Asian Business Owners - A.B.O.

Carmen Salameh

Asian Business Owners is the podcast that explores the real human journey behind building a business in Asia. Hosted by Carmen Salameh, each episode features honest conversations with founders, entrepreneurs and business leaders across Asia. I go beyond the highlight reel to talk about the parts of entrepreneurship people relate to most deeply: doubt, loneliness, pivots, identity shifts, pressure, resilience and the quiet wins that rarely make headlines. Through candid conversations with founders and solo episodes, you’ll hear the stories behind the businesses, practical lessons learned the hard way and the realities of building something meaningful without any guarantees. Whether you’re a founder, solopreneur or aspiring entrepreneur, this podcast will help you feel less alone, more inspired and better equipped to navigate your own journey. New episodes every week. 🎧 Follow me on LinkedIn and on Instagram for more content and behind-the-scenes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 5d ago

    Success Wasn't Enough | Romita Ghosh, Founder of Maap AI

    What happens when you achieve the success you once thought you wanted and realise it isn't enough? Romita Ghosh has spent around 20 years building companies. She's had successful exits, awards and the kind of achievements that traditionally define entrepreneurial success. But over time, she started asking: what makes me feel fulfilled? That question eventually led her to build Maap AI, an AI-powered child growth monitoring system to help detect child malnutrition and create personalised nutrition interventions. In this conversation, Romita and I talk about: why conventional success stopped feeling sufficienthow surviving cancer as a child shaped her sense of purposewhat she learned from failing and rebuilding multiple startupsthe real-world problem she discovered while travelling across Indiabuilding a sustainable business around impactfundraising, scale and patient capitalthe personal sacrifices entrepreneurship demanded from her Timestamps: (00:00) Teaser (00:50) Podcast and Guest Intro (02:31) Why She Became a Founder (03:05) Cancer Survival Purpose (05:21) First Startup in LEDs (06:30) Addicted to Building (08:49) Co-Founder Lessons (11:05) Fieldwork in India (12:17) The Measurement Moment (16:30) Choosing Malnutrition Mission (18:47) Building the Partnership Model (22:06) AI R&D and Bias (23:45) What Maap AI Delivers (24:43) Go-to-Market and Pricing (26:03) Funding the R&D (26:11) Who Backed Maap AI (27:32) Community Trust And Nutrition Plans 29:38) Fundraising Tips And Processes (31:45) Slow Progress And Perseverance (34:56) Impact Versus Startup Success (38:31) Global Expansion Vision (40:22) Personal Sacrifices Of Founding (43:11) Lessons For Fellow Founders (46:45) Wrap Up 👉 To find out more: Maap AI's website Romita on LinkedIn To follow my journey:📲 Find me on LinkedIn 💬 Follow abo.pod 🎧 Subscribe to Asian Business Owners Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Success Wasn't Enough | Romita Ghosh, Founder of Maap AI
  2. Aug 26

    Does Growth Always Mean Going Faster? | ☀️ Summer Series

    Does growth always mean going faster? In this last episode of the Summer Series, I chatted with Julien Gaubert for the second time. Julien runs Ykone, a creative influence agency operating across Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore. He's spent his career in some of the fastest-moving industries and cities in the world, from Hermès in New York to building creative agencies across Asia. But this summer, he takes some time to reflect and reset. Instead of pushing harder, he's learning to listen more to his body, to his team and to his own teenage kids, who are teaching him more about culture and attention spans than any market report could. We talk about: How AI is reshaping his agencyWhy experiential marketing matters more than everWhat his teenagers taught him about patience and contentHis plans to expand across Asia 📣 This episode is in partnership with The Hive Poho, coworking space in Hong Kong. Listen to the first episode with Julien here Timestamps (00:00) Teaser (00:42) Podcast Intro: the Summer Series (01:42) Meet Julien (03:51) What Brings Him Joy (07:21) Rethinking AI And Productivity (12:02) Business Shift Acquisitions (15:55) Reflection on Time, Speed And Growth (19:03) Expanding Across Asia (21:59) Three Goals And a Flexible Plan (23:42) Summer Recommendation (25:54) Wrap Up 👉 To find out more: Ykone To follow my journey 📲 Find me on LinkedIn 💬 Follow abo.pod 🎧 Subscribe to Asian Business Owners Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Does Growth Always Mean Going Faster? | ☀️ Summer Series
  3. Aug 5

    I Stopped Fighting the Way I Work | ☀️ Summer Series

    ☀️ This summer, I'm asking founders six short questions to understand what's on their minds. Questions about joy, uncertainty, change and the things they can't stop thinking about. In this episode, I sit down with Anna Tee, founder of At The Table, a boutique marketing agency based in Hong Kong. Anna shares why she stopped trying to work like everyone else, what she's changed her mind about this year and why she's learning to appreciate the smaller things in life. We also talk about how hard it can be to ask for help, what embracing flexibility looks like and how to build a business that feels more aligned with who you are. In this episode: • Learning to trust your own way of working • Finding joy in slower moments • Learning to ask for help • What Anna hopes the next year will bring 📣 This episode is in partnership with The Hive Causeway Bay, coworking space in Hong Kong. Timestamps: (00:00) Teaser (00:41) Podcast Intro: the Summer Series (01:47) Meet Anna And Her Agency, At The Table (03:29) Joy In Small Moments (05:30) Rethinking Structure and Flexibility (09:34) Travel On The Mind (10:10) Future Home And Meaningful Work (12:43) AI As A Business Lever (18:17) Advice And Summer Recommendation (21:32) Wrap Up 👉 To find out more: Anna's agency website Anna on LinkedIn To follow my journey:📲 Find me on LinkedIn 💬 Follow abo.pod 🎧 Subscribe to Asian Business Owners Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    I Stopped Fighting the Way I Work | ☀️ Summer Series
  4. Jul 29

    She Stopped Undervaluing Her Work | ☀️ Summer Series

    ☀️ This summer, I'm asking founders six short questions to understand what's on their minds. The first guest of this Summer Series is Vannessa, a life and parenting coach based in Hong Kong. For a long time, Vannessa organised free and low-cost events because helping people matters so much to her. Then she realised something that completely changed the way she saw her business: If I don't value my work, nobody else will. In this short conversation, we also talk about: • charging what you're worth • balancing purpose and profitability • building an intentional online community • rediscovering the joy of reading 📣 This episode is in partnership with The Hive Kennedy Town, coworking space in Hong Kong. Timestamps: (00:00) Teaser (00:49) Podcast Intro: the Summer Series (01:54) Meet Vannessa (03:45) The Joy of Reading Again (04:52) Early Mornings and Intentional Planning (05:51) Charging What Youre Worth (08:44) Moving Abroad and Going Online (09:31) Building a Paid Community (11:42) Three Pillars of Coaching (12:37) Whats On Her Mind Now (13:01) Growing The Community (13:18) Moving To Malaysia (14:11) Life Of Constant Relocation (15:13) One Year Vision (16:44) Coaching Approach Explained (18:43) Balancing Passion and Numbers (21:46) Summer Habit (25:12) Wrap Up 👉 To find out more: Vannessa's website Vannessa on Instagram 📣 This episode is in partnership with The Hive Kennedy Town, coworking space in Hong Kong. To follow my journey:📲 Find me on LinkedIn 💬 Follow abo.pod 🎧 Subscribe to Asian Business Owners Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    She Stopped Undervaluing Her Work | ☀️ Summer Series
  5. Jul 22 ·  Bonus

    KEY MOMENT: The Solo Trip That Changed Everything

    Some of the biggest changes begin by stepping away. That's what happened to Jasmine Liu. In this Key Moment, Jasmine shares how burnout led her to take a solo trip to Bhutan, a country that measures success through happiness instead of GDP. What started as a break became an opportunity to slow down, reflect and rethink what truly mattered. This Key Moment could be exactly what you need to hear this summer, as it's a moment to question your direction, give you the space to reset and reflect. 🎧 To (re)listen to the full episode with Jasmine : From Burnout to Building a Wellness Company: Jasmine’s Founder Journey ✅ Get your free day pass at Garage Society! Timestamps:(00:00) Teaser (00:34)) Podcast and Guest Intro (01:41) Burnout Warning Signs (03:06) Solo Trip to Bhutan (04:02) Hard Questions and Permission (05:59) Back Home Small Steps (07:08) Balancing Work and Wellness (08:45) Rapid Fire This or That (10:13) Fintech Startup Lessons (11:28) Redefining Success Beyond Money (12:09) Slow Transition to Health Tech (14:28) Gratitude and Building From Zero to One (15:17) Wrap Up ✅ Get your free day pass at Garage Society! 👉 To find out more: Jasmine on LinkedIn Attend the Build Well, Live Well Summit here To follow my journey: 💬 abo.pod 📲 Find me on LinkedIn 🎧 Subscribe to Asian Business Owners wherever you listen to it! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    KEY MOMENT: The Solo Trip That Changed Everything
  6. Jul 15

    From VISA Executive to Startup Founder: Starting Over After 25 Years

    After more than 80 conversations with founders, some stories deserve to be heard again. This week, (re)listen my conversation with Maaike Steinbach, former CEO of Visa and founder of FemTech Future. After spending more than 25 years in corporate leadership, Maaike made a decision many people think about but few actually make: she left her executive career to build a startup with a mission. In this conversation, we talk about what it's like to leave corporate, start over, find purpose and build a business from scratch. We also discuss: • What FemTech actually is • The gender health gap • Building a startup after a successful executive career • Why women's health remains under-discussed Topics: career change, leaving corporate, startup founder, former CEO, Visa executive, entrepreneurship, founder journey, women in business, female founder, FemTech, women's health, leadership, purpose, corporate to startup, business podcast. Timestamps: (00:00) Teaser (00:51) Podcast Intro (01:46) Meet Maaike Steinbach (02:17) What Femtech Means (03:57) Leaving Corporate Leap (06:27) Personal Health Turning Point (08:24) Gender Health Gap Explained (12:17) Why It’s Big Business (13:26) When to Make the Jump (17:00) DEI Belonging at Work (21:49) Quickfire Questions (24:17) Entrepreneur Treats (24:53) Gender Bias After Corporate (29:53) FemTech Taboo Talk (32:09) Healthcare Gaps and Misinformation (35:37) Podcast and Community Events (36:42) No Business Plan Needed (39:30) Three Pillars and New Platform (42:31) Celebrity Advocates (44:50) Personal Boardroom Advice (48:55) Wrap Up 👉 To find out more: FemTech Future's website Maaike's podcast FemTech at Work To follow my journey:📲 Find me on LinkedIn 💬 Follow abo.pod 🎧 Subscribe to Asian Business Owners Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    From VISA Executive to Startup Founder: Starting Over After 25 Years

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About

Asian Business Owners is the podcast that explores the real human journey behind building a business in Asia. Hosted by Carmen Salameh, each episode features honest conversations with founders, entrepreneurs and business leaders across Asia. I go beyond the highlight reel to talk about the parts of entrepreneurship people relate to most deeply: doubt, loneliness, pivots, identity shifts, pressure, resilience and the quiet wins that rarely make headlines. Through candid conversations with founders and solo episodes, you’ll hear the stories behind the businesses, practical lessons learned the hard way and the realities of building something meaningful without any guarantees. Whether you’re a founder, solopreneur or aspiring entrepreneur, this podcast will help you feel less alone, more inspired and better equipped to navigate your own journey. New episodes every week. 🎧 Follow me on LinkedIn and on Instagram for more content and behind-the-scenes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.