Sow and Scale

Eric Tan

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP
UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Interviews with entrepreneurs in SEA to help you build better companies

FEB 8

Reimagining Southeast Asia’s Cities Through Data | Cha-Ly Koh, CEO and Founder of UrbanMetry

Cha-Ly is the founder and CEO of UrbanMetry, a data analytics startup based in Malaysia focused on optimizing how cities and governments make decisions (Raised from Monk's Hill Ventures, 500 Global (Previously 500 Startups)). After multiple pivots—from a VR-based property marketplace to a consumer listing site—Cha-Ly discovered her niche in B2B data. Today, UrbanMetry holds one of the most comprehensive data sets for urban planning, property development, and lending decisions in Southeast Asia. In our conversation, we cover: • Why Cha-Ly believes entrepreneurs must be a little “mad” to survive • Early missteps in B2C and how she cut losses quickly • Building 50+ layers of urban data and tapping into massive enterprise deals • How motherhood prepared her for navigating startup chaos • Real frameworks for complex B2B sales (including Miller Heiman’s “New Strategic Selling”) • The four stages of data-based decision-making—and how governments often stall at stage one • Staying grounded through cold swims, sleep discipline, and a focus on real-world impact Watch elsewhere: • Youtube: https://youtu.be/7GSUR6Sk6uw • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reimagining-southeast-asias-cities-through-data-cha/id1781364637?i=1000690313646 Where to connect with Chaly: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cha-ly-koh/ • UrbanMetry website: https://www.urbanmetry.com/ Where to find Eric: • WhatsApp group link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CM0YQhhFZF0BfdtmAwTFKb • Substack: https://sowandscale.substack.com/ 00:00 The Madness of Entrepreneurship 00:34 Introducing Cha-Ly and UrbanMetry 01:14 The Entrepreneurial Journey Begins 02:37 Challenges and Pivots in Business 07:16 Building Urbanmetry's Data Empire 10:34 Navigating Southeast Asian Markets 16:06 From B2C to B2B: A Strategic Shift 25:37 Scaling and Solving Real-World Problems 41:53 Navigating Early Challenges and Founding Values 43:03 Trust and Difficult Conversations 45:20 Solo Foundership and Team Dynamics 49:39 Scaling Urbanmetry with Venture Funding 52:28 Innovations in Urban Planning and Data Science 01:00:16 Sales Strategies and Client Management 01:03:12 Technological Investments and Decision Making 01:11:43 Reflections on Entrepreneurship and Parenthood

1h 21m
JAN 19

USD$70M Committed Before Launch?! A Guide To Robotics Startups (Rishab Patwari, CEO of Hivebotics)

Rishab Patwari is the CEO and co-founder of Hivebotics, a Singapore-based robotics startup that has secured over 1,000 LOIs worth an estimated USD$70 million with USD$500K in pre-orders for their autonomous toilet-cleaning robots—revolutionizing the commercial cleaning industry. Listen on the go: - Youtube: https://youtu.be/TC_8ikxPtds - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/73OY2tusErrnZEbwCvUP5d?si=p3P4rpoZS5-DNIMsMXAEaQ - Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/usd%2470m-committed-before-launch-a-guide-to-robotics/id1781364637?i=1000684575100 In our conversation, we dive into: 🤖 The large opportunity of robotics and how Rishab found product-market fit 🤖 Securing LOIs and funding—why early validation is crucial for hardware startups 🤖 Building teams and advisors—when to hire, when to outsource, and how to manage them 🤖 Navigating Singapore’s tough hardware startup ecosystem—the real costs, challenges, and pivots 🤖 Achieving PMF in robotics—why functional demos, iteration, and customer feedback matter 🤖 Cash management, debt, and grants—balancing survival versus growth 🤖 Personal growth and founder mindset—staying resilient amid daily “failures” and rejections 🤖 Much more! Connect deeper: Substack: https://sowandscale.substack.com/ WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CM0YQhhFZF0BfdtmAwTFKb Eric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erictisme/ Rishab on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishab-patwari/ Hivebotics: https://hivebotics.tech/ Quick Fire Round Books: - Start with Why by Simon Sinek – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7108725-start-with-why - Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26156469-never-split-the-difference - Culture Map by Erin Meyer – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22085568-the-culture-map Movie: The Founder (2016) – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4276820/

1h 30m
JAN 5

How Failure and Rest Built An 8-Figure 3D Fashion Company (Sharon Lim, Chairwoman of Browzwear)

Sharon Lim is the Chairwoman (and former CEO) of Browzwear, a global 3D fashion technology company with 180 employees spread across APAC, the US, Europe, and the Middle East. Under her leadership, Browzwear has generated tens of millions in revenue, driven by a unique focus on “pulse” metrics and a culture of rest. Sharon has also founded a venture-building arm—investing in ESG businesses and pioneering AI innovation through Fashion AI Hub. In our conversation, we discuss: How she pivoted from B2C to B2B (and from near-bankruptcy to sustainability)Why she champions “pulse” metrics over revenue (and what that actually looks like)The importance of rest in a venture-backed, fast-scaling environmentHow Sharon embraces failure as part of personal and business growthHer approach to building a strong leadership team and handing over the reinsLessons learned on enterprise sales, open ecosystems, and sustainable growthMuch more!Subscribe to my Substack: https://sowandscale.substack.com/ Join the community on WhatsApp: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqblBveTdnYk8xZ0dEV2d5TmxUMnN6LS12SW9VQXxBQ3Jtc0trd3pkWG5kdzFwS1Z0OWZUYm1HRUJqWVFac0RJaF9nTTFGYXBmWHFmaHdmOXZLajZIcVUtZmNwbVN6UV9qQ1p0ei1uM0F5bDRyNTBzNEpZaEZ3a1lTYTRqcGN5aTlQVFo3eUQ0X0pHMWxkQk1iSUdQSQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fchat.whatsapp.com%2FCM0YQhhFZF0BfdtmAwTFKb&v=k2sBlu_v8pQ Eric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erictisme/ Sharon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonlimyp/ Quick fire round: Books: 1. How will you measure your life by Clayton M. Christensen: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13425570-how-will-you-measure-your-life 2. The Board and the CEO by Peter Greer: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35946208-the-board-and-the-ceo 3. Bible: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5883777-the-holy-bible Movie: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2872518/ Listen on: Youtube: https://youtu.be/ILkenL_AS1ASpotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3wE8800oYIEnxlIqlnBSZs?si=he2Mxkp5Ske7_zeeGQsbGgApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-failure-and-rest-built-an-8-figure-3d/id1781364637?i=1000682725275

2h 5m
12/23/2024

Building SEA's Cyber Startup after a 6-Figure HRTech Exit by Faith (Joel Lee, CEO of Protos Labs)

Joel is the Cofounder and CEO of Protos Labs, Southeast Asia’s cyber-insurance and risk management startup. This is an episode on resilience, innovation, and faith, as he scaled Protos Labs from an idea to a Pre-Series A $3M-funded company in one of the region’s complex industries. In this episode, Joel shares how he: - Navigated having only $5,000 in the bank while raising $3M to scale - Quit his job based on faith to start companies when he had the most commitments in his life - Built a proprietary cybersecurity framework inspired by a dream - Combined faith and business to make business decisions - Crafted a thriving company culture and won the NTUC Most Progressive Employer Award - Positioned Protos Labs as a leader in Asia's growing cyber-insurance market Join the community on Whatsapp: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqblBveTdnYk8xZ0dEV2d5TmxUMnN6LS12SW9VQXxBQ3Jtc0trd3pkWG5kdzFwS1Z0OWZUYm1HRUJqWVFac0RJaF9nTTFGYXBmWHFmaHdmOXZLajZIcVUtZmNwbVN6UV9qQ1p0ei1uM0F5bDRyNTBzNEpZaEZ3a1lTYTRqcGN5aTlQVFo3eUQ0X0pHMWxkQk1iSUdQSQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fchat.whatsapp.com%2FCM0YQhhFZF0BfdtmAwTFKb&v=k2sBlu_v8pQ Follow Joel on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-l-8b390249/?originalSubdomain=sg Protos Labs: https://www.protoslabs.sg/ Connect on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erictisme/ Shownotes: 21 Laws of Leadership by John C Maxwell: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/815716.The_21_Irrefutable_Laws_of_Leadership 00:00 Introduction and Guest Background 02:10 Joel's Entrepreneurial Journey before startups 03:11 Deep Dive into Cybersecurity 05:35 Protos Labs: Mission and Growth 07:29 Origins of Protos 24:47 Hearing God's Call in Life 25:20 Building a Founding Team for Protos 26:52 Is the hate for strategy consultants warranted? 37:25 Creating a Positive Company Culture 43:50 Scaling Up and Fundraising Insights 48:00 Early Challenges and Government Contracts 49:46 Financial Struggles and Miraculous Funding 58:25 Balancing Faith and Wealth in Business 01:07:35 Christian Entrepreneurship and Success 01:14:26 YC's Request For Startup on Fintechs - Beginners' Mindset vs Experience in Cybersecurity 01:16:14 Innovative Approaches to Scaling and Productizing 01:17:37 Which threat is bigger - global or local competitors? 01:25:02 Balancing Personal and Professional Life 01:36:49 Reflections and Rapid Fire Round 01:42:06 Rapid fire round

1h 46m
12/09/2024

Building Singapore's $3M Social Travel App in 2 years (Larry Lee, Founder of Sotravel)

Larry is the Founder and CEO of SoTravel, Singapore's social travel app. In this episode, he shares how he: 👉 Turned his side hustle into a full-time venture after getting fired 👉 Built multiple failed apps before discovering the 'right' way to build 👉 Executing ideas and features from first-principles 👉 Validated Sotravel and continuously experiments with new features 👉 Leverages AI and tech to build a $3 million company with just 10 people 👉 Created a thriving travel community of fans Watch with video on Youtube: https://youtu.be/XXln2Jeh4NY Join the community on Whatsapp: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqblBveTdnYk8xZ0dEV2d5TmxUMnN6LS12SW9VQXxBQ3Jtc0trd3pkWG5kdzFwS1Z0OWZUYm1HRUJqWVFac0RJaF9nTTFGYXBmWHFmaHdmOXZLajZIcVUtZmNwbVN6UV9qQ1p0ei1uM0F5bDRyNTBzNEpZaEZ3a1lTYTRqcGN5aTlQVFo3eUQ0X0pHMWxkQk1iSUdQSQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fchat.whatsapp.com%2FCM0YQhhFZF0BfdtmAwTFKb&v=k2sBlu_v8pQ Follow Larry on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrysotravel/?originalSubdomain=sg Check out SoTravel: https://sotravel.me/ Follow me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erictisme/ Shownotes: Tarpit idea: https://www.ycombinator.com/library/Ij-tarpit-ideas-what-are-tarpit-ideas-how-to-avoid-them Book recommendations: Get Together: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49766350-get-together Lee Kuan Yew: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10379147-lee-kuan-yew Nassim Taleb: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/242472.The_Black_Swan

1h 30m
11/23/2024

5x Startup Co-founder: From Financial Crisis to Raising Millions while Finding Purpose (Junxian Lee, CPO of GoodWhale)

In this episode of the Sow and Scale and Scale podcast, Eric Tan converses with Junxian, the co-founder and CPO of Goodwill, 5x startup launcher, exploring his journey from launching multiple startups to exiting and scaling businesses. They discuss critical lessons in fundraising, surviving financial crises, aligning personal values with entrepreneurial ventures, and the importance of balancing work responsibilities with family life and faith. Follow Junxian's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leejunxian/ Join the community on Whatsapp: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CM0YQhhFZF0BfdtmAwTFKb Follow me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erictisme/ Watch interview on Youtube: https://youtu.be/k2sBlu_v8pQ Shownotes: 12 Angry Men: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050083/ Detective Conan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case_Closed Product Market Fit: https://www.ycombinator.com/library/5z-the-real-product-market-fit

1h 39m

6 Episodes

Interviews with entrepreneurs in SEA to help you build better companies

Creator

Eric Tan
Years Active

2024 - 2025
Episodes

6
Rating

Clean
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