- 45 minutes 23 secondsOri Sasson: AI Job Replacement & The Future of Work - E702
Are AI agents and LLMs coming for your job? In this episode of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, Jeremy Au sits down with Ori Sasson to uncover the harsh realities of AI job replacement, the "Hollywoodization" of the workforce, and the explosion of 10x productivity in startups. Discover how employers in Singapore and across Southeast Asia are redesigning roles, navigating "shadow AI", and leveraging government policies to stay competitive.
Whether you are a tech founder, venture capitalist, or operator in Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, or Malaysia, this conversation is your blueprint for surviving and thriving in the new AI economy. We break down the differences between traditional workflow outputs and AI native systems, explore why the product manager is becoming an "LLM wrapper", and discuss what policymakers are doing to bridge the skills gap.
Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/ori-sasson-ai-work
Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at https://www.bravesea.com
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#Singapore #AItech #Podcast #southeastasia #techpodcast
00:00 - The "Hollywoodization" of the Workplace
01:39 - Meet Ori Sasson: The Employer's Perspective on AI
02:22 - Blue Collar vs. White Collar: Which Jobs Are Disappearing?
05:40 - Meta Layoffs, Motivation, and the "10x" Employee
08:50 - Overcoming the AI "Verification Tax" in Coding
11:15 - The "LLM Wrapper": Redesigning the Product Manager Role
15:40 - The "Hollywoodization" of Work Explained
19:05 - "Shadow AI" & Distributing Massive Productivity Gains
24:40 - Automated Side Hustles & The Junior Talent Crisis
29:10 - Y Combinator, AI-Native Law Firms, & Services Disruption
34:15 - Singapore's AI Policy, Budgets, and Global Comparisons
39:10 - A Crazy Idea: Free National AI Subscriptions?
43:50 - Conclusion & Key Takeaways
7 June 2026, 9:00 pm - 27 minutes 27 secondsSoutheast Asia is in its Golden Age - E701
Is Southeast Asia entering a golden age of technology? In this episode of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, Jeremy Au explores the booming venture capital landscape and what it actually takes to build a unicorn in highly fragmented markets like Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
Dive deep into The Technology Stack & Leapfrogging, explaining why fundamental infrastructure, like widespread internet and mobile adoption, must precede advanced tech, using Grab's expansion into the Philippines as a prime example. Break down the three main Southeast Asia Market Archetypes that dictate how startups scale across borders, from single-market giants to regional logistics champions. Wrap up by Assessing Talent and Capital in the Region, analyzing why various countries have different competitive advantages, the importance of government support, and why the entire region is currently struggling to compete with the US and China in the global AI race.
Tune in to understand the "Time Machine Thesis" and the macro trends shaping the next decade of Asian venture capital!
Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/southeast-asia-golden-age
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#VentureCapital #Business #Startup #Podcast #southeastasia #techpodcast
00:00 - Welcome & The Global Unicorn Landscape
01:13 - Is Southeast Asia Entering a Tech Golden Age?
02:46 - The Technology Stack & Leapfrogging
04:42 - Grab's Expansion & De-risking Ride-Hailing
06:21 - The "Time Machine" Thesis: Cloning Success
10:28 - Navigating Market Fragmentation in SEA
12:38 - Southeast Asia Market Archetypes
16:23 - Assessing Talent and Capital in the Region
18:44 - Silicon Shields & Government Support
23:59 - Why Southeast Asia is Lagging in AI
4 June 2026, 4:28 am - 44 minutes 52 secondsBecome Incorruptible - The Truth Behind Successful Businesses | Eric Ries - E700
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.
Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/become-incorruptible-eric-ries
Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at https://www.bravesea.com
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#US #Startup #Founder #Author #startupbook #Podcast #southeastasia #techpodcast
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
31 May 2026, 9:00 pm - 9 minutes 1 secondChoosing Your Career Path and the Tradeoffs You Must Be Aware Of - E699
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.
Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/choosing-your-career-path
Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at https://www.bravesea.com
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#SoutheastAsia #VentureCapital #Podcast #CareerAdvice #StartupFounders #SingaporeStartups #SEATech
00:00 The Illusion of Self-Help and Success
00:52 Own Your Power (And Your Quirks)
02:13 Big Fish vs Small Fish in the Pond
03:56 Outside-In vs Inside-Out Motivations
05:05 Why I Left Bain & Company
06:44 Never Sacrifice Health for Wealth
07:39 Protect Your Relationships
08:01 Choose Your Pain
08:34 Outro
27 May 2026, 9:00 pm - 32 minutes 16 secondsHow Lasers Could Replace Undersea Cables & Reshape Global Internet | Rohit Jha - E698
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.
Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/rohit-jha-global-internet-lasers
Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at https://www.bravesea.com
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#Singapore #Technology #SpaceTech #Podcast #US #Taiwan #Philippines #Indonesia #Malaysia #Vietnam #southeastasia #techpodcast
00:00 Anyone Who Is Not SpaceX Is Signing Us Up
00:30 Welcome to BRAVE and Rohit Jha Introduction
01:30 What Is Transcelestial? Laser Internet and the Orbital Ring Explained
02:01 From Entrepreneur First to a Deep Space Vision
03:40 From NTU Engineering to Investment Banking and the Internet Revelation
05:25 Product Market Fit: Solving Today's Problems to Fund the Future
06:00 Telco Partnerships: Globe Telecom, Telkomsel, T-Mobile, AT&T and NTT Group
07:20 Transcelestial vs. SpaceX and Starlink: Competitive or Synergistic?
09:55 The Orbital Ring: 40 Satellites Replacing Undersea Cables
10:20 Orbital Data Centres and Running AI Workloads in Space
14:55 Will Starlink Kill the Traditional Telco?
17:18 AI Latency: Why Routing via Low-Earth Orbit Beats Undersea Cables
19:45 Geopolitical Neutrality and the Multi-Vendor Imperative
23:25 Typhoon in Taiwan: Laser Link Restores Internet to 50 Villages in Two Hours
26:15 Personal Bravery: Armed Robbery in Munich on Christmas Eve
27:35 Business Bravery: Secretly Funding the Space Division Without Board Approval
29:57 Purpose and Why Having a Mission Changes the Risks You Take
30:37 Key Takeaways and Closing
24 May 2026, 9:00 pm - 34 minutes 47 secondsTrump Xi Summit Decoded: Thucydides Trap, Boeing Deal & China AI Chip Strategy - E697
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.
Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/trump-xi-summit
Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at https://www.bravesea.com
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00:00 Introduction
01:23 Why the Trump Xi summit was a strategic win
03:25 Key players and how China renamed Rubio
06:26 Xi's Thucydides Trap and the Athens Sparta lesson
09:11 Chinese self-media versus official narratives
12:10 Zhongnanhai Garden and Temple of Heaven optics
15:15 El Niño, food security and global risk
16:36 Boeing deal, Elon Musk and Tesla in China
19:04 Jensen Huang added last minute to the delegation
21:16 Why Chinese founders still domicile in Singapore
23:08 DeepSeek's 50 billion RMB funding anomaly
24:00 NVIDIA's China collapse and the backfired chip ban
26:32 DeepSeek and ByteDance: founder driven AI
29:34 How Chinese state subsidies actually work
32:17 DeepSeek's cost efficiency strategy
33:04 Future outlook: Xi's US visit and Taiwan
21 May 2026, 12:39 am - 34 minutes 9 secondsWen-Szu Lin: Lessons learnt from Franchise Failure to Scaling Uber in Asia - E696
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)
11:42 - Why the Pretzels Failed: Malls, Regulations & Foot Traffic
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
31:54 - Three Key Mindsets for Success & Conclusion
Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/wen-szu-lin-deliver
Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at https://www.bravesea.com
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#Philippines #China #Franchise #Business #Podcast #southeastasia #techpodcast
17 May 2026, 9:00 pm - 8 minutes 12 secondsFind Your Unfair Advantage in Business and Use It - E695
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
06:47 - How to Find Your Unfair Advantage
07:46 - Outro & Community
Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/find-your-unfair-advantage
Audio Description
Watch, listen or read the full insight at
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14 May 2026, 3:18 am - 25 minutes 28 secondsSolo Founding at 58 and AI as a force multiplier for the medical industry | Jay Fajardo - E694
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
Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/jay-fajardo-betterclinic
Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at https://www.bravesea.com
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10 May 2026, 9:00 pm - 28 minutes 51 secondsHow the Global Energy Crisis is rewiring Southeast Asia Tech | Kristie Neo - E693
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
Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/kristie-neo-global-energy-crisis
Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at https://www.bravesea.com
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#Singapore #TechNews #StartupNews #Business #Podcast #southeastasia #techpodcast
7 May 2026, 12:49 am - 41 minutes 55 secondsDennis Velasco: The Reality of the Trust Gap and Building a Tech Startup in Southeast Asia - E692
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
07:03 - The Founder’s Family Risk: Moving Kids from the US to Manila
12:15 - Why My First Two Startups Failed: Health Tech & Real Estate Realities
15:47 - Navigating Government Corruption & Transparency in Property Tech
18:09 - The 2020 Pivot: Launching Prosperna 3 Months Before Lockdown
20:51 - The Trust Factor Gap: Why B2B Sales are Harder in the Philippines
24:38 - Price Sensitivity vs. Australia/US: The Local Provider Trap
27:01 - The Scam Perception: Why Startups Need a Physical Office to Survive
32:54 - Advice for Spouses: The Brutal Honesty Required for Startup Longevity
37:34 - Scaling to the West: Why Philippine Startups Must Go Global Sooner
41:40 - Summary: Building a Service Hub for the World from Manila
Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/dennis-velasco-building-a-tech-startup
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