia vs Silicon Valley;Follow us ⁠on LinkedIn⁠ for more updates

Check out ⁠Insignia Business Review⁠ for more insights

Subscribe to ⁠our monthly newsletter⁠ for all the news and resources

Directed by Paulo Joquiño

Produced by Paulo Joquiño

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Insignia Ventures⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ fund. Any and all opinions shared in this episode are solely personal thoughts and reflections of the guest and the host.

Thothathri Srinivasan (who goes by "Tho") is the Head of AI and Engineering at Flip, one of Indonesia's largest consumer fintech companies. With over a decade of experience in Silicon Valley, Tho has built products and systems at some of the world's most recognizable tech companies including Groupon, Netflix, and Pinterest.

Originally from Bangalore, India, Tho began his career in electronics and software engineering before moving to the United States in 2010 to pursue his master's degree in computer science. His Silicon Valley journey started at Groupon in 2011, where he worked on merchant-facing products and learned the fundamentals of dynamic pricing and A/B testing. He then spent six years at Netflix Studio, building the infrastructure that powers content rights management, deals, and contracts - essentially everything from "pitch to play" in Netflix's content ecosystem.

After a stint at Pinterest working on shopping monetization, Tho briefly explored the AI startup space before relocating to Southeast Asia with his family. His transition to the region led him to Flip, where he now leads AI and engineering for Indonesia's growing fintech market. Tho is also an alumnus of Insignia Ventures Academy's Certificate in Venture Capital program and became involved in angel investing through the XA Network, bringing his technical expertise to early-stage startup evaluation and mentorship.

Follow Tho on LinkedIn

Transcript

Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction to Tho;

(03:32) Driving merchant sales at Groupon;

(05:15) Building rights and compliance technology at Netflix

(09:24) Monetization at Pinterest;

(11:25) Moving to Indonesia and joining Flip;

(13:23) Joining Insignia Ventures Academy;

(17:03) Joining XA Network;

(19:03) Learnings from IVA;

Follow us on LinkedIn for more updates

Check out Insignia Business Review for more insights

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for all the news and resources

Directed by Paulo Joquiño

Produced by Paulo Joquiño

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Insignia Ventures⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ fund. Any and all opinions shared in this episode are solely personal thoughts and reflections of the guest and the host.