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Final call for signing up for Chinaccelerator 20 Demo Day Nov 24 on Eventbrite. We will soon be back with the brand-new season. Until then, stay tuned. Fintech has come a long way in China, from barely being recognized to one of the fastest growing markets in the region. As the world’s leader in Fintech technology, China is a breeding ground for Internet finance companies, and accordingly, investment in the industry. With millions of users and an ever-growing number of fintech unicorns, the future of Internet finance looks exceedingly bright in China. Today, ASP selected the special episode that Oscar Ramos sat down with venture capitalist and fintech investor Wei Hopeman. After beginning her career in financial services and investment banking, Wei co-founded Arbor Ventures in 2013, the first VC fund specialized in fintech in the Asian ecosystem. She talks to us about the growth of fintech, the benefits of corporate VCs, and how founders and corporate VCs can improve their interactions with each other. Show notes:1:28 Intro  2:07 How Wei got into financial services  5:46 Going into investment banking  7:30 The growth of fintech in Asia  9:32 The lack of infrastructure in financial services  12:18 Launching fintech in China  15:18 Benefits of corporate VCs  17:08 Key questions a founder should ask corporate VCs  18:31 Key difference between types of VCs  21:02 Educating corporates in working with startups  23:17 Women in VC  30:16 The future of Arbor Ventures thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, guest Wei Hopeman, editor David and Geep, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website at Chinaccelerator Website Follow us on LinkedIn:  Asia Startup Pulse Email us: [email protected]

Sign up for Chinaccelerator 20 Demo Day Nov 24 at:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chinaccelerator-demo-day-20-livestream-20-tickets-188035859317?aff=podcast As we're gearing up for Chinaccelerator 20 Demo Day, we will be back with brand-new season. Until then, stay tuned. In this episode, we talk about Peng’s journey as an investor and how he perceives the great potential in Southeast Asia. More importantly, he summarizes a very important trend in SEA’s startup ecosystem, "Technification". We also talk about the impact that China's Internet giants have on SEA through investments and M&A. Shownotes 2:26 Peng’s journey as an investor3:54 Main differences btw seed round and Series A9:47 More capital investment in SEA10:52 The most interesting trend in SEA11:28 “Technification” in China12:36 The opportunities of “technification” in SEA15:05 “There is no way for a company to grow that fast without technology”18:03 The core DNA of a successful founding team19:26 China’s role in SEA’s service industry22:58 The role of Chinese and Japanese corporate venture capital in SEA26:56 The infrastructure development in SEA28:57 A hard push on deep technology in SEA? Many thanks to our guest Peng T.Ong; host Oscar Ramos; producers  Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: [email protected]

Sign up for Chinaccelerator 20 Demo Day Nov 24 at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chinaccelerator-demo-day-20-livestream-20-tickets-188035859317?aff=podcast We will come back with the brand-new season soon. Until then, stay tuned. ASP Selection: Inside the VC Mind (II) In today’s rebroadcast, Inside the VC Mind Part II, we invite Sanjay Nath, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Blume Ventures, one of India’s leading early-stage venture funds. Sanjay also represents Blume on the boards of Arka Venture Labs and the Draper Venture Network. Blume focuses on Seed to Pre-Series A stages of funding and has made over 100 investments across its 10-year history across multiple funds. Sanjay has invested in and advises a wide portfolio of startups including GreyOrange Robotics, Dataweave, Locus, Tricog, LBB, Lulu, Lambdatest, TapChief (acquired by Unacademy), Nektar.ai, and Obviously.ai amongst others. What is the trajectory for Indian startups expanding abroad? How do they start in India and move to the US and SEA? How can startups build and sell remotely and operate in a virtual world? What are the repercussions of localization when internationalization? Sanjay, as an active investor in the space, brings his experience in answering all these questions and more! Show Notes 02:10 Introduction to Sanjay Nath02:55 Sanjay’s transition from consulting to VC07:41 The trend of Indian startups expanding overseas11:20 Overcoming the barriers of  cross-border expansion16:38 How Blume VC supports startups with their expertise and best practices24:10 Localisation vs Internationalisation from Day 128:22 Popular revenue models among Indian startups31:04 The second-order effect of Covid19 on cross-border expansion38:22 Opportunities for Indian SaaS companies in China41:05 Leveraging diaspora and ecosystems to expand to the US and Europe45:17 Sanjay’s final thoughts  Many thanks to our guests  Sanjay Nath; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation. To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit  www.asiastartuppulse.com Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: [email protected]

Asia Startup Pulse Selection: Examining the Fundamentals of the Marketplace Business Model with James Tan, Managing Partner at Quest Ventures.  As we're gearing up for our Demo Day, we will soon be back with a brand-new season next month. Sign up for  Demo Day Nov 24  to meet the 10 startups chosen for our latest cohort. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chinaccelerator-demo-day-20-livestream-20-tickets-188035859317?aff=podcast Today, we are going to dig deeper into marketplaces again with James Tan, Managing Partner at Quest Ventures. Prior to this, James was co-founder and COO of 55tuan, a NASDAQ listed e-commerce group that grew to more than 200 cities and 5,000 employees across China. Show notes: 2:43 - Introduction to James Tan4:21 -  Transition from startup founder to venture capitalist6:06 - Introduction to Quest Ventures7:20 -  Most rewarding achievements of running a marketplace9:37 -  Why James is excited about marketplaces12:23 -  The advantages of a marketplace over a B2C company15:41 -  How to manage and control your marketplace17:55 -  The most innovative marketplace models that James has seen20:28 - Is a marketplace in Southeast Asia a regional business?23:21 -  The right time for marketplaces to internationalise25:53 -  How should companies localise in Indonesia?31:31 - Where should Indonesian companies internationalise to34:13  - When should companies reconsider expansion35:13  - How to innovate the marketplace revenue model?40:11  - Does “marketplace” have a higher valuation multiple compared to e-commerce? Related Episodes Building the Biggest Used-car Marketplace in SEA, with Aaron Tan, founder of Carro (Ep 159) Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseTo join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation.Email us: [email protected] thanks to our guests  James Tan; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David Xu; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

Having accomplished his goal of transforming the gaming industry, Johnson Yeh is now turning his attention to his long-time passion: circular economy and sustainability. He founded ROEHL to provide consumers with a more sustainable and convenient lifestyle, starting with a subscription-based home appliance service. Johnson recently sat down with Oscar Ramos in our Shanghai recording studio. Listen for their discussion on: Why Johnson left his job at the summit of the gaming industry to pursue this mission What we can do in a world of planned obsolescence Economic benefits to a circular economy How ROEHL is speeding up the rate of green-tech adoption, starting with air-purifying products China’s leading position in green technology The most exciting opportunities for new companies in the sector About the speaker: Johnson Yeh is the founder and CEO of ROEHL, the world’s first Lifestyle-as-a-Service (L.a.a.S) company. Before founding ROEHL in 2019, Johnson led Riot Games in China, Southeast Asia, and Japan. Under his leadership, LPL and e-sport went through a formidable transformation, becoming China's biggest spectator sport, with viewing numbers increasing by 15 times in 5 years. In 2019, the total number of hours watched reached 4 billion in China alone, surpassing CSL, NBA, and other traditional sporting events. Many thanks to our guest Johnson Yeh; host Oscar Ramos; producers Sagar Chaudhary and Lace Nguyen; editor David Xu; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com. To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation. Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: [email protected]

EPISODE SUMMARY We sat down with Kamarul Muhamed, founder and CEO of Aerodyne Group, a world-leading drone-based enterprise solutions provider, to talk all things drones, the Uberization of agritech, how drone tech has created a new market for technology talents. We also discussed why Southeast Asia, once dominated by traditional agriculture, is so bullish on new technologies, and the wonderful future of the region’s home-grown unicorns. EPISODE NOTES “Drones, in itself, is just a dumb flying platform. What makes it intelligent is the analytics and smart sensors; and how that can be disruptive in providing real value to our enterprise clients,” said Kamarul Muhamed, who founded Aerodyne in 2014 and has grown the company into a world-leading drone-based enterprise solutions provider and, more importantly, a pioneer in the use of AI for large-scale data operations and process optimization. Today, we sat down with Kamarul to talk all things drones, the Uberization of agritech, how drone tech has created a new market for technology talents. We also discussed why Southeast Asia, once dominated by traditional agriculture, is so bullish on new technologies, and the wonderful future of the region’s home-grown unicorns.  About the speaker: Kamarul Muhamed left the corporate world to pursue his passion in technology and digital innovation, founding Aerodyne in 2014 with a specialty in aerial imagery. The company has since pivoted to data intelligence, integrated solutions and now, Drone Tech, Data Tech and Digital Transformation (DT3). Ranked second in the world by Drone Industry Insights of Germany, Aerodyne has over 400 drone professionals operating in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAS) services sector, managing more than 300,000 infrastructure assets with 110,000 flight operations across 35 countries globally.  Show notes: 01:39 Introduction to Kamarul Muhamed and Aerodyne Group02:29 How the pandemic has accelerated the adoption of agritech05:52 Contactless technologies to automate infrastructure operations for powerlining and solar farms07:15 Transforming traditional labor-intensive agriculture jobs into tech talents10:15 How the Uberization of agritech has created a new micro-economy13:05 Southeast Asia’s governments are already channeling agriculture subsidy into the adoption of technology18:36 How Aerodyne tackled the challenges of adoption and scaling a cross-border team22:00 The future of aerial robotics and AI’s pivotal role in the ecosystem26:40 Entering the bigger B2C market with the super-app model for agriculture32:35 What the world can learn from China’s speed of innovation and Southeast Asia’s massive opportunitiesMany thanks to our guests Kamarul Muhamed; host Oscar Ramos; producers Sagar Chaudhary and Lace Nguyen; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com. To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation. Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: [email protected]

EPISODE SUMMARY The World Wide Web was the first big tech revolution. Mobile was the second and we think blockchain is now the third. This is a period where we're going to have a solid 10-year run of tremendous growth and adoption of this new technology. It's going to bring enormous changes to all sectors that the technology touches upon: entertainment, financial services, e-government, and more. EPISODE NOTES Robby Yung is the CEO of Animoca Brands, the developer of a broad portfolio of blockchain games, traditional games, and other products, many of which are based on popular global brands including Formula 1®, Marvel, WWE, Power Rangers, MotoGP™, and Doraemon. Animoca Brands is also a prolific investor with more than 50 investments in NFT-related blockchain companies, including Sky Mavis (Axie Infinity), Dapper Labs (CryptoKitties and NBA Top Shot), OpenSea, Harmony, Bitski, and Alien Worlds. Yung previously was the co-founder of Redgate Media, acquired by Inno-Tech Holdings Limited.  Yung recently sat down with Oscar Ramos to talk about all things NFT, digital entertainment, and what excites him about the future of blockchain. Show Notes 02:35 How Animoca made its foray into blockchain games with Dapper Labs and CryptoKitties04:25 How blockchain revolutionizes gaming with digital ownership09:02 Incentives for people to spend more money on blockchain games11:24 A fully decentralized game is a lot like a democracy12:50 Behind the rise of NFTs: companies at the intersection of gaming and DeFi such as Sky Mavis15:52 Could blockchain the third tech revolution?19:11 Robby Yung's investment philosophy22:15 How virtual experiences will change the traditional business model24:21 What we need to speed up blockchain adoption27:27 Why regulations will increase clarity and transparency32:16 The attraction of collectibles and art36:05 The metaverse 10 years from now Many thanks to our guests Robby Yung; host Oscar Ramos; producers Sagar Chaudhary and Lace Nguyen; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com. To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation. Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: [email protected]

The open-source model has been a big catalyst for technology businesses across the world. While it is clear how they fit into other business models, it is still unclear what the business model behind an open-source business is. In this episode, we aim to answer that and more. We invited Neil Han, Head of APAC and EMEA for PingCAP, the first open-source unicorn in China, which raised 340million USD in total. Neil is a hardcore software person and a well-connected professional in the software industry across the globe with great operations and management skillset, looking forward to working with a fast-growing company and great leadership team to grow together. PingCAP raises $270M in Nov. 2020 to develop core technologies and advance the global expansion of its offerings! PingCAP is founded by the team that built TiDB, a world-leading open-source, cloud-native, distributed SQL/NewSQL database for elastic scale and real-time analytics, which is compatible with MySQL and enables companies to painlessly scale their business while keeping the underlying infrastructure simple and serve as a one-stop solution for all online transactions and analysis. PingCAP is the most valued NewSQL company on the planet! EPISODE NOTES The open-source model has been a big catalyst for technology businesses across the world. While it is clear how they fit into other business models, it is still unclear what the business model behind an open-source business is. In this episode, we aim to answer that and more. We invited Neil Han, Head of APAC and EMEA for PingCAP, the first open-source unicorn in China, which raised 340million USD in total. Neil is a hardcore software person and a well-connected professional in the software industry across the globe with great operations and management skillset, looking forward to working with a fast-growing company and great leadership team to grow together. Show Notes: [1:26] Introduction to Neil Han [2:39] PingCap’s value proposition [5:14] Companies that best leverage PingCap’s services [8:05] The business model behind an open source business [12:08] Where the community contributors come from [15:05] Where the customers come from [17:29] Experience of selling the service to Chinese customers [2200] Customers as contributors to the product: A case of Square [26:38] The scope of growth for open-source software in APAC [30:16] Connect with Neil Many thanks to our guests  Neil Han; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation. To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit  www.asiastartuppulse.com Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: [email protected]

India today is home to some of the most innovative and valuable startups in the world. With a thriving startup ecosystem that is seeing more and more foreign capital injection and innovation across the board from tech to business models, Indian startups are well positioned to take on the global startup ecosystem. Although the domestic market is already huge enough, more Indian SaaS startups are venturing out and expanding across borders.  In today’s episode, we invite Sanjay Nath, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Blume Ventures, one of India’s leading early-stage venture funds. Sanjay also reprerepresents Blume on the boards of Arka Venture Labs and the Draper Venture Network. Blume focuses on Seed to Pre-Series A stages of funding and has made over 100 investments across its 10-year history across multiple funds. Sanjay has invested in and advises a wide portfolio of startups including GreyOrange Robotics, Dataweave, Locus, Tricog, LBB, Lulu, Lambdatest, TapChief (acquired by Unacademy), Nektar.ai, and Obviously.ai amongst others.  What is the trajectory for Indian startups expanding abroad? How do they start in India and move to US and SEA? How can startups build and sell remotely and operate in a virtual world? What are the repercussions of localization when internationalization? Sanjay, as an active investor in the space, brings his experience in answering all these questions and more! Show Notes 01:35 Introduction to Sanjay Nath 02:20 Sanjay’s transition from consulting to VC 07:06 The trend of Indian startups expanding overseas 10:54 Overcoming the barriers of  cross-border expansion 16:03 How Blume VC supports startups with their expertise and best practices 23:35 Localisation vs Internationalisation from Day 1 27:47 Popular revenue models among Indian startups 30:29 The second-order effect of Covid19 on cross-border expansion 37:47 Opportunities for Indian SaaS companies in China 40:30 Leveraging diaspora and ecosystems to expand to the US and Europe 44:42 Sanjay’s final thoughts  Many thanks to our guests  Sanjay Nath; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation. To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit  www.asiastartuppulse.com Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: [email protected]

What does it take to launch a VC fund in China? What are the differences between RMB funds and USD funds? And how can VC funds exit themselves?  We invited Chris Lerner, Managing Partner at MSA Capital, to join us to share his experience on starting and running a successful venture fund, and also how MSA Capital has supported startups to grow and expand to different markets. Founded in 2014, MSA Capital is an independent global private equity and venture capital firm with over $1.5 billion assets under management. Most notably, 60% of its 26 early stage investments have become super unicorns.  We also extended the conversation from a “cross-border” perspective by discussing about the potential opportunities for foreign startups and foreign VCs to enter China. Show Notes: 2:48 Introduction to MSA Capital 5:22 What has kept Chris Lerner living in China 9:12 What makes the Chinese VC industry different 13:10 The DNA of Chinese corporate VCs (CVCs) 15:13 Conflicts happen when startups work with different CVCs 17:38 What takes to launch a VC fund 19:57 Who is investing in VC funds in China 24:40 The difference between RMB funds and USD funds 27:44 How VC funds can exit themselves in China 31:38 The trends of consolidation for financial returns 33:18 What support MSA Capital provides to startups 38:13 Potential opportunities for foreign startups to enter China 41:18 The opportunity of foreign VCs to enter China 42:32 How to contact Chris Lerner Many thanks to our guests Chris Lerner; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation. To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit  www.asiastartuppulse.com Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: [email protected]

While Southeast Asia remains one of the hottest markets in the region, South Asia is also catching up, especially with the likes of Bangladesh and Pakistan. The region is also home to some of the fastest-growing tech startups, and today, we venture down south to Bangladesh and talk to the co-founder and CEO of Pathao, Bangladesh's largest tech company which is valued at over $100 million. Pathao is the leading ride-sharing, on-demand logistics, and food delivery platform in Bangladesh. Today, its motorbike and car-hailing vertical alone serves five million riders across five cities in Bangladesh and Kathmandu in Nepal. How did Pathao come into existence? For a market with typically no culture of motorcycle-taxis, how did you create the need in the market? How did they manage to stand out from the competition even against the likes of Uber? How has their journey been moving from an app to a super app? We talk about all these and more, in today’s episode. Show Notes 02:20 Introduction to Hussain Elius 03:22 How Pathao came into existence 05:48 What the status quo was before Pathao 08:21 Inspiration behind founding Pathao 11:10 The competitive landscape for Pathao 13:50 The competition against Uber 17:20 Understanding why the “Uber-way” was not the way to go 22:37 Lessons learned from Gojek 25:30 Pathao’s expansion to Nepal 29:05 Evolution of Hussain’s role 32:43 Does mentorship matter? 36:03 Final thoughts Many thanks to our guests  Hussain Elius; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation. To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit  www.asiastartuppulse.com Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: [email protected]

The increased showboating and “greenwashing” of the term “Impact Investment” has virtually led to the term being thrown around loosely: especially, as it is hard to gauge the tangible impact sometimes startups working in this domain bring. But, what exactly is impact investment? How different is the understanding of the term in developed countries compared to emerging markets? How can startups working in this domain find the sweet spot between profitability and impact? Is tangible impact more valuable than intangible ones? Or the other way around? These are some of the many questions that arise while trying to understand the impact of investment space. And in this episode, we bring a prominent guest whose experience across Asia and the US in the impact investment space makes her the perfect guest to answer these questions and more.  In this episode, we are joined by Ilaria Chan, Group Advisor on Social Impact Investment for Grab, one of Asia’s most prominent tech unicorns. Having started her career in investment banking with Goldman Sachs, today Ilaria is a global keynote speaker, private investor, and serves on the Board of Trustees of several humanitarian organizations. We talk all about impact investment and socially conscious startups and the investment ecosystem that revolves around them.  SHOW NOTES 03:14 Introduction to Ilaria Chan 07:04 Ilaria’s expertise in Impact Investment 09:32 Understanding the reality of Impact Invest and Difference between East & West 14:50 Impact vs Profitability: The quandary for social entrepreneurs for raising funds 20:09 How Tech Unicorns are making social impact a big of their proposition 26:05 Tangible impact vs Intangible Impact: Is one less important than the other? 30:22 The “green-washing” trend in impact investment 34:41 Flow of innovation from East to the West 43:44 Connect with Ilaria Many thanks to our guests  Ilaria Chan; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation. To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit  www.asiastartuppulse.com Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: [email protected]