Interesting analysis on the acquisition of Uber Southeast Asia by Grab from Jon Russell of TechCrunch

Finally the discussion that I have been waiting for on Grab's acquisition of Uber Southeast Asia. Great discussion by Jon Russell.

Well, surprise to hear that there are cash changing hands between Grab and Uber for the Uber Southeast Asia deal.

Wonder if Grab will cede Uber India to Ola at some point.

"So there's a tremendous amount of friction that exists there because I think we're still at the point where we're. We're using traditional insurance products that have been invented in the 1970s and trying to add this digital layer on top of it. So where InsureTech has struggled, I would say, is unless there is a significant amount of product innovation. It's very hard to really optimize the product. So, becoming a full stack was one of the hypotheses that the InsureTechs pursued, and we've seen those take off quite well in states in China, and now India is another market that's really progressing very well." - George Kesselman 

Fresh of the studio, George Kesselman, the president & founder of Insurtech Asia Association, joined us to discuss the intersection of insurance and technology in the Asia Pacific. We began with George's work in the insurtech industry from a start-up co-founder to a corporate executive in a leading Chinese firm within the Asia Pacific region. Then he dived deeper into the challenges, key innovations such as China's famous waterdrop model, use cases and important trends in insurtech that are converging with web3 and crypto. Last but not least, George shared a glimpse into the future of insurtech for the next few years. Full Video:  

Podcast Information: The show is hosted and produced by Bernard Leong and Carol Yin. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G. Thomas Craig.

InsurTech in the Asia Pacific with George Kesselman

I think great looks like a combination of a few things. We always talk about how a startup hits product market fit and then essentially gets a flywheel going in terms of value and everything. So I think 'great' at True Global Ventures from my point of view is us finding that company, that team of serial entrepreneurs and an idea that can essentially change the industry, convincing them that we as a fund can help them to grow exponentially, globally. And us actually helping them to not only close a round with us, but also to grow, and also to close the next round of funding and all subsequent rounds of funding till the ultimate exit. And having that kind of chemistry that maybe after many years later when they come back and look at us they say, 'Hey, thanks for the ride.' We really treasure what you do. And in my new startup, say for example (Because these are serial entrepreneurs that cannot usually sit still, right?) I would love for you True Global Ventures to be our investor again."  - Kelly Choo

Fresh out of the studio, Kelly Choo, the founding partner from True Global Ventures shares the backstory of how the fund came together with its investment thesis on investing in repeat serial entrepreneurs. Kelly begins with the story of his career journey as both an entrepreneur and now as an investor, and how he works with his profile companies. Last but not least, he offers his perspectives on the investment outlook for web3 and crypto companies in 2023. 

Podcast Information: The show is hosted and produced by Bernard Leong and Carol Yin. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G. Thomas Craig.

True Global Ventures & Web3 Investment Outlook in 2023 with Kelly Choo

"Mapping the world is really an infinite exercise. We're on this journey to create this digital representation of the physical world - buildings, places, things, everything. This is going to be very critical. And that extra precision, that greater resolution as we support businesses to comply with all sorts of things - be it even new regulations ... And then of course, the other key trend is the ongoing rise of AI and automation. And as you have better insights and location, that will support better optimization of supply chains and those smart cities and all sort of stuff that will lean on location technology." - Jason Jameson 

Fresh out of the studio, Jason Jameson, general manager, and senior vice president for Asia Pacific in HERE Technologies discussed the company's focus to broaden the location intelligence across the Asia Pacific and talked about the key trends in the digital map-making space. We start off with Jason's background from IBM to HERE Technologies and then dive deep into the current developments in the region. Last but not least, he shares where the digital map-making industry will be heading and how it will impact autonomous driving and smart cities in the future.   

Podcast Information: The show is hosted and produced by Bernard Leong and Carol Yin. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G. Thomas Craig.

HERE Technologies and Digital Map-Making in the Asia Pacific with Jason Jameson

"What if you could just outsource your disputes to Kleros? Whenever users have a dispute on your platform, Kleros will select a jury to analyze the dispute. They're going to see the evidence, see the agreement between parties, and they're going to make a decision about who is right, and then Kleros informs you of the decision on your platform. And then this is enforced by the smart contract and the money. Let's say Alice wins. So she's reimbursed the money that she would pay Bob for this. So this is one example in the freelancer (space). But imagine all of these platforms that just connect to Kleros through some pipes and send disputes - and Kleros sends back decisions. So this is the vision of what Kleros is going to build. This is why we call it 'Decentralized Court' for all of the Web3 ecosystems." - Federico Ast  

Fresh out of the studio, Federico Ast, founder of Kleros returned to the podcast to share the story of Kleros over the past few years and where it is heading as a decentralized arbitration service in the web3 and crypto economy. He dived deep into the concept of proof of humanity and how it helps to resolve identity verification and explored the implications of how Kleros has transformed the legal landscape from a landmark case in Mexico resolved by the protocol to advising the United Nations. Last but not least, Federico shared the new use cases relating to tokenized physical assets with Kleros and shared what great looks like for Kleros in the future.   

Podcast Information: The show is hosted and produced by Bernard Leong and Carol Yin. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by Thomas Geoffrey Craig.

Kleros 2.0 & Decentralized Arbitration in Web3 with Federico Ast

Fresh out of the studio and this is an emergency podcast, Shai Oster from The Information discusses the fallout coming from the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank over the past weekend, and what it means for the venture capitalists and startups in Asia Pacific. We dived into what happened to Silicon Valley Bank, the aftermath of the intervention of the regulators on 12 March 2023 and what would have happened to the startup ecosystem across China, India and Southeast Asia if the US regulators did not intervene. 

Podcast Information: The show is hosted and produced by Bernard and Carol Yin. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G Thomas Craig.

Silicon Valley Bank's collapse & its impact on the Asia startup ecosystem with Shai Oster

"And so what we do at Dow Jones, very specifically, is look at - What are the regulators demanding? What do they want you to do? What are the specific data points that you require? And which workflows do you want to use them in? And, there are very different workflows, which within, for example, a financial institution. You have the onboarding of your new customers, and in those situations, you may have a little bit more time. Obviously, there's the service level in terms of opening a bank account is faster and faster. But you have a little bit more time in that regard. You want to look at potentially more data. Then once you are a customer of a bank, you're gonna be amongst millions of customers. How do banks can then adapt to check additional data points? And, today the customer may be clean and have no adverse media, may not be sanctions, but that could change." - Joel Lange 

Fresh out of the studio, Joel Lange, executive vice president &amp; general manager of risk and research from Dow Jones, discussed how the company is leveraging artificial intelligence and data analytics to help companies tackle risk and compliance and combat financial crimes and money laundering. Joel also explored generative AI's role in risk management and concluded by envisioning the future of Dow Jones Risk &amp; Compliance and what great would look like in the Asia Pacific. 

Episode Highlights: 
[0:00] Quote of the Day #QOTD from Joel Lange 
[0:50] Introduction to Joel Lange, EVP &amp; GM, Risk &amp; Research, Dow Jones 
[1:28] Support for freeing Evan Gershkovich from Wall Street Journal on his 32nd birthday. 
[2:20] How did Joel start his career and eventually end up in his role with Dow Jones&nbsp; 
[3:58] Lessons learnt in Joel's career journey 
[5:40] Introduction to Dow Jones and its global vision &amp; mission 
[8:20] Risk Management, Money Laundering and Financial Crimes 101 
[10:08] Impact on businesses and other organizations if their risk is not well managed. 
[12:00] How Dow Jones Risk & Compliance division helps businesses to navigate the challenges 
[14:50] The challenge of cross borders makes managing risk and compliance difficult on a global level 
[17:00] RiskCenter Advanced Screening and Monitoring (ASAM) solution based on AI and big data 
[19:50] What makes ASAM different from other risk management solutions out there? 
[21:00] How the AI solution tackles false positives and the tradeoffs made between the specificity and sensitivity of the data. 
[24:30] How does the diversity of APAC both economically &amp; politically impact the complex anti-money laundering processes? 
[27:00] The mental model to balance between economic recovery &amp; anti-corruption efforts 
[29:05] Perspectives on Generative AI and how it impacts combating financial crime &amp; AML 
[32:05] Advice to C-suite executives and government officials on risk management with AI 
[33:40] What does great look like for Dow Jones for market expansion and ASAM in the APAC region? 
[35:30] Closing Podcast 

Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed &amp; edited in both video and audio format by Thomas G Craig.

Dow Jones & AI in Risk and Compliance with Joel Lange

"I think in the past, we've looked more at inclusion and access, but actually we've made so much inroads over the past years. Now again, we're talking about participation because what we're seeing is that 30% of the highest spending customers who we call high-value users (HVUs) - they make up over 70% of the digital economies' transaction value. So 30% Are leading to 70% of the digital economy. We want to make sure that we don't leave users behind and we continue to drive growth and drive their participation. So we need to make sure that we are not ignoring this very important group that presents a 1.9x growth opportunity of that of high-value users. And for this reason, it's really important for us to talk about digital participation." - Sapna Chadha 

Fresh out of the studio, Sapna Chadha, vice president of Google Southeast Asia, and Florian Hoppe, partner at Bain and Company shared the key takeaways from the Google e-Conomy SEA 2023 report. Sapna and Florian discussed how start-ups are navigating the current declines in venture capital funding and introduced how high-value users presented a new way of visualizing what goes behind the digital economy in Southeast Asia. Last but not least, they discuss what great looks like for businesses in Southeast Asia. 

Episode Highlights: 
[0:00] Quote of the Day #QOTD from Sapna Chadna 
[2:00] Welcome Message from the host 
[2:48] Introduction of Sapna Chadha, Vice President, Google Southeast Asia 
[5:02] Key Takeaways of Google e-Conomy Southeast Asia Report 2023 
[8:40] Southeast Asia's economic performance against global macroeconomic headwinds 
[10:30] The one most interesting data point that Sapna and Florian found interesting about the report 
[12:50] Does the global shift in venture capital align with Southeast Asia? 
[14:00] Will high-quality start-ups still be able to raise capital in Southeast Asia? 
[15:01] Are funding declines differentiated by funding stages or by countries? 
[16:00] Can Southeast Asian VCs return capital to their LPs? 
[17:10] Advice to Southeast Asia startups in surviving the current funding winter 
[18:20] Do we see more startups focusing on monetization accelerating across the digital economy? 
[21:43] What are the potential avenues of growth for fintech companies? [24:15] Definition and Context behind High-Value Users (HVUs) in Southeast Asia 
[26:56] Comparison between HVUs and non-HVUs across different Southeast Asia economies 
[29:50] Are smartphones and digital infrastructure in tier 3 and 4 cities bringing non-HVUs online? 
[33:23] Can Southeast Asia reach 1 trillion GMV in 2030? 
[35:35] What would success look like for businesses in Southeast Asia for the next few years? 
[39:37] Closing 

Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed and  edited in both video and audio format by Thomas G Craig.

Decoding the e-Conomy SEA 2023 Report with Sapna Chadha and Florian Hoppe

"There are so many voices here that people can create their own unique things. And yet there is still this culture, that's still lingering from the past, that somehow the answers are in the West. And trust me, they are not. So the West is also confused and looking for their way to figure out things. And so the main inspiration for Yana TV was to create this particular platform where we can showcase the voices of Asian movers and shakers, which means people who are doing interesting things, who are standing up, who want to speak up, challenging the status quo, and the norms. People who are regional, who are thought leaders, and I also feel it is time there has to be a bigger platform where we can all go and see who are the people who are doing amazing things here." - Yana Fry 

Fresh out of the studio, Yana Fry, producer & host of Yana TV joined us in a conversation about the behind-the-scenes of her show and her perspectives on interviewing Asian change makers across the region. Our conversation kicked off with Yana's odyssey to Singapore and delving into what sparked the creation of Yana TV and its core themes. In the conversation, Yana shares the heartwarming tales featured on her show, ranging from a kidnapped diplomat to a heart-touching Singaporean Santa Claus and her perspectives as a content creator in the Asia Pacific. Last but not least, she shares what great would look like for Yana TV. 

Episode Highlights:
[00:48] Quote of the Day #QOTD by Yana Fry, Founder & Host, Yana TV.
[02:24] Introduction: Yana Fry, Founder & Host of Yana TV. 
[04:28] Perspectives on living in Singapore. [06:43] Yana shares lessons of her career journey. [08:20] Inspiration behind Yana TV. 
[10:28] Intended Audience behind Yana TV. 
[11:50] The Great Resignation and its Impact on Executives re-thinking work-life balance. 
[13:49] Main Themes and Key Takeaways from interviewing Asian change-makers in Yana TV. 
[16:18] How a seven-time convicted criminal becomes a change-maker to help prison inmates re-integrate into Singapore society. 
[17:43] The behind-the-scenes (BTS) behind Yana TV's production. 
[21:01] Different Profiles of Change-Makers on Yana TV. 
[25:14] How Asian change-makers differ from their Western counterparts. [29:35] Challenges faced by Asian Change Makers. 
[34:49] Tales of Asian Change Makers: A Diplomat. 
[36:30] Tales of Asian Change Makers: Singapore Santa Claus that moved the production crew on Yana TV. 
[41:23] How to tell stories in Asia with the digital format. 
[44:32] The challenge of distribution for Asian podcasters. 

Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G. Thomas Craig.

Yana TV and Change Makers in the Asia Pacific with Yana Fry

"If we assume that happens, I'm sure TikTok, let alone ByteDance as a company as a whole, will survive - and maybe even continue to thrive after this. Because, let's put things into perspective, right? TikTok has more than 1 billion users globally and then the US represents just a little over a 10th of that, 170 million. So I'm not saying that it's not going to impact TikTok and ByteDance. But does it pose an existential threat? Probably not. I believe given we already talked about how ByteDance has been super profitable. I think that, even if they get banned in the US, this is by no means the end of TikTok or ByteDance." - Jing Yang 

Fresh out of the studio, Jing Yang, the Asia Bureau Chief for The Information, provided an insightful analysis of the potential implications of the recent U.S. House of Representatives bill to force Bytedance to divest TikTok or face a ban in the US. Detailing a timeline of events, she illuminated how Bytedance and TikTok executives may have misinterpreted U.S. political signals. Despite Bytedance's profitability in China, she shed light on why TikTok is facing financial challenges and the complex dynamics between Bytedance and the investors of the company. Concluding her discussion, she offered her perspectives on the possible future of TikTok globally pending the outcome. 

Episode Highlights: 
[0:40] Quote of the Day by Jing Yang. 
[1:27] Introduction: Jing Yang, Asia Bureau Chief of The Information. 
[3:53] Lessons shared by Jing Yang from her career journey. 
[5:19] Chronology of the different attempts by the US government to ban TikTok. 
[7:40] What are the chances of TikTok being banned in the US? 
[9:34] TikTok’s response to the US government after the announcement of the bill. 
[11:15] Impact of TikTok's potential ban in the US on content creators &amp; users in the market. 
[12:52] The one thing that Jing Yang knows about the TikTok situation very few do. 
[14:10] Why TikTok misjudged the political situation in the US. 
[17:59] Project Texas and how it encumbered TikTok. 
[22:17] TikTok’s engagement with USDS. 
[25:14] Chew Shou Zi’s impact on negotiations with the US government after taking over as CEO of TikTok. 
[27:45] Assessment of Bytedance and TikTok’s team in handling the US government. 
[30:04] Why TikTok is in the red and losing money. 
[32:55] Can TikTok still be profitable with a potential US ban? 
[36:04] Investors of TikTok distancing themselves from the company. 
[40:26] Impact of political affiliations and donations on TikTok. 
[41:43] Future of TikTok 
[42:43] Closing 

You can find Jing Yang at X (formerly known as Twitter): https://x.com/jingyanghk and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jing-yang-33548123/ and her articles on The Information: https://www.theinformation.com/u/Jing%20Yang?rc=fk3gq1 

Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G. Thomas Craig.

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Is TikTok going to be banned in the US? An Asian Perspective with Jing Yang

"The key thing that I realize every time I look at the data is that the media is telling us a lot of nonsense. I think that the one thing I know is that the data tells a very different story to the media headlines. So I suppose my advice there is, never to accept clickbait at face value. If you're building a marketing plan, do your due diligence, and check the data because the data always surprises me. The one thing I know is that I'm always surprised. There's your key takeaway.” - Simon Kemp 

Fresh out of the studio, Simon Kemp, co-founder and CEO of Kepios joined us for the 7th year to discuss the Digital Report 2024 and its pivotal insights. The dialogue kicked off with Simon pondering AI's potential impact on his job, then swiftly moved to the report's core findings. Simon also explored how digital marketing and content strategies are evolving due to generational differences, underscoring the necessity for content creators to adapt across diverse social media channels. Last but not least, Simon addressed the current lack of comprehensive data to include generative AI in this year's report. Last but not least, Simon shared his anticipation for what's on the horizon in the coming year. 

Episode Highlights: 
[0:55] Quote of the Day #QOTD by Simon Kemp. 
[1:22] Introduction to Simon Kemp, co-founder and CEO of Kepios. 
[2:59] Are we going to be replaced by AI? 
[3:57] Key Takeaways for Digital 2024 report. 
[5:14] TikTok is still growing quickly despite the headwinds. 
[10:20] Mobile and social media are still growing especially in India. 
[12:43] Trendlines for e-commerce and search engine use. 
[15:22] How do you add generative AI to search engine use, for example, Perplexity AI? 
[17:51] Do generational differences in online behaviour change how digital marketing and content strategies work? 
[21:14] How do content creators adapt and decide which social media platforms to use? 
[23:43] Why the horizontal approach of broadcasting across all social media does not work anymore? 
[28:16] Success on any social media platform is based on chance and preparation. 
[32:04] Implications of TikTok’s potential ban in the US and how users shift from one platform to another. 
[35:25] From X (formerly known as Twitter) to Threads and TikTok to YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. 
[36:39] Insights on WeChat, Discord, and Telegram. 
[44:59] LinkedIn: a B2B social media platform for engagement but don’t discount YouTube. 
[48:57] The One Thing that Simon Kemp knows about Digital Report 2024 that very few do? 
[50:04] Why Generative AI usage is not in the Digital 2024 report. 
[54:59] Is Generative AI a new paradigm or should it be incorporated into existing digital use cases? 
[60:30] How Generative AI changes digital marketing, branding and advertising. 
[64:17] What Simon wished to add in the Digital 2024 but could not. 
[65:40] Closing. 

You can find Simon Kemp at X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/eskimon and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eskimon/ and the Digital Report 2024: https://wearesocial.com/sg/blog/2024/01/digital-2024-5-billion-social-media-users/ 

Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G. Thomas Craig. 
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Digital Report 2024 and why Generative AI did not show up this time with Simon Kemp

Jon Russell, from TechCrunch joined us in a two episode arc to discuss the major acquisitions that are shaking the Asia landscape from Southeast Asia to China. In the first part of our conversation, we discussed the recent acquisition of Uber Southeast Asia by Grab and its impact to the different stakeholders from investors, employees, consumers and governments. We also explore how their competitors Go-Jek and Ola are affected within the Asian landscape.

Analyse Asia with Bernard Leong

Episode 249: Grab acquires Uber Southeast Asia with Jon Russell

A weekly podcast dissecting the pulse of business, technology & media in Asia. Hear our host interviewing leading journalists, senior executives, respectable authors & thinkers, entrepreneurs & thought leaders to discuss the most important issues that move and shake the business landscape in the Asia Pacific. The show is originally created and hosted by Bernard Leong.

Episode 249: Grab acquires Uber Southeast Asia with Jon Russell

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