CEO Roundtable bridging Asia

S2EP16 Netflix of Digital Art/NFT platform (Niio Art)

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?

S2E15 Landing International, connecting indie beauty brands and international retailers

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.

S3E28 KIN FOOD- ”Netflix for food” disrupting food and sustainability space

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

S1E46 Kenyan Fintech, KWARA, building neobanks for African credit unions

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?

S3E27 Ofbusines: On its way to a decacorn, uplifting the SME world in India

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.

S3E28 Ion Mobility: Subscribe to Own E-bike

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

S2E14 Protix- Insect farming is ready to take flight

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.

S2E13 SuperWorld : Building the Metaverse with NFT Virtual real estate

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

S2E12 The future of tech and startup scene in Ukraine

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

S2E11 Member of European Parliament Susana Solis: Renew Europe, Cooperating with Asia

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.