In this episode, Sonny Sudaryana, Program Coordinator at KOMINFO, and Aditya Subiyakto, Co-Founder & COO at Ravenry, join forces to explore the pivotal role of Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and Information Technology in fostering the country's digital landscape. They discuss Indonesia's unique position in Southeast Asia, key demographic sectors, and emerging trends that shape the market.

The conversation covers crucial aspects of entering the Indonesian market, including the most attractive sectors for foreign startups, the impact of internet and mobile penetration on consumer behaviour, and the political and regulatory environment. Sonny and Aditya also share practical tips and debunk common myths about doing business in Indonesia.

Explore effective entry strategies into the Indonesian market with our exclusive 'Enter Indonesia Successfully' Series, a collaboration between BLOCK71 and Ravenry featured on mvp to MVP. Through this podcast, we aim to provide essential knowledge and strategies that empower companies to navigate and succeed in this dynamic market.

IN THIS EPISODE

(01:26): Kominfo’s background and role in foreign investments

(11:32): What makes Indonesia unique in SEA?

(15:20): Entering Indonesia

(18:20): Key demographic sectors in Indonesia

(26:11): Internet and mobile penetration

(33:37): Advantages for foreign startups

(34:56): Emerging trends & industries in Indonesia

(37:44): E-commerce vs physical Stores

(44:40): Political and regulatory impact

(48:26): Myths about Indonesia

(55:25): Tips for entering Indonesia

Sonny Sudaryana | Program Coordinator at KOMINFO

Sonny is the coordinator of ICT creativity empowerment at the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, as part of the digital transformation priority program at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, his division runs flagship programs related to startup development in Indonesia, including 1000 startups and Indonesian startup studios.

Previously served as Head of E-Business Technology, he was involved in and drafted the Indonesian e-commerce roadmap and was one of the initiators and members of the special panel team to filter negative content blocking on the internet.

Aditya Subiyakto | Co-Founder & COO at Ravenry

Aditya Subiyakto is the founder of Ravenry, a market research company established in 2018, dedicated to assisting clients in assessing new market opportunities and benchmarking competitors. In addition to Ravenry, Aditya also co-founded Int Labs in 2017, an innovation consulting agency that has partnered with large corporations in the region, where he continues to serve as an active consultant.

Currently divides his time between Jakarta, Singapore, Bangkok, and Melbourne, Aditya was born and raised in Indonesia. He spent over 14 years in Australia, where he gained extensive experience in the banking and research sectors.

An accounting graduate and CPA holder, Aditya boasts over 15 years of diverse professional and entrepreneurial experience. He has collaborated with a broad spectrum of clients across various industries and regions, including financial services, telecommunications, consumer goods, government agencies, as well as startups and scale-ups. His various clientele includes notable names such as National Australia Bank, OCBC Bank, Starhub, NTT Japan, Gojek, Bosch, Panasonic, UNDP, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Aditya is deeply passionate about fostering growth and collaborations in Southeast Asian nations, leveraging his expertise to make a significant impact in the region.

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In this episode, Co-Founder of Aleph Technologies Suwira Teo sits down with Managing Director of Kris Consulting, Kris Childress to navigate the valley of B2B sales. Kris shares his best tips to identify the right customers for your business, how to handle ghosting in the sales process & more ways to improve the chances of landing a big ticket B2B sale.

Our hosts break down the sales process from lead generation to contract signing, filled with real-life examples to give more clarity on how to navigate through a B2B sale!

Tune in now to upgrade your formula for B2B selling.

IN THIS EPISODE

04:00) Finding the right customers to sell to

(13:00) Great platforms to find leads

(20:32) “Telling is not selling”

(24:20) How to handle rejections

(27:55) Talk to the decision makers

(32:05) Best way to deal with ghosting

(38:15) How do you get leads to pay for pilot projects

(45:10) Tactics to negotiate the financials on the final contract

(51:51) How to deal with being blocked away from decision makers

(54:39) How to shorten the overall sales process

Kris Childress | Mentor in Residence at NUS Enterprise

Kris is a Mentor-in-Residence at the National University of Singapore's Enterprise Incubator and Co-Lead Instructor/Consultant Mentor of NUS's Graduate Research Innovation Programme (GRIP). In addition to being the former CEO of a cleantech startup (water), he helps technology businesses, particularly very early stage companies ("start-ups") with innovative technologies or services - in Singapore and overseas, to create and increase sales in familiar and new markets.

Suwira Teo | Co-Founder of Aleph Technologies

Suwira is the CEO and Co-founder of Aleph Tech, a startup that provides AI Co-Pilot software to optimize cost and energy efficiency for chemical-related manufacturing plants. Prior to founding Aleph Tech, he spent his career in strategy and business development with consulting firms and tech scale-ups.

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Social entrepreneur meets seasoned entrepreneur with over 30 years of success.

In this episode, Vivian Lee, founder of Go!Mama, sits down with Hugh Mason, CEO of JFDI.Asia to explore how social enterprises can maximise their social impact while facing the ever-present challenge of scaling. They dive deep to understand the importance of a strong community relationship, strategic partnership and the current landscape of social entrepreneurship. Tune in to learn more about how social enterprises can leave a positive social impact and at the same time thrive in the current business environment.

IN THIS EPISODE

(00:23) Social entrepreneurship in startups & differences with traditional entrepreneurship

(02:38) GoMama’s social impact & it’s success

(06:40) Discussing maximisation of social impact & ensuring business sustainability

(15:00) Challenges of building a sustainable business model & how to overcome it

(25:49) Importance of strong relationships with your community

(35:21) Role of strategic partnerships in amplifying social impact & scaling

(38:10) Importance of an advisory board

(44:01) Changes in social enterprises with technological advancement

(51:46) Advice to aspiring social entrepreneurs about the key to success

(01:00:55) Improvements for current landscape of social entrepreneurship

Hugh Mason | Mentor in Residence at NUS Enterprise

Hugh Mason is an entrepreneur focused on education and health and a doctoral candidate at University of Canberra researching pivoting in new venture creation.

Successfully started and built a privately held Venture firm specializing in agile innovation with entrepreneurs and enterprises in Asia. Grew a portfolio of over 70 technology startups collectively valued over $450m, now in the harvest phase, returning 29% IRR. Hired to boost the innovation capability of enterprise clients such as Google, Facebook, Fonterra, Konica Minolta, BOSCH, Munich Re, UBS, NUHS, and their partners. Led 400+ startups and 1,500 entrepreneurs from over 80 countries through transformational strategic design and innovation programs over the course of seven years while building an international network of Fortune 500 mentors. Matched 10k+ new innovators and entrepreneurs to new investment and business opportunities by setting up and delivering 250+ events with key business partners. Created scalable processes and metrics to deliver rapid, low-cost business model innovation in a multidisciplinary, multicultural context, managing a team working across multiple countries.undergraduates to explore a career in teaching.

Vivian Lee | Co-Founder & CEO of GO!MAMA

Vivian is the driving force behind Go!Mama. She believes every mother deserves the right and support to provide the best start for her child and is deeply passionate about addressing the unique and underrepresented challenges faced by them everyday.

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What happens when an AI startup founder meets a seasoned venture capitalist?

In this episode, Tiago Costa Alves, the founder of Librarian, sits down with Vinny Lauria from Golden Gate Ventures to explore the critical steps necessary for startups when developing and launching new products. They delve into the importance of truly understanding customer needs and how to effectively validate product ideas through smart, resourceful strategies like using AdWords.

Discover the challenges and successes faced by startups through real-world examples, and learn about the essential feedback loops that help fine-tune product-market fit. Tune in now!

IN THIS EPISODE

(00:00) What are the first steps to take when launching a startup product?

(02:37) How do you identify and validate customer needs effectively?

(07:11) Can initial user feedback shape the success of your product?

(10:20) What does a successful go-to-market strategy look like?

(15:50) How do you adapt when your product doesn't meet market expectations?

(20:26) What role does market size play in attracting venture capital?

(23:20) How do you ensure your startup’s early growth is on the right track?

(25:50) What unconventional strategies can startups use to gain their first users?

(30:35) When is the right time to pivot, and how do you manage it?

(38:25) Wrapping up

Vinnie Lauria | Founding Partner of Golden Gate Ventures

Vinnie is an entrepreneur turned venture capitalist. He is a founding partner of Golden Gate Ventures, an early-stage VC firm in Southeast Asia with US$250M AUM and 70+ investments to date. He is a Kauffman Fellow and a guest lecturer at the National University of Singapore. He was rated by the Founder Institute as the highest startup mentor in Asia from a pool of 2,500 mentors. Prior to setting up Golden Gate Ventures, Vinnie built two startups in Silicon Valley: Meetro, a location-based chat service that was dissolved with many lessons learned in 2007, and Lefora, a forum hosting platform that grew to over 100,000 communities and was acquired by CrowdGather in 2010. He founded the Silicon Valley NewTech meetup, featuring hundreds of startups to a monthly audience with more than 10,000 members.

Tiago Costa Alves | Co-Founder & CEO of Librarian Inc

Tiago is an award-winning Fulbright Scholar with 20+ years of tech and startup experience (mobile, blockchain, payments, marketplaces, AI, fundraising) across three continents (North America, Europe, and Asia). As VP APAC for Aptoide, Tiago secured two investment rounds ($4M Series-A & $15M Series-B) and grew the business from 10M to 100M+ users via partnerships with top smartphone brands (e.g. Xiaomi, VIVO, OPPO, Huawei). He was the first-ever Entrepreneur In Residence for Golden Gate Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm investing across Southeast Asia since 2011, and recently focused on Librarian - his Stealth Mode startup that is leveraging the power of AI to easily find your work information.

Connect with him at: Tiago Costa Alves - Librarian Inc | LinkedIn

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How can a startup thrive in a sea of competitors?

In this episode, we explore this question with Kris Childress, a seasoned entrepreneur and mentor at NUS Enterprise. Kris brings his wealth of experience to the table, discussing how to effectively understand and assess competitors. He emphasizes the significance of innovation and differentiation over merely competing on price. Tune in as Kris shares essential strategies for turning potential threats into opportunities and crafting a unique pathway to success in the startup world!

IN THIS EPISODE

(00:00) What can startups learn from their competitors?

(01:55) How can startups identify gaps in the market?

(06:54) What is the importance of innovation in competition?

(09:26) How should startups react to direct competition from larger companies?

(16:00) Can partnerships with competitors be beneficial?

(18:43) What are practical ways to out-innovate in a competitive market?

(26:26) How can smaller features and adjustments lead to big impacts?

(36:15) Why is understanding customer needs vital in outsmarting competitors?

(39:28) Reading materials to help you outsmart your competitors.

Kristav (Kris) Childress | Mentor-in-Residence, NUS Enterprise

Mentor-in-Residence at the National University of Singapore's Enterprise Incubator and Co-Lead Instructor/Consultant Mentor of NUS's Graduate Research Innovation Programme (GRIP). In addition to being the former CEO of a cleantech startup (water), he helps technology businesses, particularly very early stage companies ("start-ups") with innovative technologies or services - in Singapore and overseas, to create and increase sales in familiar and new markets.

Louis Wong | Co-Founder of Malloy

Co-Founder of Malloy, a tool that repurposes long form content to short form content.

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How do founders navigate the high-pressure world of startups without succumbing to burnout?

In this episode, Vishnu Saran from Invigilo Technologies sits down with Prof. Benjamin Tee, Vice President (Ecosystem Building), Office of the Deputy President (Innovation and Enterprise) at the National University of Singapore), to explore the silent epidemic of founder burnout. Prof. Ben, with his dual experience as an academic and entrepreneur, shares vital insights on the risks of a 'growth at all costs' mindset and the importance of balancing intense work with mental well-being.

Discover strategies for managing stress, the significance of support systems, and the crucial role of self-care in ensuring both personal health and startup success. Join us as we uncover the keys to sustainable entrepreneurship in the face of relentless demands!

IN THIS EPISODE

(00:00) What Drives a Professor to Entrepreneurship?

(03:57) Is Rapid Growth Worth the Cost of Founder Burnout?

(09:09) How Can Founders Recognize the Warning Signs of Burnout?

(15:30) How Can Leadership and Delegation Reduce the Risk of Burnout?

(21:32) What Are Effective Strategies to Manage Stress and Avoid Burnout?

(27:36) Why Is a Strong Support System Crucial for Entrepreneurs?

(30:52) When Should Founders Push Through vs. Take a Step Back?

(36:31) Closing Reflections: Can Founders Maintain Wellness in the Startup World?

Prof Benjamin Tee | Vice President (Ecosystem Building), NUS Enterprise

Dr Benjamin C.K. Tee is the Vice President (Ecosystem Building), Office of the Deputy President (Innovation and Enterprise) at the National University of Singapore. He was awarded the National Research Foundation Fellowship in 2017. He obtained his PhD at Stanford University, and was a 2014 Singapore-Stanford Biodesign Global Innovation Postdoctoral Fellow. He won the MIT TR35 Innovator (Global) award in 2015 and was listed as World Economic Forum’s Young Scientist of the year in 2019. He leads the Sensors AI Labs that research and translate technologies at the cutting edge of materials science, mechanics, electronics and biology.

Vishnu Saran | Founder of Invigilo Technologies

Vishnu Saran, is the Founder of Invigilo Technologies, a Singapore-based company that uses AI to improve workplace safety in high-risk environments. Leveraging on-site closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, the company’s AI-driven video analytics software works by scanning the environment for safety lapses and if identified, transmits instantaneous, real-time alerts for staff to respond to.

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How do startups manage to make the most out of limited resources?

In this episode, join Rahul and Jeremy Au, a venture capitalist at Monk's Hill Ventures, as they look at the heart of startup success: capital efficiency.

In a deep dive, they unravel the strategies behind successful founders. From rallying resources to tackling the complex dynamics between startups and investors, this episode uncovers the secrets to sustainable growth in the competitive startup ecosystem. Tune in now!

IN THIS EPISODE

(00:00) Introduction

(03:42) Why is capital efficiency important for startups?

(08:15) What’s the responsibility of startups to investors?

(14:56) How to navigate bear and bull markets?

(19:52) How to overcome the stigma of failure?

(22:19) Childhood dreams: Reflecting on passion and purpose

(24:30) Equity and expenses: The founder's triangle

(28:38) Looking at strategic spending after fundraising

(35:53) The criticality of trust between founders and the board

(46:27) The three phases of startups: Jungle, dirt road, and highway

(50:01) What’s the right approach to allocating capital?

(52:23) Crossing the river together: Responsibility and learning

Jeremy Au | Angel Investor

Jeremy is an angel investor who invests in fellow founders who will transform millions of lives. Jeremy is also the host of the BRAVE podcast, interviewing trailblazing founders, investors and rising stars in Southeast Asia tech. His mission is to inspire thousands to build the future, learn from our past and stay human in between. He is an angel investor in multiple startups across the USA and Southeast Asia.

Rahul Thayyalamkandy | Host of Understanding VC

Understanding VC is a podcast that provides founders with the knowledge and resources they need to understand venture capital. My goal is to create the best and most comprehensive resource on venture capital on the internet, so that founders can make informed decisions about their businesses and secure the funding they need to succeed.

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How does a startup transition from achieving $100k in annual recurring revenue to successfully navigating its way to Series A funding?

Join Serene, co-founder and CEO of vibefam, as she seeks answers in a conversation with Puiyan LEUNG, a partner at Vertex Ventures, Southeast Asia and India.

They delve into the growth strategies, investment considerations, and dynamics of the Southeast Asian market. This episode also explores the power of optimism, the challenges startups face, and the crucial role of female leadership in shaping the future of business.

IN THIS EPISODE

(00:00) Introduction to Serene and Puiyan, and their roles at vibefam and Vertex Ventures

(02:44) A look back at the past year and Vertex Ventures' outlook for the future

(04:26) From $100k ARR to Series A - Key steps and challenges in scaling a startup for Series A funding

(10:34) What are the evaluation factors for Series A investment from Vertex Ventures' perspective?

(15:54) Do most startups come in having already raised a round before the Series A stage?

(18:58) What are some red flags on the cap table?

(21:39) How often do you see female founders trying to raise funds at the Series A stage?

(26:26) Female Leadership - How to support female-led ventures?

(30:04) Luck vs. Hard Work - Which is more important in startup success?

Serene Lim | Co-Founder of vibefam

Serene graduated with a business degree and started her career in the government service. Curious about entrepreneurship, she gave up the stability of her corporate job to join a unicorn startup where she got her first taste of business building.

Today, Serene runs vibefam, a business software that aims to unlock the potential of health and lifestyle businesses by helping them with payments, reservations and marketing automations. Today, vibefam is powering more than 100 businesses across Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong with more than 100,000 user sign ups since it launched 2 years ago. vibefam crossed $100K ARR in 2023 and are looking to accelerate their growth in 2024.

Puiyan LEUNG | Venture Capital

Puiyan Leung serves as Partner, Investment in Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia and India and focuses on opportunities in Southeast Asia.

Prior to joining Vertex Ventures, Puiyan was a Director of Investments and Operations at Singtel Innov8, the corporate venture arm of telco group Singtel. In her role, she built a pipeline of tech startups that fit with the firm’s investment themes and established strategic alliances and managed partnerships with key ecosystem stakeholders.

Prior to that, Puiyan assumed a range of operating roles and once served as Singtel’s Indonesia-based lead in representing the local market development and expansion interests for Singtel’s digital portfolio. Puiyan is a Kauffman Fellow and graduated with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering Degree from the National University of Singapore.

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