CEO Roundtable bridging Asia

Today's guest is Rob Anders, co-founder and CEO @Niio Art, digital art platform, that offers customers a subscription service to access pre-curated, rotating collections of high quality works, as well as limited edition, available for purchase. In this episode, Rob and I talk about: 1) His Journey to founding Niio Art. What was his aha moment 2) The value proposition and mission at Niio? 3) Business model 4) To what extent is digital disrupting the art market 5) The fundraising strategy and lesson learned 6) Fixed HR cost of full time employees at a startup is the biggest risk when business slows down. 7) A big picture for Niio Art and the vision. FIRE QUESTION: a. What is his favorite book and why b. What is one thing he wants to change most in startup ecosystem c. Who is the nicest person he has ever met? And Why?

In this episode, I speak with Sarah Chung, CEO @ Landing International. Landing is the leading B2B technology company helping indie beauty brands connect with global buyers and succeed at retail. Sarah and I talk about: 1. Her journey to founding Landing 2. What problems Landing is solving 3. What is the business model 4. What is her advice to CEO of retail brand in Asia with respect to branding building 5. One piece of advice to give a founder of a company of indie or new brand who is starting out.

In this episode, I speak with Matthew Reid, a serial entrepreneur, Co-Founder Steelhead Group // Maximal Concepts // KIN Food Halls // Disruption Labs Matt Reid is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Steelhead Group which includes Maximal Concepts, KIN Food Halls, Far North Productions, Plastic Conscious and Disruption Labs, with long time business partner, Malcolm Wood. Steelhead Group is a symbiotic group of companies across four primary verticals; hospitality, environmentalism, wellness and content production. Each business draws from the other; all grounded in core areas of passion and disruptive ideas harnessing creativity, innovation, powerful content, branding, strategy and design. Everything is led by the desire to use business to create positive impacts and a triple bottom line mentality. Matt and I talk about: 1. His journey to founding Kin food? 2. What problems Kin is solving 3. What is the business model: Netflix for food, Starbucks for a building owner or 5 star brand gym for a developer? 4. What are one thing he wants to change most in startup ecosystem 5. A secret to keeping a long term friendship and business partnership

In this episode, I speak with David Hwan, Co-founder & COO at KWARA, a Nairobi and Berlin based startup turning credit unions into modern digital banks. Backed by Finparx, Google, Norrsken, FINCA Ventures, Catalyst Fund and Kepple, today Kwara serves over 50,000 end clients David and I talk about: 1. His journey to founding of Kwara? 2. What problems his team is solving for African credit unions 3. What is the business model 4. The potential of credit unions in emerging markets. 5. Fundraising. what was the biggest challenge 6. What is the next step in terms of the growth and expansion. 7. What are one thing he wants to change most in startup ecosystem 8. Does diversity really help to grow the business. If yes, why?

In this episode, I speak with Nitin Jain, Co-founder & CEO at O'AgriFarm (a unit of OfBusiness) OfBusiness is an India-based B2B platform focused on industrial supply chain and procurement financing services for SMEs. Jain and I talk about: 1. His journey to founding of Ofbusiness? 2. What problems his team is solving 3. What is the business model of Ofbusiness and O'AgriFarm. 4. Ofbusiness made from the 1st year of its operation, how was that possible 5. Fundraising. what was the challenges 6. What is the next step in terms of the growth strategy map.

In this episode, I speak to James Chan, founder and CEO of Ion Mobility Ion Mobility is a tech-driven all-electric mobility company tackling a challenging and complex space. James has more than 15 years of working experience, sitting across all three sides of the table — as a public servant and industry developer with Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (now known as IMDA), as a venture capitalist and angel investor at Neoteny Labs and Silicon Straits (his personal holdings), and subsequently as a serial entrepreneur focused on software, robotics and fintech. I asked and James talks about 1) His journey to founding Ion mobility. 2) What problems he is solving now. 3) Value propositioning and business model 4) How big is the market? and the future of EV mobility company 5) Who are the competitors? What does set Ion mobility apart from others 6) What is the biggest challenges in scaling your business and taking it to the next level 7) How different is his life now being an entrepreneur as compared to an investor and a government servant. 8) The next step and the long term vision

In this episode, I speak to Kees Aarts, CEO and founder of Protix. 1. His journey to founding Protix 2. What problems he is solving now. 3. Business model. 4. How big is the market? 5. What is the future of insect farming? Protix is world leading insect-nutrition company with a solid IP base and derisked technology platform. Protix has grown its revenues to 7M in 2020, a 240% growth factor after the opening of its flagship facility in Bergen op Zoom. Protix is the first company to achieve large-scale operations since it's nascency in 2009. Protix is the pioneer in the industry having laid the foundations for the IPIFF, new regulatory frameworks and was the first to be solidly funded for expansion in 2017. Protix is now at the cusp of international expansion.

In this episode, I speak to Hrish Lotlikar, Founder & CEO of SuperWorld to understand his metaverse platform of Virtual World in Augmented Reality including 1) How he is building the Metaverse 2) How SuperWorld connects virtual world (Superworld) with real world 3) How people can invest, trade and own NFT Virtual real estate and build their own metaverse world on top of real world.4) How people can enjoy the appreciation of property value

In this episode, I speak to Jayson Kim, General Partner @Legendary Ventures and Peter Chernyshov, Former CEO at Kyivstar (Київстар), the biggest mobile telecom operator in Ukraine about The future of tech and startup scene in Ukraine

In this episode, I speak to Susana Solis, Member of European Parliament. Susana Solís Pérez is a Spanish politician who was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in 2019. She has since been serving on the Committee on Regional Development. In 2020, she also joined the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age. She also served as vice chair for Delegation for relations with the Korean Peninsula. Originally from Spain, she is an Industrial Engineer from the University of Oviedo and a Machine Engineer from the Fachhochschule of Osnabrück (Germany). She holds an Executive MBA and a Master's Degree in Marketing Management from the Instituto de Empresa in Madrid. She has 19 years of professional experience in several multinationals in Germany (Mercedes Benz, Bosch) and in Spain (Rexel, Essilor and Johnson&Johnson) where she held managerial positions until her election as a Member of the Assembly of Madrid in 2015.

In this episode, I speak to IRENE SHVAKMAN, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Revo Technologies, the leading fintech specialized in Buy Now Pay Later services, operating in Central Eastern Europe and Russia. Irene has more than 25 years of experience in fintech, financial services, and technology. In addition to Revo, Irene is a Member of the Board of Directors of Veon, a NASDAQ listed emerging markets mobile telecommunications company as well as on the European Advisory Board of Harvard Business School. Prior to founding Revo, Irene was a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, where she advised top executives at leading banks, insurers, and regulators across emerging markets on strategy, organization, and performance transformation. Irene holds an MBA degree from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry from Brown University in the United States.

Today, I speak to Jan Pacas, CEO of a rising star plant based meat alternative startup in Australia. Jan Pacas is the Founder and CEO of All G, a food-tech company playing in the alternative protein and biotech space. His career spans globally and includes scaling a $1Bn CHF multinational business, being a CEO of a successful multichannel AU business and co-founding two successful start-ups, Mad Paws - Australia's leading online marketplace for pet services (ASX 2021) and Flare HR - Australia's first all-in-one HR platform backed by KKR, Westpac (recently valued at more than $100M AUD). Jan strongly believes that focusing simultaneously on social, economic, and environmental performance is good for society and good for business. Leading him to his newest venture - All G Foods. All G Foods is a food technology company with a mission to build a healthier, safer, and more sustainable food system in our lifetimes. The company's expertise, from functionalizing plant proteins to creating DNA identical dairy proteins through precision fermentation, is powered by a world-class team of scientists and chefs spanning multiple research disciplines. All G has created BUDS, Australia's fastest-growing plant-based meat brand, which is made entirely of plants, and the world's first-to-market identical dairy milk entirely without the cow. The company has been backed by CEFC, Ellerston capital, and Triple star capital.

DEREK TING, CREATIVE DIRECTOR A writer, director, producer originally from New York, now based in Hong Kong, Derek strives to challenge himself in everything he does. He's written and produced several feature films: $upercapitalist shot in Hong Kong, New York, released internationally in 2012 with millions of views; Always, a romance drama shot in Hong Kong and Shanghai released globally this 2016, and has a 8.5 rating in China on qq with 300K+ views, and “Agent”, a science fiction thriller, shot in 2016, entirely in California that explores the origins of the Pyramids, Stone Henge, and the Great Wall as well as Alien conspiracies. Recently, he wrote and directed a science fiction short film, “Lucid”, about the possible future use of “virtual reality” as a way to reconstruct memories. He writes, and directs lifestyle branding videos , corporate and music videos, and has had the opportunity to work with some of the greatest stars and brands in entertainment, both in Asia, and North America. Random Art Workshop Media (RAW Media) is a cutting edge strategic global media company engaged in multiple aspects of content production, financing, distribution, and consulting services for movies, television, brands, corporates, in both traditional and new media. RAW Media efficiently leverages its professional hands on expertise, experience, and relationships in Asia and the US to develop and package formidable international works. Based in Hong Kong, RAW Media has produced and internationally distributed two feature films shot across the USA, Hong Kong, China. Our client list includes W Hotel, Bloomberg, Intercontinental Hotel, Pernod Ricard, CNN, Toys R Us, Pizza Hut, Earth Hour/WWF among others. http://www.randomartworkshop.com/about/   If you're interested in becoming a patron to support us to make more episodes and write interview articles @international media and newspapers, check out https://www.patreon.com/davidkim9712 Or donate & support us (one-off donation): https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/DAVID8282INHK Thank you for any support you're able to give, Because of incredible donors and sponsors like you, we can keep this platform to continue to contribute to global entrepreneur communities sharing the interesting stories of amazing entrepreneurs and investors around the world.

한국기업 및 스타트업의 인도네시아의 진출시 어려운점 또 기회가 뭔지 인도네시아 전문가 두분을 보시고, 토크쇼를 해봤습니다 1) Itemku 창업자 김성진 대표: 2012년부터 인도네시아에 거주 중인 한국인 기업가 김성진. 한국에서는 NHN게임스에 근무했었고, 2013년에 인도네시아에서 itemku 서비스를 창업하여, 2021년에 인도네시아 회사인 bukalapak에 창업한 회사를 매각하였습니다. 향후 인도네시아 진출을 희망하는 기업인들에게 인터뷰가 조금이나마 도움이 되길 희망합니다. 2) 세종 인도네시아 이대호 변호사: 이대호 변호사(한국)는 법무법인 세종 인도네시아 사무소 대표변호사로서 변호사는 인도네시아 UPH 대학에서 법학석사(Magister Hukum) 과정을 수강하였고, ‘인니법-인도네시아 법령 소개서'를 발간하는 등 인도네시아 법에 관한 최고의 한국인 전문가로 인정 받고 있습니다.

In this episode, I and Eva Yoo, co-host speak to Patrick Dai, founder and CEO at Qtum foundation (China, Signapore) Qtum is a hybrid blockchain application platform. Its core technology combines a fork of bitcoin core, an Account Abstraction Layer allowing for multiple virtual machines, including the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), and a Proof-of-stake Consensus protocol, aimed at tackling industry use cases. Qtum (pronounced “quantum”) is a cryptocurrency software that aims to combine different parts of the Bitcoin and Ethereum design models in a bid to entice application developers. The Qtum's cryptocurrency, QTUM, for example, is used to pay fees to those who help operate the network, and the distribution of newly minted QTUM is based on ownership of the asset. QTUM coins also provide voting rights in its on-chain governance system, meaning if you buy QTUM, you can influence the direction of the software's development.

In this podcast, I speak to Sunny Lu, founder and CEO of VeChain Launched in 2015, VeChain Technology is a global leading enterprise-friendly blockchain company which aims to connect blockchain technology to the real world by providing enterprises with blockchain-enabled solutions suited to their business needs. It offers VeChain ToolChain™, a low-code blockchain-based SaaS platform that allows enterprise clients to rapidly build and drive digital transformation on a global scale, enabling the evolution of a trust-free and a distributed ecosystem. VeChain Technology is a pioneer of real-world blockchain applications, with international offices in China, Singapore, Luxembourg, Japan, France, Italy and the United States.

In this episode, I speak to Judy Joo, a native New Yorker, celebrity chef, TV personality and food writer living in London. Judy has been a regular face on TV, starring in Iron Chef UK and securing herself the title ‘Iron Chef UK', becoming the only female Iron Chef in the UK and the second female Iron Chef worldwide. Off the back of her success in the UK show, Judy became a resident judge on Iron Chef America. Her expertise in Korean cooking led to her own shows: Judy Joo's Return to Korea and two seasons of Korean Food Made Simple. Since then she published her debut cookbook, Korean Food Made Simple and has made regular appearances on numerous programs in the USA including The Today Show, Wendy Williams, The Talk, and various Food Network shows, and in the UK she has popped up on Saturday Kitchen, Sunday Brunch, James Martin's Saturday Morning. Judy will also be appearing on ITV's Cooking with the Stars this week. Having settled in the UK, London was the obvious choice for Judy's first restaurant as Chef Patron, and she opened the doors to her modern Korean restaurant Jinjuu – meaning ‘pearl' - in 2014. Judy's cooking is focused on the flavours of her childhood – raised in a Korean-American family in New Jersey, her back porch was lined with her mother's clay pots, filled with fermenting kimchi, gochujang and doenjang. The house's garage had racks of drying seaweed, and a Korean barbecue grill tucked in the corner. Judy and her sister were often drafted in to help fold row upon row of dumplings. Her multicultural heritage and training is evident in her dishes today: from ‘disco fries' influenced by New Jersey highway diners, and topped with spicy cabbage kimchi, to classic French pastries that incorporate traditional Korean ingredients. In 2019, Judy left Jinjuu after five years in order to start a new chapter, which included the launch of her new cookbook, Korean Soul Food in October 2019, and has since launched her latest restaurant, Seoul Bird, in Westfield and Canary Wharf specializing in the Korean fried chicken for which Judy is known.

TMA is a leading software company in Vietnam with 3000 engineers and 24 years of experience in providing quality software services for clients in 30 countries. Beside 7 offices in Vietnam, TMA also has offices in Canada, USA, Japan, Australia, France and Singapore. Chairman, Dr. Nguyen was born in Vietnam during the Vietnam France war. And He went to Australia to study with the full scholarship during Vietnam US war in 1967 and got PhD in Telecommunication at University of Adelaide. After he worked at international telco in US and Canada, he came back to 2001 to start TMA together with his wife. Now, TMA is one of the largest software companies in Vietnam.

Today's guest is Aigerim Baimuratova (Айгерим Баймуратова) Director, Chocofood at Chocofamily Holding Chocofamily Holding is the largest and fastest -growing e-commerce group in Kazakhstan. Holding's structure combines a number of various services in the e-commerce industry through 10 subsidiary companies. Its strategy is to establish and promote subsidiaries that could be leaders in their particular segments with significant market shares. Currently, the group has a 12.4% share of all e-commerce market in Kazakhstan. The subsidiaries have more than 3 millon registered users, 750 thousand active customers, and 34 thousand purchases per day.

Dr. Gang LU is the founder and CEO of TechNode Group, making him one of China's most recognised influencers in the global technology sector. What started as Dr. Lu's personal blog quickly became a highly respected international innovation platform, with six business units including TN Media (Chinese and English technology media platform), TN Inno (corporate innovation services), TN Global (Asia and global business), TN Events (branding and event services), TN Data (startup ecosystem data analysis) and TN VC (venture capital and financing services). Through these initiatives, TechNode connects China's start-up technology ecosystem with the rest of the world. Today, TechNode is the exclusive China partner of TechCrunch.

Today's guests are Frank Wu and Jian Zhang. In this episode, we talk about the Chinese property market, new trends, REITs and overseas investment activities of Chinese investors. Mr. Jian Zhang: For over 20 years Jian Zhang (Jim) has been a professional practitioner in the commercial and residential property investment sector, as well as the development and fund management sector. Jian Zhang is Founder and Secretary-General of China Real Estate Club which is well-known Chinese real estate organization for senior real estate developers, investors and professionals who are interested in accessing Chinese market and Chinese investors bring Capitals to overseas, and currently Jian Vice President for China Association of Real Estate Fund. Frank Wu is a founding partner of Shanghai Genesis Investment Management Co., ltd, a boutique investment management and financial advisory company in Shanghai, China. Mr. Wu has 20 years of work experience advising international investors making direct investment in China and Chinese investors investing overseas. One of Frank's controlled companies was also Authorized Sales Representative of Cessna, one of the largest general aviation manufacturers in the world, for its private jet sales in China.

Today's guest is Anton Volianskyi, CEO and Co-Founder of Jiji.Africa Jiji, is one of the largest online marketplaces that provides buyers and sellers with an avenue to meet and exchange goods and services in Africa. It has also recently acquired “cars45”, one of the largest transactional car market place in Africa.

Today's guest is Johnny Widodo, CEO OLX Group Indonesia. I had a casual and very interesting conversation with Johnny Widodo, CEO OLX Group Indonesia. OLX Autos. OLX Group is an online marketplace company headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was founded in 2006 and operates in 45 countries. OLX is owned by Prosus, the international assets division of the South African multinational Naspers. Johnny is a CEO of a startup in digital automotive with over 16 years of multiple industry and consulting experience across the globe. Prior to this, built blueprint and work in multiple areas from analytics till marketing for Indonesia 5th Unicorn FinTech company. He is also active as public speaker across Asia both offline and online, serving as President of NTU AA Indonesia and Alumni Advisory Board of Nanyang Business School, publishes two books and have biography published, and mentors for startups in various organizations. In his free time, Johnny hosts J-Talk Podcast at YouTube, Anchor and Spotify and does powerlifting. #startup #fintech #podcast #indonesia #powerlifting

베트남 전문의 최고 법률전문가인 법무법인 광장의 한윤준 변호사와 "한국기업의 베트남 진출시 고려할 법률이슈"에 대해 얘기를 나누어 봤습니다, 한윤준 변호사는 법무법인 광장의 파트너 변호사로 한국인 변호사로서는 베트남 투자관련 최초 그리고 최고 전문가이다. 삼성물산 상사 법무팀 및 다국적 기업인 Sybase Inc.의 사내변호사로서 기업법무에 대한 많은 경험과 사업에 대한 이해를 바탕으로 2006년 부터 수많은 한국계 기업의 베트남 진출에 대한 자문을 제공해 오면서 단순한 베트남 법률해석은 물론이고 한국기업의 needs에 맞는 사업적/구조적 자문 또한 가능하다는 것이 가장 큰 장점이라고 평가받고 있다. Han, Youn Joon is the Partner @ Lee & Ko, a top tier law firm in Korea. He is the first and best Korean lawyer practicing in Vietnam with respect to foreign investment in Vietnam. Since 2006, with his extensive experiences and corporate-generated understanding as the In-House Counsel for Samsung CT (Commercial Unit) and Sybase Inc., he had provided not only general advice regarding Vietnamese law, but also business/structure advices for the Korean companies developing Vietnam market. #베트남투자

Today's guest is Will Lee, Founder and Chairman at Shareable Asset. Will is a serial entrepreneur who started his entrepreneurial journey in Silicon Valley in 2011. With his knowledge from studying Artificial Intelligence at Stanford University, Will is on a mission of building a human-centered platform through the newest technologies. Prior to Shareable Asset, he established Blue Whale Foundation and Verlocal. Blue Whale Foundation is the organization of realizing a decentralized sharing economy system. He moved to Singapore in 2017 to realize the vision of Shareable Asset  

In this episode, I speak to Ken Cage, President of International Recovery Group (ÏRG) International Recovery Group is the premiere specialty asset company in the world. They repossess boats, airplanes, RVs, construction equipment and more. They have been featured in many print, TV and radio outlets, having consistently been called "The Ultimate Repo Men" IRG is the premiere repossession and remarketing company in the world. They focus on high end repossessions and insurance claims cases. They have repossessed over 2,000 assets in 10 years and are currently handling insurance salvage and subrogation cases for many insurance companies.

A Moment of Magic Foundation operates on the mission of "restoring the magic of believing at a time when a child needs to 'just be a kid'​ and reminding them to be brave, strong, and fearless"​. The most popular services include Princess Visits, Superhero Visits, Personality Visits, Athlete Visits, Direct Family Support, and Inter-family Connection. Our organization visits children in need free of charge to the institution. They provide services such as individual visits, bedside visits, group visits, story readings, and special events- just to name a few. They are the largest organization of our kind with 16 chapters all over the United States and 500+ volunteers.

In this episode, I speak to Cory Willness, CEO - Croptimistic Technology and CropPro Consulting. SWAT RECORDS and SWAT MAPS are owned and operated by Croptimistic Technology Inc. SWAT (Soil, water, and topography) MAPS is the #1 variable-rate fertilizer and seed map. The FREE SWAT RECORDS app for field scouting and crop record keeping syncs to the ultimate POWER DESKTOP SOFTWARE for complete farm agronomy management and is the proprietary software platform for SWAT MAPS.

CRAVE is a tech-enabled, social commerce platform that builds a celebrity's fanbase in China and monetizes it.  CRAVE is the world's first end-to-end solution for international celebrities to make money in the Chinese market with no cost to them.  Simply put, most Athletes, Celebrities and Influencers (we call them “ACI's”) are making very little direct money in the Chinese market. There are several excellent reasons why this is the case, we call them Athletes, Celebrities and Influencers (again, “ACI's”) often have a small window of time to monetize their fame. They all want to make as much money off their fame while they can, and they are currently missing out on the seconds largest and richest markets in the world in China. CRAVE solves the barriers to monetization in china by offering celebrity's a user- friendly technology platform and associated services suite to grow and monetize their fan base in China with relatively little effort and no cost:  

In this episode, I speak to Ashley Dudarenok , founder and CEO of Alarice & ChoZan  , China Marketing Expert,  Global Speaker | 3x Bestselling Author   (1) Alarice (alarice.com.hk) is a social media agency. they develop tailored digital marketing strategy for China and execute it — eg. do consumer research and craft China marketing strategy, manage brand's social media communities (WeChat, RED, Weibo, Douyin), develop content, execute campaigns, work with influencers and live streamers, etc.  (2) ChoZan (chozan.co) is an insights and training company. They consult, educate and provide resources for in-house marketing & e-commerce teams to be successful in China. Ashely and I talk about: Her background and journey to China and founding Alarice & ChoZan What problems she is solving now and How her business model works About the market and target clients,  Reinventing Business Models Post Pandemic (lessons form inland China and my now firm examples) Her long-term vision for the entrepreneurial journey

In this episode, I speak to Sugahara Tomomi, founder and Chair of Emerald Club Sugahara and I talk about: Her background and journey to founding Emerald Club  What are the main challenges for female professionals and CEOs in Japan How Emerald club is trying to solve the problems A movie project of Emerald club: What is the title, storyline and the objectives the club wants to achieve. How do you finance production cost?  About the real business (subscription of perfume sales) the club is trying to launch based on the story of movie. Her long-term vision of the emerald club.

Pencil Group is an indie group of agencies combining creativity and technology in marketing services from brand building to e-commerce enablement. Pencil Group exists to make, collaborate and nurture meaningful human connections between companies and their customers in the digital era. Some of their retainer clients are LG Group, Carlsberg Group, Vingroup. The group is founded by some ex C-level leaders from global agency networks, headed by Nguyen Tien Huy, former Chief Digital Officer at Ogilvy Vietnam. Huy and I talk about: His background and journey to founding Pencil Group The ecosystem of the digital agency market in Vietnam The business model and differentiation of Digipencil How Digipencil expanded the business (Pencil group) during the pandemic. The long term vision for Pencil Group Who is the nicest person he has ever met in his life and why.  

In this episode, I speak to Amun Thapa, founder and CEO of sastodeal.com , the largest local born E-commerce platform in Nepal. Nepal's local leading ecommerce company. Strategic partners with Flipkart & Myntra. Partners with the Government of Nepal, Food Management Division. Marquee investors - Dolma Impact Fund, Televentures, ICTC Group, IME Group. The company is fighting a global giant – Alibaba Group in its home turf and is doing really well in an industry that is poised to grow to $1BN GMV by 2026.   Amun and I talk about: His background and journey to founding comsastodeal What problems he is solving now and How his business model works Ecommerce infrastructure in Nepal including Internet and mobile penetration and payment solution (credit card, e-wallet ) The problems are not issues but opportunities to grow. The growth strategy map of sastodeal; From Nepal to the world. His long term vision for csastodeal Who is the nicest person he has ever met in his life.

In this episode, I speak to Llyod Park, Founder and CEO at Elancer Korea Elancer Korea matches freelancers of  Software programmers and IT engineers with corporate clients in South Korea. The core of matchmaking is to fill both parties' needs. Elancer platform uses AI for the matching which is leading the technology in freelancer matching platform. As a platform, Elancer strives to create a culture where freelancers can work anywhere and anytime. Lloyd and I talk about: His background and journey to founding Elancer Korea. What is the problem he is solving now? How his business model works Who are the competitors? How to differentiate the solution against others in the markets? His fundraising plan to scale the business and expand into overseas markets What is the biggest challenges in scaling your business and taking it to the next level His long-term vision for Elancer Korea.

In this episode, I speak to NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman African Energy Chamber Voice of the African energy industry, representing all facets of the African oil and gas sector.   The AEC is the leading chamber of successful networks, transactions and partnerships at the helm of Africa's growing energy industries.   NJ Ayuk and I talk about: 1. The introduction of the African Energy Chamber and its role in the African energy sector 2. Which companies and countries play a key role in Africa's oil and gas industry? 3. The main challenges for the energy sector in Africa? 4. How AEC solves these problems or improves or evolves African energy sectors 5. What kind of collaboration and partnership AEC is looking for or promotes with Asian countries, investors, and partners? 6. What kind of specific collaboration you are expecting to develop with Korean companies and partners, e.g short term, and long term and any advice to share 7. Any plan for this or next year and Long term plan for African Energy Chamber?

In this episode, I speak to Manolo Atala -Co Founder and CEO at Fairplay Fairplay is the first revenue-based financing enabler for the new digital economy in Latin America that supports entrepreneurs' growth with a flexible, fast & friendly product by investing in their performance marketing campaigns and their inventories. For fast-growing businesses, Fairplay offers a sales advance as funding in exchange for a steady revenue share of their earnings until capital is paid back plus a flat fee. Manolo and I talk about: His background and journey to founding Fairplay. What is the problem he is solving now. (Freedom to Scale for digital SMEs) How his business model works Who are the competitors? How to differentiate the solution against others in the markets? His fundraising efforts and the challenges in fundraising? How he found smart people/employees for his business. What is the biggest challenges in scaling your business and taking it to the next level His long term vision for Fairplay Who is the nicest person he has ever met in his life.  

"UTU is building the trust infrastructure of the internet to help businesses and consumers engage and transact in an easier, safer, and more trustworthy way. Our AI-based API products collect and analyze data to create trust signals and personalized recommendations that help consumers and businesses make the best decisions for their situation. And the UTU blockchain protocol rewards users for trustworthy actions and compensates them for sharing their data while protecting their privacy. UTU changes the economics of trust, ensures trust can't be bought or manipulated and leverages data to help people make better decisions." Jason and I talk about: 1.     His background and journey to founding Utu. How he fell in love with Africa. 2.     How he is solving trust issues in the internet and E-commerce. 3.     How his business model works 4.     Who are the competitors? How to differentiate the solution against others in the markets? 5.     His fundraising efforts and the challenges in fundraising? 6.     What is the biggest challenges in scaling your business and taking it to the next level 7.     His long-term vision for Utu. 8.     Who is the nicest person he has ever met in his life.

In this episode, I speak to Mike Williamson, CEO and President of Cascadia Seaweed Cascadia Seaweed is growing to be one of the largest providers of cultivated seaweed, a climate-positive crop with a variety of uses requiring only the sea and sunlight to grow. This British Columbia based corporation was founded in 2019 by three maritime professionals who believe in building a profitable and scalable business that enhances the natural environment, reverses human impact on the oceans, and provides economic opportunity for rural and coastal communities. Mike and I talk about: 1.  His background and journey to founding Cascadia Seaweed 2.  What problems he is solving now and How the business model works 3.   How he came up with a business idea 4.   Innovative seaweed products and potential market  5.   The long term vision for Cascadia Seaweed  

In this episode, I speak to Yvonne Otieno, founder of Miyonga Fresh Greens ENT in Kenya. Miyonga begun as a transitional horticultural farm with 10 acres located in Lukenya, Machakos County to fully established exporters with access to a network over 10000 small holders out grower's across East Africa In the past three years the company has grown from out growers of fresh produce to award winning in exporters of fresh fruits and vegetables to UK, Norway, Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Ireland and South Africa. Yvonne and I talk about: Her background and journey to starting a family business, Miyonga What Miyonga (company name) means. What problems she is solving now and How her business model works How the supply chain works (mobile food factory) How she came up with a business idea The potential market and target clients Her long term vision for Miyonga Who is the nicest person she has ever met in her life. (learned humility from a Korean professor)

In this episode, I speak to Cecile Dekeuwer, an international lawyer turned entrepreneur, Founder and CEO at WeCo-Toilet WeCo are the first eco-innovative autonomous flushing toilets. All the excrements are recycled on site into treated water for flushing and energy. WeCo are developing the eco toilets of the future with a strong R&D and eco-design focus. WeCo co-develop with Alstom a plug and play system, a cartridge for wasted water treatment in the train toilets and other public toilets. Cecil and I talk about: Her background as an international lawyer and journey to founding WeCo Toilet What problems she is solving now and How her business model works Co-development with Alstom a plug and play system in the train toilets and other public toilets. The potential market and target clients  Her long term vision for WeCo Toilet  Who is the nicest person she has ever met in her life.

In this episode, I speak to Abubakari Malik Addae, Co Founder and CEO at LifeCheq LifeCheq helps people achieve their goals through good financial decision making. LifeCheq will post content on how to achieve goals such as buying a car, saving for a house, traveling or studying further as well as discuss topics in insurance and investment. Abubakari and I talk about: His background and journey to founding LifeCheq What problems he is solving now and How his business model (a platform) works How he differentiates his services against others in the markets? The potential market and target clients How he found co-founders or employees in the beginning His long term vision for LifeCheq Who is the nicest person he has ever met in his life.

In this episode, I speak to Eric Muli, Co Founder and CEO at Odyssey Capital, also known as Lipa Later. Lipa Later is a risk-free, point-of-sale credit option that allows retailers to sell goods and services to consumers with repayments made in affordable monthly instalments. It is the leading third-party instalment plan for retailers in East Africa currently operating in Kenya and Rwanda. Eric and I talk about: His background and journey to founding Lipa Later What problems he is solving now and How his business model works How he found co-founders or employees in the beginning How he will evolve the business model into diverse directions focused on convenience and solutions rather than financing. What are the biggest challenges in scaling your business and taking it to the next level? His long term vision for Lipa Later

In this episode, I speak to Tesh Mbaabu -Co Founder and CEO at MarketForce 360 90 percent of trade in Africa is informal (often called “corner shop”), and MarketForce's software-as-a-service platform to better manage their field sales agents and distribution. MarketForce bridges the gap in retail distribution by delivering an end-to-end platform that enables consumer brands to deliver essential goods and services to retailers and consumers. Tesh and I talk about: His background and journey to founding MarketForce 360 How his business model work: software-as-a-service platform How he found co-founders or employees in the beginning How he find smart people and motivate them to grow business together how the company has grown since establishment and is performing now What is the biggest challenges in scaling your business and taking it to the next level His long term vision for MarketForce 360

THIS EPISODE IS AVAILABLE WITH SUBTITLE AT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbLluBpx3NQ&t=2109s In this episode, I speak to Yong Park, Owner and CEO of SAMJIn Amook, 86 year old fish cake company based in Korea. The brand specializes in “amook” which is “fishcake” in Korean, a popular Korean food made from minced fish. Although the fishcake maker faced a financial crisis and its factory operating rate tumbled, Yong Park turned the crisis into an opportunity by expanding its business from business-to-business (B2B) to business-to-customer (B2C). In Samsung SDI's newsletter for employees, the firm introduced Samjin Amook, a local fishcake maker, as a business model for successful transformation. Yong and I talk about: 1) Introduction of himself and his journey to CEO at Samjin Amook 2) History and background of Samjin Amook 3) How he came up with the idea of launching a bakery-style fish cake restaurant and successfully transforming its business model from B2B and B2C 4) Key success factors of Samjin Amook 5) Introduction of continued new ideas and products after so-called “Samjin Amook bakery” 6) Overseas expansion plans 7) A new business model (Co-growth) : from a manufacturing company to become an ecosystem leader 8) The long-term vision and beyond fishcake for Samjin Amook

In this episode, I speak to Eva Chaewon Yoo, Author of “Do business like Chinese startups" and "Cycling Silkroad” and Tech writer. Eva and I talk about: 1) Introduction of Her background 2) Three books she has written 3) How she came up with the idea of 8-month cycling journey from Seoul to London 4) Interesting backstory of preparation and fundraising campaign to finance her trip 5) The project of interviewing 10 startup CEOs in 10 Silk road countries. 6) The biggest challenges and the most difficult moments during the cycling journey? 7) The professional career plan, and long term plan? 8) Who is the nicest person she has ever met in her life,  

In this episode, I speak to Ms. LE HOANG DIEP THAO, Founder and the CEO for TNI Company (King Coffee) which is headquartered in Vietnam and Trung Nguyen Instant Coffee JSC In 2020, the TNI King Coffee international market is expanded from 60 countries to more than 120 countries and territories. Revenue and market share increased by 200%, the Russian market alone grew by up to 350% despite the on-going global pandemic. Her talk focuses on the history of the Vietnamese coffee culture, and how her company turns national values into a core branding strategy to win the domestic market and to expand its global foundation. A prestigious London based publication, Global Brands Magazine (GBM) awarded her with the title of “Most Admired CEO – Food & Beverage Industry in Vietnam” for the year 2020. Ms. Thao and I talk about: Her background and journey to founding King Coffee Introduction of King Coffee and its business model. How she differentiate King Coffee against others in the markets What are the biggest challenges in scaling her business and taking it to the next level? Her interest in Social impact and contribute to solving the social problem in Vietnam: The background of TNI coffee (King coffee) sponsoring the National Soccer team The next step and her vision with King Coffee? The nicest person she has ever met in her life; her mother.

In this episode, I speak to  Anthony Bowers, Founder, and CEO at Tallant Asia Tallant Asia services companies around the globe with highly skilled staff. We build teams for companies in various back-office functions. This includes roles such as software development, accounting, payroll, virtual assistants, CAD operators and more. Anthony and I talk about: His background and journey to founding Tallant Asia Problems the company is solving now and how his BPO business model works Its value propositioning for his clients How he came up with a business idea How to differentiate its services against others in the markets? What is the biggest challenges in scaling your business and taking it to the next level How he finds smart people in things he did. The potential markets, expansion plan into other production centers and target clients The next step and his vision for Tallant Asia

S3E4 The leading mobile financial services and digital payments company in #Myanmar In this episode, I speak to Hal Bosher, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Wave Money Wave Money is the leading mobile financial services provider in Myanmar operating with over 55,000 Wave shops across the country. Wave Money introduced a unique way of transferring money, bringing millions of people in Myanmar access to formal financial services. Through Wave Money, thousands of people a day are sending money anywhere and at any time. Wave Money is a joint venture between Telenor and Yoma Bank Hal and I talk about: 1) His background and journey to Yoma Bank as CEO and now chairman at Wave Money in Myanmar 2) Wave money: The business model, What problems the company is solving now. What are the key features of the app 3) His angel investment: various portfolio companies he has invested 4) What are the biggest challenges in running startups or business in frontier markets like Myanmar 5) Advice to foreign investors that are interested in frontier markets; Patience and long term commitment to co-grow in the ecosystem 6) The next step and his long term plan in frontier markets 7) Who is the nicest person you have ever met and Why? the opportunity to work as CEO at Yoma bank

In this episode, I speak to  Benjamin Wong, Co Founder, and CEO at Transwap TranSwap is a Cross-Border B2B Fintech Platform, which allows you to move money better, faster and cheaper. The technology empowers businesses to seamlessly manage and execute global financial transactions, from any local connection. Its products include e-banking, FX-services, cross-border payments, payments through debit cards (Mastercard, Visa, Union Pay and Ali Pay) and wallets; the TranSwap platform also features corresponding reporting and full administrative support for 180 currencies in 120 countries. TranSwap’s integrated services are powered by a proprietary AI portal that allows you to plug-and-play anywhere with instantaneous service execution, resulting in significant savings on transaction fees and administration costs for your operations. Benjamin and I talk about: His background and journey to founding TranSwap Problems the company is solving now and how his business model works Who are the competitors? And How to differentiate its services against others in the markets? How he finds smart people and how to transition new employees to the company culture. The potential market and target clients,  What are the biggest challenges in scaling the business and taking it to the next level, e.g skilled talents, money or sales and marketing What have been the biggest mistakes while running a startup so far, how did he deal with that situation. what is the lesson learned from that? The next step and his vision for Transwap    

In this episode, I speak to Samuel Hui, Co-Founder, and CEO at Automation for Humanity  Automation for Humanity creates all sorts of Caregiving automation devices to give seniors a realistic chance of Aging in Place. Sit & Shower was created to find new solutions to the potential problems that the elderly and those with limited mobility encounter during bathing. Its goal is to create products that ensure safety and increase independence for our users.  Samuel and I talk about: His background and journey to founding Automation for Humanity Problems the company is solving now and the business model How he came up with a business idea  How he differentiates his products against other competitors in the market. About the potential markets and target clients,  How he and his cofounders met What is the biggest challenges in scaling the business The long-term vision for Automation for Humanity

In this episode, I speak to  Joseph Rehmann, Founder, and CEO at Victory Farms based in Kenya Victory Farms is a tilapia fish farm established in 2015. VF is building its operation on the Kenyan side of Lake Victoria and distribution capacity throughout Kenya. VF is rapidly expanding its farm operation, fish processing, and sales & marketing capabilities. By the end of 2017, VF is on track to be the largest aquaculture farm in East Africa. VF is employing world-class technologies, people and processes to build the leading tilapia farm globally. The Company has the highest standards for performance, execution, culture, and integrity. Joseph and I talk about: His background and journey to founding Victory Farms Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) of farmed fish vs Chicken, pork, and beef Problems the company is solving now and the business model How the supply chain of VF works How he and his cofounders met Fundraising of the company The long-term vision for Victory Farms and his African dream