Geeks Of The Valley

GeeksoftheValley
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Geeks of the Valley connects with some of the brightest minds globally, who are leading their respective industries today. We discuss the hottest upcoming industry trends and how their work is affecting the global economy.

  1. #118: Navigating Embedded Finance, and Web3's Future in Emerging Markets with Saison Capital's Qin En Looi

    25 DE AGO.

    #118: Navigating Embedded Finance, and Web3's Future in Emerging Markets with Saison Capital's Qin En Looi

    In Episode #118 of Geeks of the Valley, we sat down with Qin En Looi, Partner at Saison Capital. Backed by Credit Saison (Tokyo-listed, ~US$30B AUM), Saison has 100+ direct investments and 15+ fund investments across Asia and LATAM. We unpack why operator experience produces better investor how Qin En’s time scaling Glints shaped his emphasis on distribution, sales, and practical due diligence. The conversation dives deep into embedded finance. Saison’s playbook for pairing venture equity with tailored debt to de-risk lending-backed businesses, and the market signals that matter for India, Southeast Asia, Brazil and LATAM from eKYC and payment rails to regulatory openness. We close with a pragmatic look at web3 and digital assets: institutional tailwinds, realistic timelines, and how blockchain could become the new rails for moving money at internet speed. About Saison Capital: Saison Capital is an early-stage venture fund (pre-seed to Series B) focused on emerging markets, backing founders across fintech, commerce and web3. Backed by Credit Saison (Tokyo-listed, ~US$30B AUM), the team combines operating experience with flexible capital solutions—100+ direct investments and active fund-of-funds activity across Asia and LATAM—to help startups scale faster and more sustainably. About Qin En Looi: Qin En leads Saison’s early-stage direct investments across fintech, commerce and web3, and he jumpstarted Credit Saison’s digital-asset strategy. He co-founded ONCHAIN (Asia’s first real-world-asset conference) and sits on the boards of Southeast Asian fintechs including Helicap and SkorLife. Prior to VC, Qin En was Co-Founder and COO of Glints, Southeast Asia’s largest talent ecosystem (Series D), and has been recognised on Forbes 30 Under 30 and Entrepreneurs 27 Under 27. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/looiqinenWebsite: saisoncapital.com

    38min
  2. #117: Navigating APAC & U.S. Crypto Frontiers with CMT Digital's Doug Hsu

    18 DE AGO.

    #117: Navigating APAC & U.S. Crypto Frontiers with CMT Digital's Doug Hsu

    Doug Su is an investor at CMT Digital in Asia — a global electronic trading and investment firm specializing in blockchain and digital assets. Founded in 2017, CMT Digital was among the earliest firms to launch a dedicated crypto fund and has since backed more than 150 crypto-native protocols and blockchain ventures worldwide. Doug brings a diverse track record in venture capital and digital asset strategy, having previously worked at Insignia Ventures Partners, played a strategic role at Fireblocks, and led extensive crypto dealmaking efforts across the Asia-Pacific region. In today’s conversation, Doug will share the story behind CMT Digital’s entry into the crypto space in 2017 and how its mission has evolved over time. He’ll discuss how he evaluates opportunities across token-based protocols versus traditional equity investments in both Asia and the U.S., the macro themes he’s watching — from AI and stablecoins to blockchain infrastructure — and where he sees the ecosystem heading over the next two to five years through the lens of Venture Fund IV, launched in May 2024. We’ll also explore how Doug leverages CMT Digital’s expansive network — spanning 150+ portfolio companies, founders, LPs, and cross-border partners — to drive portfolio growth, support successful exits, and foster long-term ecosystem development. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglashsujf/ Note: This episode was recorded Pre-Genius Act passing

    33min
  3. #116: Scaling Human-Centric Brands Through Private Equity with Monogram Capital’s Jared Stein

    11 DE AGO.

    #116: Scaling Human-Centric Brands Through Private Equity with Monogram Capital’s Jared Stein

    In Episode #116 of Geeks of the Valley, we sat down with Jared Stein, Co-Founder at Monogram Capital, a leading private equity firm specializing in scaling high-growth, human-centric consumer brands. Jared walks through Monogram’s investment philosophy and why the firm focuses on companies with deep consumer resonance. He shares insights from leading investments in Chewy.com, Olipop, Genexa, and Planet Fitness, detailing how emotional connection, strong brand equity, and operational excellence drive sustainable growth. The conversation explores the evolving role of private equity in consumer markets, including the increasing importance of wellness, trust, and personalization in shaping investment decisions. Drawing on his background at Bain Capital, Golden Gate Capital, HGGC, and Goldman Sachs, Jared also discusses lessons learned from scaling category leaders, the role of strategic partnerships, and how to balance value creation with authentic brand building. Whether you’re an investor seeking differentiated strategies, a founder building a consumer brand, or a strategist tracking market shifts, this episode offers a deep dive into the future of human-centric private equity.

    44min
  4. #115: How the Middle East’s Startup Scene & Gulf SWFs Are Reshaping Venture Capital with Bunat Ventures' Khalid Saad

    23 DE JUN.

    #115: How the Middle East’s Startup Scene & Gulf SWFs Are Reshaping Venture Capital with Bunat Ventures' Khalid Saad

    Khalid Saad is a seasoned venture capitalist and FinTech entrepreneur with a proven track record of launching new ventures and accelerating existing ones. Over the years, he has partnered with startups and established companies on digital strategy, business development, partnerships, and market-entry plans—spanning payment systems, remittance services, crypto platforms, open banking, and more  . He is the Founder & Managing Partner of Bunat Ventures, a Bahrain-based regulated venture-builder VC focused on nurturing and investing in high-growth startups across the GCC. Khalid serves on the board of CoinMENA, a Central Bank–regulated crypto-asset exchange, and is a board member of Oqal – Bahrain Chapter, the region’s largest and most active angel investment network  . Additionally, he advises 01 Systems, a leading regional financial technology and digital transformation firm, and contributes to the Finance, Insurance & Tax Committee of the Bahrain Chamber. Until recently, Khalid was the Founding CEO of Bahrain FinTech Bay (BFB)—the largest FinTech hub in MENA, recognized by S&P Global Ratings as one of the region’s two most advanced FinTech ecosystems  . Under his leadership, BFB united ~100 public and private stakeholders (regulators, banks, telcos, asset managers, family firms, educational institutions, etc.) and hosted around 50 companies working across payments, blockchain, crypto assets, data analytics, robo-advisory, crowdfunding, and AI  . Before BFB, Khalid was a Business Development Manager at the Bahrain Economic Development Board, where he promoted the financial services sector and attracted major institutions—from banks and wealth managers to FinTechs and insurers—to Bahrain  . Prior to that, he worked with Ernst & Young, conducting feasibility studies, market research, and implementing a governance, risk & compliance platform in Bahrain, and with SEI Investments in London managing UK and European equity portfolios  . Khalid holds an MSc from Imperial College London and a First Class BSc from the University of Exeter  . LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khalidesaad/

    34min
  5. #114: Research Driven Venture Capital Investing and AI 's Cultural Impact With Leonis Capital’s Jay Zhao

    29 DE MAI.

    #114: Research Driven Venture Capital Investing and AI 's Cultural Impact With Leonis Capital’s Jay Zhao

    In Episode #114 of Geeks of the Valley, we sat down with Jay Zhao , Founding Partner at Leonis Capital, a San Francisco–based fund focused on backing technical founders building transformative AI, SaaS, data-infrastructure and decentralized-tech companies. As a returning guest, we reflect on the growth journey of Jay and the market. Since 2021, he’s led or co-led investments in breakthrough businesses including Marqeta (NASDAQ: MQ), HireVue (NASDAQ: CG), Mixamo (Acquired by ADBE), Innoviz (NASDAQ: INVZ), and Delhivery (IPO), and serves on multiple boards advising high-growth startups across fintech, enterprise SaaS, robotics and analytics. Prior to Leonis, Jay co-founded T Fund—an early-stage vehicle investing in global SaaS and data-infrastructure ventures—and was a Senior Director/Partner at Walden Venture Capital, one of Silicon Valley’s pioneering firms with a global presence in Asia and Israel. He began his career as a Principal at Granite Ventures (ex-H&Q Venture Group), where he helped manage over $1 billion AUM and advised companies like Lime, MaintainX, and Sleeper. An active contributor to the industry dialogue, Jay’s long-form research essays have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, CNBC and Venture Capital Journal. He shares his expertise as a guest lecturer at Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, Tulane and Wharton, and mentors at Girls Who Code and Habitat for Humanity. He writes the Next Trillion newsletter and hosts a technical-deep-dive Substack on AI’s future. Jay holds dual fluency in English and Mandarin Chinese. Outside of investing, he enjoys advising early-stage founders, exploring emerging Web3 protocols, and building community around research-driven entrepreneurship. Website: https://www.leoniscap.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayzhaolinkedin

    43min
  6. #113: Wall Street To Web3, Decoding Crypto Mergers and Acquisitions With Dragonfly’s Rob Hadick

    13 DE MAI.

    #113: Wall Street To Web3, Decoding Crypto Mergers and Acquisitions With Dragonfly’s Rob Hadick

    In Episode #113 of Geeks of the Valley, we sat down with Rob Hadick, General Partner at Dragonfly, a leading $2.5bn crypto-focused global investment firm. We explore the seismic shifts in the VC ecosystem, from the rise of trade-sale exits to the resilience of certain sub-sectors like Layer 2 protocols and real-world-asset platforms. A focal point of our discussion is Ripple’s landmark $1.25 billion acquisition of Hidden Road, where Rob dissects its implications for bridging institutional finance with native-crypto infrastructure. Along the way, Rob shares lessons he’s learned underwriting tokenized assets, supporting portfolio companies through volatility, and spotting early signals of talent migration in an increasingly global industry. Whether you’re an institutional investor seeking to understand new exit dynamics or a founder navigating the crypto VC landscape, this conversation offers a comprehensive roadmap to the future of digital-asset investing. Since 2017, Dragonfly has been at the forefront of blockchain and crypto innovation with a long-term oriented, technical, and research-driven approach, having been early backers of some of the most influential protocols and companies in the industry, including 1inch, Avalanche, Bitget, Bybit, Compound, DyDx, Ethena, Hidden Road, Matter Labs, Monad, Near, Optimism, Polygon, Ribbon and ZK Sync. Rob focuses on companies and protocols that are innovating at the bleeding edge of centralized and decentralized finance, payments, money, and digital asset infrastructure. Previously, Rob led multi-stage public and private investing into crypto protocols and companies at GoldenTree Asset Management ("GTAM"), a ~$50bn multi-strategy hedge fund. Prior to GTAM, Rob invested in and advised fintech, technology, and crypto companies while at Heritage Partners, Goldman Sachs, and PJT Partners. He holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, where he was co-founder of the Columbia Blockchain Club, and a Bachelor's in Economics and Political Science from Washington University in St. Louis. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-hadickWebsite: https://www.dragonfly.xyz

    40min
  7. #112: Redefining Luxury Hospitality in Southeast Asia with ARYADUTA's Ivan Casadevall

    23 DE ABR.

    #112: Redefining Luxury Hospitality in Southeast Asia with ARYADUTA's Ivan Casadevall

    In Episode #112 of Geeks of the Valley, we sat down with Ivan Casadevall, the CEO of ARYADUTA's Hotel Group, a leading Indonesian hospitality group and one of the most trusted brands in the region. Today, our portfolio features 10 upscale hotels and resorts strategically located across Indonesia, alongside 5 leisure units. We are currently expanding aggressively, with an exciting pipeline that includes 2 luxury hotels in Jakarta and 2 resorts in iconic destinations such as Ubud and Labuan Bajo, with additional land banks ready for development over the next 3 to 5 years. Ivan shares lessons from his global journey, from managing resorts in Vietnam and Bali to developing partnerships with global icons like Trump Hotels, Hyatt, and IMG. Whether you’re a founder, operator, or curious traveler, this episode is packed with wisdom.

    43min
  8. #111: Transparency in Venture Capital: Building a Web3 Ethos with Blockchain Founders Fund’s Aly Madhavji

    15 DE ABR.

    #111: Transparency in Venture Capital: Building a Web3 Ethos with Blockchain Founders Fund’s Aly Madhavji

    Join us for an insightful conversation with Aly Madhavji, Managing Partner at Blockchain Founders Fund, as we explore the significance of transparency in venture capital and its impact on Web3 ecosystems. Aly, recognized globally as a leader in blockchain innovation, shares his approach to investment, venture building, and go-to-market strategies across the USA, APAC, MENA, and EU regions. Discover how Blockchain Founders Fund nurtures digital assets and emerging technologies, fostering a culture of transparency and sustainable growth. Aly's extensive background, including roles with INSEAD, UN initiatives, and NASDAQ-listed Soluna Holdings, offers a unique perspective on navigating the evolving landscape of digital finance and venture funding. This episode is essential for founders, investors, and anyone passionate about ethical innovation and Web3's transformative potential. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alymadhavjiWebsite: https://www.blockchainff.com/

    45min
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Geeks of the Valley connects with some of the brightest minds globally, who are leading their respective industries today. We discuss the hottest upcoming industry trends and how their work is affecting the global economy.

Informações

  • Criado por
    GeeksoftheValley
  • Anos de atividade
    2019 - 2025
  • Episódios
    124
  • Classificação
    Livre
  • Copyright
    © GeeksoftheValley
  • Site do podcast
    Geeks Of The Valley