Episoder
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Tim Newton (originally from Australia), is a self-described radio and newsie hack who came to Thailand for the second half of his life in search of adventure, some new experiences, and who never worked harder in his life. Tim has twice carved out a niche in the news world in Thailand; first as Founder and former CEO of Thaiger, Thailand's English speaking online news and information source with 12 million average monthly online clicks (at his departure), and recently started a YouTube channel, Tim Newton Today (TNT), with 18,000+ subscribers and growing fast.
Key Points-
Tim Newton failed at selling boats in Thailand and segued back into the news business with the launch of Thaiger, in 2016. Thaiger is Thailand's English language online news outlet which grew to 12 million average online clicks per month by the time that Tim departed as CEO in 2022. Be aware of roadblocks impacting business growth, including yourself. Make changes as necessary and recognize when it is time to go. Upon departure from Thaiger, Tim started YouTube channel, Tim Newton Today (TNT), because it was something that he could do that was sustainable, fit into his lifestyle, that he could get some joy from. It has grown to 18,000+ subscribers. It may be possible to make a living with a YouTube channel if it has 10,000+ subscribers and has 5,000-20,000+ views per day. What to consider when looking to make the jump to Southeast Asia, either on a personal or career level? Come and do some serious homework. If you want to start a business in Thailand, you need to consult a lawyer, do some due diligence, and make sure you have a very firm understanding on the way business operates before starting to invest money. If you are coming to live here, then you need to spend at least 3 months minimum of venturing around and looking at different places to get to know the vibe of living like a local. Understanding how you are going to pay for your lifestyle, making friends, and health insurance are all equally important.Resources-
Bamboo Capitalist: https://www.bamboocapitalist.com
Tim Newton YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@timnewtontoday
Tim Newton Email: [email protected]
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Robert Chadwick (originally from the US), is Co-founder and Managing Director of US based America Mortgages and Singapore based Global Mortgage Group, changing the way global real estate investors obtain mortgage financing.
Key Points-
America Mortgages sources market rate financing up to 75% loan-to-value for foreign buyers to purchase US real estate. Minimum loan is $150,000 USD with average loan size of $500,000 USD. Global Mortgage Group sources financing for foreigners/expats to purchase real estate in Southeast Asia and beyond in countries such as: Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and more. Minimum loan size in Singapore is $750,000 USD. Increasing interest rates has presented an opportunity to negotiate better purchase prices, reduced FOMO, and yet payment amounts have been kept reasonable through the introduction of a variety of programs. What to consider when looking to make the jump to Southeast Asia, either on a personal or career level? There is variety depending upon what you want. Singapore is the easiest if you've never experienced life in Asia because everyone speaks English and it is very organized. Other parts of the region are more exciting such as Bangkok and Cambodia that provide more interesting work/life balance.Resources-
Bamboo Capitalist: https://www.bamboocapitalist.com America Mortgages: https://www.americamortgages.com/ Global Mortgage Group: https://www.gmg.asia/ Robert Chadwick Email: [email protected] -
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Pierre Martensson (from Sweden), is a former door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesperson turned serial entrepreneur/angel investor who founded The Scale Factory; which supports B2B SaaS companies scale throughout APAC while investing into their growth.
Key Points-
The Scale Factory is a semi-venture capital/semi-go to market consultancy for B2B SaaS startups. It has invested in 7 companies in Southeast Asia and beyond. Ideal client profile: already have a team in place, have a product or technology that makes a difference in the value chain, have some kind of traction in the market, have financial backing to take on the opportunity of aggressive scale in Asia; typically already between Series A and Series B funding rounds, and should be able to achieve $500K to $1 million USD in annual recurring revenue. The Scale Factory portfolio tech companies include: Kavai, a conversational advertising platform, HIREQUOTIENT, an AI powered HR candidate resume/CV screening technology. Big believer in the following tech company verticals; advertising tech, marketing tech, HR tech, education tech, fintech, and proptech. What to consider when looking to make the jump to Southeast Asia, either on a personal or career level: Pierre's general advice for B2B SaaS companies to consider when looking to scale in Asia Pacific would be: 60% of world GDP is generated in this part of the world and really where we see growth happening over the next few decades. Take a bite sized approach, come to the region and team up with successful companies, get outside and get feedback on your product before defining how to take on the opportunity. Dip your toes in for a few months before taking next steps, Asia Pacific isn't complex but it is fragemented- but the upside is humongous.Resources-
Bamboo Capitalist: https://www.bamboocapitalist.com
The Scale Factory: https://www.thescalefactory.net/
Pierre Martensson Email: [email protected]
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Ben Jeffreys (originally from Australia), is a multi-award winning entrepreneur working on digitized carbon credits for the base of pyramid cooking and is CEO of ATEC; providing full stack software, hardware, IoT stove products that deliver modern affordable cooking to emerging market households in Cambodia and Bangladesh, which simultaneously generate 100% verifiable, real time, Gold Standard carbon credits.
Key Points-
ATEC is developer of physical induction stove using global SIM card IoT tech that runs at 92% efficiency or nearly half the running cost of LPG- or in some cases runs with zero emission to solve a decentralized cooking emission issue. Impact is measured through Gold Standard carbon credits, which measure carbon emission reduction, environmental, and social impacts. 95% access to electricity in Cambodia and Bangladesh, widely adopted use of smart phones through data connection and $5-10 per month online payment plan integration has dropped barriers for customers to utilize the ATEC stovetop technology coupled with carbon credit revenue is helping to scale up expansion through Southeast Asia and beyond. Some VC investors have been confused to whether the technology is fintech, consumer tech, or climate tech; it is a combo of all three. The full stack technology solution of both hardware and software provides first mover advantage over the pure software or fintech play but also takes a bit longer to scale up. What to consider when looking to make the jump to Southeast Asia on career or personal level? Get out there and have fun. Understand the subtle differences of the local cultures instead of viewing Southeast Asia as one block. Try to unpack and understand everyone's different reasoning instead of instantly being dismissive. Try to put aside your biases and try to understand what is happening at the local level. Get out there, talk to people face to face, understand their pain points and how you can solve them, and do so with an open mind.Resources-
Bamboo Capitalist: https://www.bamboocapitalist.com
ATEC: https://www.atecglobal.io/
Ben Jeffreys Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/btjeffreys/
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Will Klippgen (originally from Norway), is a Singapore-based Norwegian entrepreneur and technology venture capitalist who co-founded the price comparison portal Zoomit.com (which later merged with Kelkoo). He is currently Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Southeast Asia focused seed stage B2B high tech and deep tech VC firm, Cocoon Capital, based in Singapore.
Key Points-
Cocoon Capital is an early-stage B2B tech venture capital investor investing up to $1 million per deal over a 10-12 year time horizon with targeted 30% returns on an IRR basis. It has invested in close to 30 deals since 2016. What makes an ideal founder? The founders need to complement each other. There needs to be a team member that can build as well as someone that is street smart and can do the commercial part of development. It's more of a gut feel in determining an ideal founder but the founders must be ethical and understand how to navigate a very complex process of discovery and be able to pivot if necessary to the benefit of the company. Two successful Cocoon Capital portfolio companies include: 1) See-Mode Technologies, a med-tech startup that uses AI to help doctors to predict strokes with estimated 90+% predictive accuracy. 2) Augmentus, no-code AI-robot programming platform that enables anyone, even those without robotic experience to use in various industrial applications such as painting cars or picking fruit. What to consider when looking to make the jump to Southeast Asia, either on a personal or career level? Jump on a plane and go to Singapore. Travel around the region, it is exciting and fast growing with a population twice that of the US. Now is an amazing time to do a startup in the region because it is so much cheaper and more accessible than even just 10 years ago. Singapore has a lot of interesting IP coming out of academic institutions/universities and research labs that has not yet been commercialized. The location provides great access to both local and global markets. There are opportunities for everyone.Resources-
Bamboo Capitalist: https://www.bamboocapitalist.com
Cocoon Capital: https://cocooncap.com/
Will Klippgen Email: [email protected]
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Frederic Dubois (originally from France), for the last 12 years in Cambodia, has managed an investment consulting company, set up several SMEs, ran one of the world's leading social ventures in rural access to water, is Co-Founder of Platform- Invest In Impact, based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Key Points-
What is Platform- Invest In Impact? A fee based business advisor/capital intermediary service company that aims to help build up the social enterprise and impact investing ecosystem in Cambodia and later on in the region. It targets the missing middle; impact entrepreneurs/SMEs which are too large for microfinance but too small for larger regional investors- targeted funding needs of $300,000 to $10 million each. As of Q1 2023, the largest project is a $15 million fundraise for a cassava crop agricultural project aiming to help 4,000 small-hold local farmers grown sustainable businesses. It is important to make time commitment/dedication to achieve business success and find the right staff to operate the team. What to consider when looking to make the jump to Southeast Asia, either on a personal or career level? Come and blend as much as you can. The first 6 months are golden when you arrive somewhere, take it as a time to learn the language as fast as you can. Speaking the language is very important to learn a country and evolve in a country in Southeast Asia. Try to bring with you some skills, competency, expertise- because they are badly needed.Resources-
Bamboo Capitalist: https://www.bamboocapitalist.com
Platform- Invest In Impact: https://platform-impact.com
Frederic Dubois LinkedIn: https://kh.linkedin.com/in/frederic-dubois-582b1ab0
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Thomas Graham (originally from the UK), is author of "The Genius Of The Poor," TEDx speaker, Founder of MAD Courses (based in the Philippines), a social entrepreneur, creative & resourceful educator who is passionate about connecting students worldwide to entrepreneurs and communities.
Key Points-
Get out of your comfort zone. Sometimes you need to be challenged to ditch the shirt and tie. Look beyond what you see at surface level and discover the diamonds. MAD Courses is a social enterprise that uses technology to provide interactive video adventures recreating the travel experience in a gamified online platform for schools, universities, and corporations to learn about various Southeast Asian communities. Local partners are very important in growing a business in the Philippines in order to better deal with local language, culture, to build trust, and to deal with bureacracy. What to consider when looking to make the jump to Southeast Asia, either on a personal or career level? What's the worst that could happen if it goes wrong? The costs of failure are not that high. Go and treat it as a six-month sabbatical; if it doesn't work out then you can return home to whatever you were doing previously. You are fulfilling your dream; you will never know if your idea will fly until you give it a go.
Bamboo Capitalist: https://www.bamboocapitalist.com MAD Courses: https://www.madcourses.com/ Thomas Graham LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasgeorgegraham/
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Derek Gallimore (originally from the UK), is regarded as a leading expert on all things outsourcing and is CEO and Founder of Outsource Accelerator, the marketplace representing the $250 billion offshore outsourcing market, based in Manila, Philippines.
Key Points-
Offshore outsourcing provides economic opportunity which typically results in long term high value multimillion dollar relationships. As of Q1 2023, typical all-in cost to offshore outsource is approximatly $1200-$1700 per staff person/per month. Outsourcing can be applied to 99% of businesses across 99% of sectors. Offshore outsourcing marketplace job inquiries are expected to grow 2-3 times annually for the next several years. What to consider when looking to make the jump to Southeast Asia, either on a personal or career level? Just do it. Don't overthink it. It is not typically too hard to reverse the decision and it shouldn't cost that much. It is boom time now in Southeast Asia. It is a bit gritty and exciting but it has a young population and is an emerging market. Checkout Facebook and Reddit expat groups to get assurance and have questions answered.Resources-
Bamboo Capitalist: https://www.bamboocapitalist.com
Outsource Accelerator: https://www.outsourceaccelerator.com
Derek Gallimore Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-gallimore/
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Michelle Coulson (originally from the UK), is the CEO and Founder of Remote Rebellion. She helps people to design their dream life with more freedom and flexibility by getting a remote job that they can do from anywhere.
Key Points-
Identify interests, skills, and experience to find a fully remote job that can be done from anywhere. It can be helpful to utilize a coach/consultant to help devise a strategy/thought process to find an ideal remote work opportunity that matches an individual's values with a company's values. Remote Rebellion offers a self-paced online program as well as one on one coaching sessions. What to consider when looking to make the jump to Southeast Asia, either on a personal or career level? Come with your eyes wide open. It comes with advantages and disadvantages. Go into it with a little bit of understanding that there are going to be some tough times. Try a test run of going for a month to experience it. Speak with people that have lived in Southeast Asia and get the pros and cons and see if the pros outweight the cons for you.Resources-
Bamboo Capitalist: https://www.bamboocapitalist.com
Remote Rebellion: https://remoterebellion.com
Michelle Coulson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/remoterebellion/
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Ben Moody (originally from the UK), is an accomplished environmental startup co-founder of Seven Clean Seas, tacking ocean plastic pollution. He is a big picture thinker and lover of venture building.
Key Points-
Build a sustainable long-term ocean plastic recovery business that supports operating and capital expenses by using funding from various sources such as: donations, grants, strategic partnerships, and the sale of plastic credits. It is important to compensate staff appropriately in a way that suits global standards. What to consider when looking to make the jump to Southeast Asia, either on a personal or career level? Utilize the network effect and leverage others to find out information about Southeast Asia. Find out who has been to or is in the region and ask them questions and you'll be surprised how far the network effect takes you.Resources-
Bamboo Capitalist: https://www.bamboocapitalist.com
Seven Clean Seas: https://www.sevencleanseas.com
Ben Moody Email: [email protected]
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Nicholas Cocks (originally from Australia), is an entrepreneur turned professional investor and Founder/Managing Partner at Velocity Ventures, a Singapore-based venture capital firm focused on early-stage founders/companies in the Southeast Asia Travel & Hospitality sectors.
Key Points-
Identify opportunities/companies in position for favorable valuation adjustment and/or fresh rounds of innovation. Velocity Ventures investment portfolio includes tech companies such as: AIGENS (QR code ordering used at over 4000 restaurants), Hyper Food Robotics (fully automated pizza line), CarbonClick (carbon credit offset for travel in Southeast Asia). Niche down into specific sectors to develop deep industry knowledge. What to consider when looking to make the jump to Southeast Asia, either on a personal or career level? Southeast Asia is not a homogenous group of countries, every country is very different in terms of its people, its regulations, its culture, and its language- come prepared to recognize that, embrace that, and to explore that.Resources-
Velocity Ventures: https://www.velocityventures.vc Bamboo Capitalist: https://www.bamboocapitalist.com -
Gregory Kittelson (originally from the USA), is Cofounder of Kittelson and Carpo Consulting (a corporate services firm), KMC Savills (real estate services), KMC Solutions (flexible workspace & EOR services), and investor/advisor to Zennya- all Philippines' based companies.
Key Points-
Develop complementary businesses by responding to what clients are asking for. Find and hire people that are better than you in certain fields. 4 pillars needed in business partners: high IQ, high EQ, work ethic, and integrity. Initial credibility takes a bit of time to develop when starting a new business. Things to consider when deciding on making the jump to pursue opportunities in Southeast Asia: 1) positivity is important to have, 2) consider the region is a good place to start a business or seek employment because of economic wind at your back consisting of higher GDP growth on an annual percentage basis compared to western countries, 3) there are opportunities to provide a better service or to provide a service that doesn't exist yet.Resources-
KMC Solutions: https://kmc.solutions
Gregory Kittelson Email: [email protected]
Bamboo Capitalist: https://www.bamboocapitalist.com
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Florian Jacques (originally from Belgium), is a CAD (Brussells) educated product designer, entrepreneur, music festival founder, and founder of tech start up called Midstay, a 1,000 daily active user SaaS app based in Bali that is a social marketplace platform for remote workers to connect with like-minded people and to find certified relocation service providers including: visa services, accomodations, housemates, workspaces, events, and more.
Key Points-
Travel and offer services in order to meet many people and be inspired by them. Find like-minded people and interact with them online and in person; this is key to thrive in unpredictable and less structured environments. Identify ways to provide flexibility and work-life balance for customers through tailor made solutions such as offering both B2C and B2B services. Things to consider when deciding on making the jump to pursue opportunities in Southeast Asia: 1) be well surrounded because it creates the whole experience, 2) social marketplace applications such as Midstay offer the ability for remote workers to surround themselves well when relocating to Bali, Indonesia.Resources-
Midstay: https://www.midstay.com
Bamboo Capitalist: https://www.bamboocapitalist.com
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Peter Flaskager Laursen (originally from Denmark), is a Founder/CEO of CoreOne, a design-led, international furniture company: with design, marketing, and sales in Denmark, with white-label furniture production at a 20,000+ Sqm, 370-person factory in Binh Duong, Vietnam. CoreOne is a supplier for major retailers such as John Lewis, in the UK, and West Elm in the US.
Key Points-
Identify niches where others do not do well in less developed markets that also happen to have flexibility and reliability. To remain a competitive growth company and survive downturns; make good use of a crisis through implementation of LEAN development, LEAN production processes, being clever, and by offering appropriate incentives to staff in order to retain talent. Things to consider when deciding on making the jump to pursure opportunities in Southeast Asia: 1) don't underestimate the quality and aspirations of people, 2) empower others instead of managing them too much while listening to them and making sure they feel relevant, 3) build a strong management team and strong culture to create excellent opportunities, 4) be open and acknowledge cultural similarities and differences.Resources-
Bamboo Capitalist: https://www.bamboocapitalist.com
CoreOne: https://www.coreone.dk
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Marisa Cranfill (originally from the USA), is the founder of YOQI (Yoga+Qigong). She is known for her extensive online video library and YouTube channel offering beautiful routines accessible to all ages.
Key Points-
Setting up a business in Thailand can be costly financially and time wise. Having a local lawyer to help navigate the process is important. Proof is in the pudding- never think about competition. Just be yourself, do good work, and put the good energy out there and it comes back. Things to consider when deciding on making the jump to pursue opportunities in Southeast Asia: 1) get involved with as many groups as you can; whether, business, social, or networking groups, 2) start doing hobbies and things that you like, 3) meet people and make friends wherever you go, because Asia is built on connections.Resources-
Bamboo Capitalist: https://www.bamboocapitalist.com
Marisa Cranfill:
Email: [email protected]
YOQI (Yoga+Qigong): https://www.yoqi.com
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Leon John Hermann (originally from Germany), is an emerging markets focused technology investor at Rigel Capital, head of corporate developement at Wingcopter, also has former stints as an investor with Global Founders Capital (think Lazada), and business development at Rocket Internet (foodpanda).
Key Points-
There are investment opportunities in Southeast Asia and other emerging markets to consider exploring. Find founder/market fit based on how a founder's past experience can justify building a superior product or differentiated product with stronger operational execution capabilities. Time management is key through strong focus on making sure that you're pursuing the right opportunities, talking to the right people, and that you're efficient in your communication. Things to consider when deciding on making the jump to pursue opportunities in Southeast Asia: 1) is there something that I'm passionate about building in Southeast Asia which I don't feel I have in the western world, and does it justify such a significant move? 2) do not overanalyze things; at the end of the day, it is key to have the mindset of jumping into the unknown and figuring things out on the go, 3) be open minded to meet new people.Resources-
Bamboo Capitalist: https://www.bamboocapitalist.com
Leon John Hermann:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leon-j-hermann-62a53363
Email: [email protected]
Rigel Capital: https://rigelcapital.com
Wingcopter: https://wingcopter.com
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Bryan Carroll (originally from Ireland), is the CEO and Co-founder of TNEX, Vietnam's first digital only micro SME and Gen Z lifestyle banking platform.
Key Points-
Doing business in Asia is about finding consensus. The biggest challenge to doing business in Vietnam is to understand the culture and then to take the strengths of that culture and being able to point those strengths towards achieving a defined goal. Identify and understand the behaviors, needs, and wants of customers, and then align everything to meet them. Things to consider when deciding on making the jump to pursue opportunities in Southeast Asia: 1) being resilient and entrepreneurial are important, 2) be willing to listen and spend time to understand a new culture.Resources-
Bamboo Capitalist: https://www.bamboocapitalist.com
Bryan Carroll:
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/bryanpcarroll
Email: [email protected]
TNEX: https://www.tnex.com.vn
