162 episodes
On Call with Insignia Ventures Insignia Ventures Partners
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- Business
Start your week with new ~30 min calls every Tuesday! Learning what it takes to build an impactful and enduring company in emerging markets globally is just a call away. Join Insignia Ventures' resident storyteller Paulo Joquino and founding managing partner Yinglan Tan on call with the likes of Indonesian unicorn founders, Dianping's founder, Alibaba Global Initiatives founder, MercadoLibre co-founder and former COO, veteran Japan SaaS VC, and more! Get diverse perspectives as they share origin stories, learnings on company building, and unique approaches to leadership.
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How this Singaporean firefighter is making life saving everyone's business with deep tech | Call 160 with Leon Yip
Part 2 of our chat with Leon Yip, former Singaporean firefighter, Insignia Ventures Academy VC Accelerator Cohort 2 alumnus, and now working with deep tech startups at Hatch.
Part 1 was all about Leon sharing his journey from the Singapore Civil Defense Force to IVA and finally to Hatch: https://youtu.be/p7w42vX2x_0
More episodes with IVA mentors and alumni on Academy Afterthoughts: https://review.insignia.vc/category/podcasts/iva-afterthoughts/
Insignia Ventures Academy’s Certificate in Venture Capital course is open for applications to its 7th (March) and 8th (June) cohorts! Talk to our program manager Jiaway Koh and learn more here: http://www.insignia.vc/u/calliva
Timestamps
(00:00) How Leon’s time at IVA impacted his career and his work at Hatch;
(06:30) Use cases of deep tech in public safety and security;
(09:51) Advice for founders working with government as customers;
(15:50) How IVA impacted the way Leon engages with founders;
(18:38) Rapid Fire Round;
About our guest
Leon Yip is an alumnus of Cohort 2 of Insignia Ventures Academy’s Certificate in Venture Capital course. Prior to IVA he had built a career in the Singapore Civil Defense Force, from frontline responder to part of the headquarters’ innovation development team. From IVA he was exposed to philanthropic capital at Plans and Development of the Temasek Foundation. Currently he bridges the gap between lifesaving and the startup ecosystem at the Home Team Science and Technology Agency’s Hatch, which curates and accelerates impactful deep tech innovations to thrive in the public safety and security domain.
The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any Insignia Ventures fund. Any and all opinions shared in this episode are solely personal thoughts and reflections of the guest and the host.
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Why this firefighter invested in learning more about startups and venture capital (Part 1) | Call 159
We are back with another Academy Afterthoughts episode, where we go on call with alumni and mentors of Insignia Ventures Academy’s programs, primarily the Certificate in Venture Capital course which is open for applications to its 7th (March) and 8th (June) cohorts! Talk to our program manager Jiaway Koh and learn more here: http://www.insignia.vc/u/calliva
In this episode we have Leon Yip from Cohort 2, whose career spans firefighting to now working with startups as they develop solutions for public safety and security.
In Part 1 of our conversation, he shares about his time at the Singapore Civil Defense Force, going from the frontlines to innovation development at headquarters. Then we talk about his experiences and takeaways from his 12 weeks at Insignia Ventures Academy, and how that impacted his personal and professional development.
Stay tuned for Part 2 next Monday, where we talk more about deep tech solutions for public safety and security across various use cases, especially in light of Singapore’s greater push for more global activity to find its place in the country, from Asia stopovers for global artists like Taylor Swift to becoming a hub for more digital asset transactions in the region.
Timestamps
(00:00) Introduction;
(02:36) Leon’s days at the Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF);
(06:29) Leon’s Insignia Ventures Academy experience;
(15:50) How Leon’s IVA experience impacted his career post-program, leading up to his work with deep tech startups at Hatch;
About our guest
Leon Yip is an alumnus of Cohort 2 of Insignia Ventures Academy’s Certificate in Venture Capital course. Prior to IVA he had built a career in the Singapore Civil Defense Force, from frontline responder to part of the headquarters’ innovation development team. From IVA he was exposed to philanthropic capital at Plans and Development of the Temasek Foundation. Currently he bridges the gap between lifesaving and the startup ecosystem at the Home Team Science and Technology Agency’s Hatch, which curates and accelerates impactful deep tech innovations to thrive in the public safety and security domain.
The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any Insignia Ventures fund. Any and all opinions shared in this episode are solely personal thoughts and reflections of the guest and the host.
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Why the Middle East is the next big market for Open Finance with Brankas CEO Todd Schweitzer | Call 158
Our conversation continues with Todd Schweitzer, CEO and co-founder of open finance solutions platform Brankas.
After getting a fresh introduction to how Brankas and open finance works as well as developments in the open finance revolution in Southeast Asia, Todd takes us across the world to the Middle East and what Brankas has been doing to meet the banking transformation needs of markets in the region. But first, he shares learnings from selling software to banks and working with us at Insignia Ventures.
A quick recap, in case you’re not familiar: how does Brankas work?
As Todd puts it simply, “We work with tech companies, consumer and SME apps that are looking to have financial services integrations. We also work with the banks themselves to become suppliers of these products. That creates a marketplace where you have the institutions on one side and the tech companies on the other. Brankas is making it much easier for those two groups to connect.”
They provide services across Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. In 2023, they expanded into MENA, particularly Bahrain, UAE, and Saudi Arabia, which we talk about more in this episode!
Timestamps
(00:00) Make or Break Corner: Patience and Partnerships in Open Finance;
(00:05) Catch up to part 1 here: https://youtu.be/mcmazgnBmw0
(02:50) In the Orange Corner: Finding Partners to Expand Ambition;
(04:40) Brankas’s Approach to the MENA Opportunity for Open Finance
(11:14) Brankas’s Approach to AI Tooling;
(13:57) Rapid Fire Round;
The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any Insignia Ventures fund.
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Raising the Standards for ASEAN Banking with Open Finance | Brankas CEO Todd Schweitzer | Call 157
In this week’s episode of On Call with Insignia, Brankas CEO and co-founder Todd Schweitzer returns after two years (check out our first conversation with him here) with the latest insights on open finance and Brankas’ progress in driving this transformation in the region.
But first, in case you’re not familiar: how does Brankas work?
As Todd puts it simply, “We work with tech companies, consumer and SME apps that are looking to have financial services integrations. We also work with the banks themselves to become suppliers of these products. That creates a marketplace where you have the institutions on one side and the tech companies on the other. Brankas is making it much easier for those two groups to connect.”
They provide services across Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. In 2023, they expanded into MENA, particularly Bahrain, UAE, and Saudi Arabia, which we talk about more in part 2, coming out next week!
Timestamps
(00:00) Todd and Brankas’ Introduction;
(05:47) Opportunities for Open Finance in Southeast Asia: SME and Migrant Worker Banking;
(13:38) The Tradeoffs for Tech Companies Integrating Financial Services;
(18:04) Maturing Banking Experiences in Southeast Asia;
(22:08) Southeast Asia’s Developing Open Finance Regulation;
(25:26) Stay tuned for part 2 next week;
The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any Insignia Ventures fund.
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The Future of Beauty Brands and Retail in Asia with Konvy CEO Qing Gui Huang | Call 156
This week’s episode, we continue our call with Qing Gui Huang, CEO of Thailand’s leading online beauty retail company.
As a beauty retailer, Konvy supports thousands of brands with a combined portfolio of more than 25,000 SKUs, through various channels, from their app to ecommerce platforms, TikTok, and offline stores. Konvy kicked off 2024 with the announcement of their latest funding round as they look to expand regionally, starting in the Philippines.
In part 1 of our conversation, Gui shares more about Konvy’s expansion into offline retail and TikTok Shop in 2023, as well as stories behind their decision to go beyond Thailand and take a big brand campaign to become the top of mind beauty retailer in Thailand. See the full part 1 episode
In part 2, Gui talks about all things trends. From trends in beauty products and consumption, to trends in beauty brand expansion across Asia, to trends in beauty retail experiences, he paints a picture of the industry Konvy is leading into the future
Timestamps
(00:00) Catch up on part one
(00:15) Private Label Thesis and Beauty Brand Trends in Southeast Asia;
(02:36) Trends across Beauty Markets in Asia;
(07:34) Future of Beauty Retail;
(10:08) Rapid Fire Round;
The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any Insignia Ventures fund.
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Qing Gui Huang, CEO of Thailand’s No. 1 beauty ecommerce platform Konvy on TikTok, Regional Growth, and more | Call 155
This week’s episode, we go on call with Qing Gui Huang, CEO of Thailand’s leading online beauty retail company Konvy. As a beauty retailer, Konvy supports thousands of brands with a combined portfolio of more than 25,000 SKUs, through various channels, from their app to ecommerce platforms, TikTok, and offline stores. Konvy kicked off 2024 with the announcement of their latest funding round as they look to expand regionally, starting in the Philippines.
In part 1 of our conversation, Gui shares more about Konvy’s expansion into offline retail and TikTok Shop in 2023, as well as stories behind their decision to go beyond Thailand and take a big brand campaign to become the top of mind beauty retailer in Thailand.
Timestamps
(00:00) Highlights
(02:49) Introduction
(05:21) How going offline unlocked a whole new segment;
(12:47) Why TikTok as a channel is best leveraged at scale;
(18:43) Expanding regionally, Philippines first;
(23:55) Making a Bet on Branding;
(27:22) Working with a VC;
(30:56) Stay tuned for part two next Wednesday!
The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any Insignia Ventures fund.
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