Learn from Southeast Asia's best tech leaders. Build the future, learn from our past & stay human in between. No B.S on success. Southeast Asia's #1 startup & venture capital podcast with 80,000+ listeners.
Hosted by Jeremy Au. VC & serial founder. Harvard MBA & UC Berkeley. Sci-fi nerd & dad of two daughters. Growth and personal growth solves all problems. The best feeling is coaching good humans to be great leaders.
Published on Monday & Thursday. Weekly tech news debates, changemaker interviews & listener Q&As.
Community of listeners and guests across Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia & the Philippines. Global top 10% podcast.
"Learned a lot from the journeys. Must-listen for anyone seeking advice to be a leader" @lindatangxy
"Refreshing to hear from distinguished founders what they learned, both the good & bad" @seanojw
"Incredibly useful in kickstarting my thought process around customers as an entrepreneur" @klowetan
"After tuning into a couple of episodes, this is now my weekly routine. Keep it up!!" @joshrodes8
Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com
Become Incorruptible - The Truth Behind Successful Businesses | Eric Ries - E700
Season 1 · Episode 700
Sunday, May 31, 2026 • Duration 44:52
Join Jeremy Au on the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast for an exclusive masterclass with Eric Ries, legendary author of 'The Lean Startup' and the new book ‘Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad... and How Great Companies Stay Great’. They dive deep into the future of company building, how the AI boom is dramatically accelerating startup velocity, and why the standard venture capital playbook is often fundamentally broken. Eric reveals insights from his new research on corporate governance, explaining why ruthless business practices actually destroy long-term value and how true trustworthiness is a company's greatest asset. Essential listening for founders, operators, and VCs across Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia who are looking to scale resilient, high-integrity startups.
00:00 - Introduction & The Myth of Ruthless Business
01:21 - The Origin Story of "The Lean Startup"
04:24 - Achieving Product-Market Fit During a Recession
07:19 - Eric's Identity Shift: From Engineer to Global Author
09:23 - How "Lean Startup" Principles Apply to the AI Boom
12:00 - The New Book: Protecting Your Company's Mission
18:35 - Why "Good Governance" Can Actually Destroy Value
23:55 - Overcoming the Pressure to Exploit Customers (The Costco Example)
32:21 - Founder Transitions & The Story of Novo Nordisk
38:28 - AI Agents vs. Human Creativity: Eric's Contrarian Take
41:00 - AI Fact-Checks Eric Ries Live
43:04 - Key Takeaways & Conclusion
Choosing Your Career Path and the Tradeoffs You Must Be Aware Of - E699
Season 1 · Episode 699
Wednesday, May 27, 2026 • Duration 09:01
Most career advice is a lie. In this raw solo episode of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, Jeremy Au breaks down why self-help advice from successful business leaders is often self-serving, and what young founders, operators, and professionals across Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia should actually pay attention to.
Jeremy shares the hard-won lessons that schools and LinkedIn influencers will not teach you: the brutal tradeoffs hidden behind every "I wake up at 5am" story, why you must own your power without shame, and the dangerous trap of choosing your career outside-in instead of inside-out. He opens up about why he walked away from Bain & Company after two years and felt like a loser, only to learn a decade later that even the partners who "made it" wished they had taken the exit.
You will also hear why being a small fish in a big pond is not a failure (and being a big fish in a small pond is not the goal), why sacrificing your health for your career is the dumbest tradeoff a young professional can make, and how choosing your own pain is the secret to a sustainable career.
How Lasers Could Replace Undersea Cables & Reshape Global Internet | Rohit Jha - E698
Season 1 · Episode 698
Sunday, May 24, 2026 • Duration 32:16
Rohit Jha, Co-founder and CEO of Transcelestial, joins Jeremy Au to explain how his Singapore-based startup is using laser communications to transmit internet at speeds far beyond what Starlink currently offers, and why that matters for Southeast Asia, global telcos, and the future of deep space.
Rohit breaks down how Transcelestial went from building ground-to-ground laser links for 5G towers, with clients like Globe Telecom, Telkomsel, T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, and NTT Group, to now building an orbital ring of 40 satellites designed to replace undersea cables and host orbital data centres capable of running AI workloads in space.
Topics covered include the Transcelestial vs. SpaceX and Starlink distinction, why telcos are a national security asset that will never be sold to a foreign operator, how AI is driving an explosion in internet bandwidth demand, and how a laser link restored connectivity to 50 villages in Taiwan after a typhoon destroyed a fibre-carrying bridge in under two hours. Rohit also shares what it means to be brave, from fighting off knife-wielding robbers in Munich on Christmas Eve to secretly redirecting company capital into a space programme without telling the board.
Trump Xi Summit Decoded: Thucydides Trap, Boeing Deal & China AI Chip Strategy - E697
Season 1 · Episode 697
Thursday, May 21, 2026 • Duration 34:47
Jianggan Li, Founder of Momentum Works, joins Jeremy Au to unpack the Trump Xi Beijing summit, the first US presidential visit to China since 2017. They decode the optics of Zhongnanhai Garden and the Temple of Heaven, Xi Jinping's Thucydides Trap reference, the 200 plane Boeing deal, and why the absence of major deliverables is itself a strategic win.
The conversation dives deep into the AI chip war, why NVIDIA's market share in China collapsed from 95% to under 10%, how the US export ban accelerated Chinese semiconductor self-reliance, and DeepSeek's reported 50 billion RMB funding round with the founder personally contributing 20 billion. They examine why Jensen Huang was added to Trump's delegation last minute, Elon Musk's unique position with Tesla in China, how Chinese state subsidies flow through local governments, and why founders like the Manus team made costly domicile mistakes.
For Southeast Asia founders, VCs, and operators in Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia, this episode reveals why both superpowers settled into managed competition rather than decisive split, and what it means for global supply chains, AI models, and capital flows in 2026.
Wen-Szu Lin: Lessons learnt from Franchise Failure to Scaling Uber in Asia - E696
Season 1 · Episode 696
Sunday, May 17, 2026 • Duration 34:09
In this episode of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, Jeremy Au is joined by Wen-Szu Lin who opens up about the brutal reality of entrepreneurship, from securing the master franchise for Auntie Anne's in China just before the 2008 Olympics, to navigating massive business failure, and eventually scaling Uber's Community Operations across Asia.
Wen-Szu shares the untaught lessons that propelled his corporate success after his startup collapsed. Discover the hidden challenges of operating a foreign food brand in Beijing, how strict local regulations stifled growth, and why a "growth mindset" is the ultimate tool for tech leaders and founders. Whether you are building a startup in Southeast Asia, exploring venture capital, or looking to growth hack your career, this candid conversation about bouncing back from a failed venture is essential listening.
Check out Wen-Szu Lin’s books The China Twist and Deliver: The untaught lessons to growth hack your career at www.wenszulin.com
00:00 - Introduction
01:46 - Wen-Szu Lin's Background & Journey to China
04:55 - Securing the Auntie Anne's Master Franchise
07:23 - The Reality of Doing Business in Beijing (2008 Olympics)
16:19 - Knowing When to Fold & Moving to the Philippines
20:41 - Overcoming the Stigma of Failure: Writing "The China Twist"
24:42 - Scaling Uber's Community Operations in Asia
27:53 - Untaught Lessons: Writing "Deliver"
30:28 - Following Curiosity Over Bravery
Find Your Unfair Advantage in Business and Use It - E695
Season 1 · Episode 695
Thursday, May 14, 2026 • Duration 08:12
Is the world fair? How do you find your true purpose in business? In this episode of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, Jeremy Au shares his deeply personal journey into the cancer diagnostics space following a tragic loss. He breaks down the crucial difference between "problem-market fit" and "founder-problem fit," the reality of life's unfairness, and why you must play to your unfair advantages to succeed in the hyper-competitive tech ecosystem.
Whether you are a founder in Singapore or an aspiring entrepreneur anywhere in Southeast Asia, these insights will redefine how you view marketing, leadership, and resilience. Tune in to discover the "Yin and Yang" of marketing, why good things don't always happen to good people, and how to harness your unique strengths to build something that truly matters.
00:00 - The Yin and Yang of Marketing
01:09 - The Importance of Founder-Problem Fit
02:07 - Jeremy's Personal Mission to Fight Cancer
04:13 - Breaking the Fairytale: The World Isn't Fair
Solo Founding at 58 and AI as a force multiplier for the medical industry | Jay Fajardo - E694
Season 1 · Episode 694
Sunday, May 10, 2026 • Duration 25:28
In this episode of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, Jeremy Au sits down with Jay Fajardo, serial entrepreneur and CEO of BetterClinic, straight from Manila, Philippines. Jay discusses his return to the founder’s seat at age 58, driven by the massive paradigm shift of the Artificial Intelligence supercycle.
We dive deep into how AI is completely transforming digital healthcare by eliminating doctor burnout and drastically reducing administrative "pajama time" from 40% to 10%. Jay also reveals why AI makes being a solo founder an absolute superpower, how cloud tools are changing the venture capital landscape, and the looming impact of AI on the Philippine BPO industry. If you are building a startup in Southeast Asia or are fascinated by the future of AI health tech, this is a masterclass in adapting to technological shifts.
00:00 - Introduction & The AI Supercycle
01:55 - The Shift from Ecosystem Builder to AI Founder
04:26 - Why AI is a "Superpower" for Experienced Founders
05:10 - Fixing Healthcare & Reducing Doctor Burnout
08:44 - Eradicating "Pajama Time": AI Scribes & Clinic Workflows
10:52 - A Hybrid Go-To-Market Strategy for HealthTech in SEA
14:43 - The Rise of the Solo Founder Movement
18:29 - Age vs. Experience: Building Startups in Your 50s
20:00 - The Future of AI in Medicine (An AI Assistant?)
22:50 - AI's Looming Threat to the Philippine BPO Industry
23:40 - 3 Key Takeaways
How the Global Energy Crisis is rewiring Southeast Asia Tech | Kristie Neo - E693
Season 1 · Episode 693
Thursday, May 7, 2026 • Duration 28:51
How is the ongoing Middle East conflict reshaping the global economy, energy markets, and the tech sector? In this episode of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, Jeremy Au sits down with Kristie Neo, PitchBook's newly appointed Asia Editor, to unpack the macroeconomic shockwaves hitting Southeast Asia and the Gulf.
From surging oil prices and the fuel emergency in the Philippines to the sudden acceleration in green energy and defense tech investments across Singapore and the UAE, we cover what founders and investors need to know to navigate this crisis. Tune in for deep-dive insights on venture capital shifts, global capital flight, the resilience of safe-haven economies, and why times of conflict often forge the strongest technological innovations.
00:00 - Introduction & PitchBook’s APAC Expansion
03:10 - The Middle East Crisis & Macro Impacts
06:45 - How the Conflict Affects UAE Venture Capital
09:30 - Inflation, Supply Chains & Asia's Energy Security
12:28 - Surging Demand for Renewables & Nuclear Power
15:28 - Tech Capital, LPs, & Diversification out of the Gulf
22:48 - The Rise of Defense Tech in Singapore & Israel Parallels
Dennis Velasco: The Reality of the Trust Gap and Building a Tech Startup in Southeast Asia - E692
Season 1 · Episode 692
Sunday, May 3, 2026 • Duration 41:55
Dennis Velasco, founder of Prosperna, provides a raw and definitive account of transitioning from Silicon Valley leadership roles at Salesforce and Xero to the front lines of the Philippine startup ecosystem. In this episode, you will learn the structural mechanics of the "Trust Factor Gap" in Southeast Asian B2B markets and how Velasco navigated a $300,000 personal investment across multiple failed ventures before finding product-market fit. We explore the high-stakes reality of moving a family across the globe to build a legacy and the specific tactical shifts required to scale a Philippine-based SaaS company to meet Western market expectations.
Core Themes Explored:
The Silicon Valley Straitjacket: Why high-salary careers in the US can prevent founders from achieving true creative autonomy.
The B2B Trust Deficit: Strategies for overcoming the "scam" perception by utilizing physical office culture and extreme customer commitment.
Unit Economic Reality: Why Philippine startups must expand to global markets sooner to survive local price sensitivity.
The Pandemic Pivot: How Prosperna transitioned from real estate listings to a dominant AI-powered e-commerce platform for SMEs.
This conversation is hosted by Jeremy Au as part of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, the region’s leading resource for venture capital insights and founder resilience. Whether you are a venture capitalist evaluating the Manila tech hub or a diaspora founder considering a "return home" strategy, this episode provides the unvarnished truth about building in one of the world's most fragmented markets.
00:00 - The $300,000 Cost of Building in the Philippines
02:50 - Leaving Salesforce & Xero: Escaping the Silicon Valley Straitjacket
The 3 Phases of Startup Success: From the Jungle, through the Dirt Road & to the Highway - E691
Season 1 · Episode 691
Thursday, April 30, 2026 • Duration 10:26
Is Southeast Asia entering its Golden Age? Jeremy Au breaks down the "1 in 40" gamble of building a unicorn, the David vs. Goliath strategy for startups, and the brutal reality of the VC Power Law. Learn the three phases of startup growth—from the jungle to the highway—and how to identify the six clusters of failure before they kill your company. Essential viewing for founders, investors, and tech leaders across Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines looking to master network effects and unit economics in the world's fastest-growing digital economy.
00:00 The 1 in 40 Gamble: Odds of Becoming a Unicorn
00:41 The Thesis for Southeast Asia's Golden Age
01:05 The Innovator's Mental Reset & Generational Shifts
02:17 David vs. Goliath: The Slingshot Strategy
03:20 From Jungle to Highway: The 3 Startup Phases
04:39 The 10x Rule: Better, Faster, or Cheaper
05:50 Building Moats: The Power of Network Effects
06:38 Mastering Unit Economics & LTV
07:17 Inside the VC Mindset: Hunting for Home Runs
07:57 The Power Law: Why 90% of Rewards Go to the Top
08:32 The 6 Clusters of Startup Failure
09:00 Monopoly vs. Competition: Peter Thiel’s Core Insight
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