The On Call with Insignia Podcast

Insignia Ventures Partners
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Singapore and Southeast Asia's longest running VC podcast! Previous guests include Dianping founder Zhang Tao, Nobel Laureate in economics Michael Spence, MUFG APAC Chief of Staff and Mars Growth founder Osamu Abe, Kaszek Ventures and MercadoLibre founder Hernan Kazah, Endeavor Catalyst managing partner Allen Taylor, monashees founding partner Eric Acher, Tao of Alibaba author and Alibaba Global Initiatives’ Brian Wong, JETRO Director General of Innovation Takeo Nakajima, Ard Financial Group executive chairman Ganhuyag, Appier founder Chih Han Yu, and Carro founder Aaron Tan.

  1. Smart cities need smart citizens | Innovators in Sustainability Episode 1 with Jason Pomeroy

    6d ago

    Smart cities need smart citizens | Innovators in Sustainability Episode 1 with Jason Pomeroy

    Join this year's Business & Sustainability Programme Asia Seminar by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)In this first episode of a miniseries produced in partnership with the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and Insignia Ventures Academy, host Paulo Aquino speaks with Professor Jason Pomeroy,k founding principal of Pomeroy Studio, founder of Pomeroy Academy, and CISL Fellow. The conversation traces Jason's evolution from architect to interdisciplinary sustainability leader, beginning with how his Cambridge master's degree opened a systems-thinking approach to the built environment that conventional practice could not provide. Jason explains how his signature four-sphere model, engaging civil society, state, academia, and industry simultaneously, shaped the Idea House in Malaysia, one of Asia's first zero-carbon homes, and how that same methodology has since scaled across Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Timestamps (1:17): Introduction to Jason (3:42): Cambridge Spark Moment (7:57): Building an Interdisciplinary Practice (10:24): Asia Innovation and Net Zero Homes (16:44): Designing for Sweden (18:45): Academy: Bridging Worlds (21:00): Digital Twins Explained (26:02): Smart Cities Need Smart Citizens (30:02): Automation and CISL WrapAbout our GuestProfessor Jason Pomeroy is an award-winning architect, academic, author, and TV presenter regarded as one of the world's leading experts in sustainable design. He is the founding principal of Pomeroy Studio, an interdisciplinary sustainable design and research firm based in Singapore, and the founder of Pomeroy Academy, a platform for sustainability education and research in the built environment. Jason holds professorships at the University of Nottingham and James Cook University, and leads a sustainable urbanism module on CISL's Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment (IDBE) master's programme at the University of Cambridge. He is a Fellow of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. Jason gained his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from the Canterbury School of Architecture, a master's degree from the University of Cambridge, and a PhD from the University of Westminster. He is the author of five books on sustainable design and urbanism, including Idea House: Future Tropical Living Today (2011), The Skycourt and Skygarden: Greening the Urban Habitat (2014), and Hardware, Software, Heartware: Digital Twinning for More Sustainable Built Environments (2023). He has hosted four architecture and urbanism television series — Smart Cities 2.0, City Time Traveller, City Redesign, and Futuropolis — which have aired across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Directed by Paulo Joquiño Produced by Paulo Joquiño Follow us on LinkedIn for more updates Disclaimer: The views in this podcast are those of the contributors, and don’t necessarily represent those of CISL, the University of Cambridge, or Insignia Ventures Academy, and should not be taken as advice or a recommendation.  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.

    40 min
  2. Dr Yanan Wu on why Surfin cannot remain a fintech as it grows beyond 100M users across 12 markets

    Jun 23

    Dr Yanan Wu on why Surfin cannot remain a fintech as it grows beyond 100M users across 12 markets

    In this fourth conversation between Paulo Joquino and Dr. Yanan Wu, CEO and founder of Surfin, the two catch up at a pivotal moment in the company's trajectory. Nine years after its founding, Surfin, the Singapore-headquartered fintech serving over 100 million users across 12 markets, is entering its second chapter: one defined by agentic AI, fintech as a service (FaaS), and expansion into developed markets. Timestamps (1:50): Surfin Snapshot Today (2:39): Recent Milestones (6:10): Japan Launch Focus (9:55): Serving Migrants' Needs (13:11): ABCD: Agentic Inclusion (16:20): Differentiation, Economics, and Data (20:00): Institutions Adopting AI Agents (25:31): Tailwinds and the Path Forward About our Guest Dr. Yanan Wu is the CEO and founder of Surfin, a Singapore-headquartered fintech platform dedicated to financial inclusion through AI and agentic technology. A former nuclear physicist and Wall Street quantitative portfolio manager, Yanan spent over 15 years managing institutional and high-net-worth assets in North America and Asia before founding Surfin in 2017, inspired by a stark encounter with inequality in Jakarta. Under his leadership, Surfin has grown from a regional vision into a global operation serving over 100 million users across 12 markets on three continents, having disbursed over US$4 billion in loans to underserved young consumers and achieving 50% year-on-year revenue growth with double-digit net profit margins for four consecutive years. Yanan holds a PhD in physics and was a postdoctoral researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory and IBM T.J. Watson Research Center. He is a frequent speaker at global forums including the World Economic Forum in Davos and the New York Stock Exchange International Day. Directed by Paulo Joquiño Produced by Paulo Joquiño Follow us on LinkedIn for more updates 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.

    29 min
  3. Konvy CEO & Co-Founder QingGui Huang on Matchmaking Quality Beauty Brands to the Global Market

    Jun 4

    Konvy CEO & Co-Founder QingGui Huang on Matchmaking Quality Beauty Brands to the Global Market

    In this episode of On Call with Insignia Ventures, join us on this call with QingGui Huang (Gui), CEO and co-founder of Konvy, for a wide-ranging conversation on what it means to build a health and beauty e-commerce platform for Southeast Asia in 2026. Now in its 13th year of operations and fresh off a Series B round backed by Cool Japan Fund, Konvy has grown from Thailand's leading beauty e-retailer into a regional multi-channel platform with stores and operations across Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia. The discussion explores how shifting consumer behavior, the rise of TikTok Shop, and the growing complexity of omni-channel commerce are reshaping the competitive landscape. Konvy’s “matchmaking” thesis, connecting quality global brands with underserved regional consumers, is also finding new relevance as both inbound and outbound brand flows mature across the region. Gui also shares his perspective on AI’s complementary role in e-commerce operations, the challenges of cross-border localization, and what a potential public market listing could mean for Konvy’s next chapter.Timestamps(0:00): Introduction(2:00): Konvy’s Background and the Evolving E-Commerce Landscape(5:00): Konvy as Southeast Asia’s Beauty and Health Gateway(7:00): Pain Points for D2C and E-Commerce Brands(9:00): AI as a Complementary Force in E-Commerce(13:00): The Cool Japan Fund Partnership and Inbound Brand Strategy(16:00): Outbound Strategy: Taking Southeast Asian Brands Global(18:00): Omni-Channel Strategy: Balancing Online and Offline(21:00): Localizing for New Markets: Philippines and Malaysia(23:00): Building Global Infrastructure and the Path to Public Markets(26:00): Advice for Entrepreneurs and FoundersAbout Our GuestQingGui Huang, known as Gui, is the CEO and co-founder of Konvy, Thailand’s leading health and beauty e-commerce platform. A US-educated Chinese entrepreneur who received his Bachelor’s in Management and International Business from Purdue University, Gui built online fashion businesses in Beijing before returning to Southeast Asia in 2011, spotting the opportunity to create a dedicated beauty e-commerce platform in Thailand, where he had spent some of his childhood. He founded Konvy in 2012 with his co-founders, growing it from a 100,000 baht startup in a single rented room into the country’s number one beauty retailer, carrying over 1,000 brands and 20,000 products across its own app, major marketplaces, TikTok Shop, and physical retail stores. Konvy has expanded into the Philippines and Malaysia and raised multiple funding rounds, most recently a Series B led by Cool Japan Fund, reflecting the platform’s growing role as Southeast Asia’s gateway for global beauty brands, both inbound and outbound.Directed by Paulo JoquiñoProduced by Paulo JoquiñoFollow us on LinkedIn for more updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insignia-ventures/?viewAsMember=trueThe 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.

    29 min
  4. Circle Managing Director for Asia Pacific Yam Ki Chan on Stablecoin's Journey to Trillions in Asia

    Jun 2

    Circle Managing Director for Asia Pacific Yam Ki Chan on Stablecoin's Journey to Trillions in Asia

    Paulo sits down in person at Insignia’s Singapore office with Yam Ki Chan, Managing Director, Asia Pacific at Circle. The conversation maps Yam Ki’s vantage point at the intersection of finance, technology, and policy, from his years negotiating for the U.S. government on the G20 and G7, through Google Pay and Google Cloud, to leading Circle’s regional buildout. He unpacks how stablecoins are upgrading the underlying rails of global finance, why Asia’s trade-exposed economies are uniquely positioned to benefit, and what becomes possible when treasury, trade financing, settlement, and even micro-payments can clear 24/7 in seconds. The discussion closes with a candid view on the policy landscape across Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea, and a builder’s outlook on the trifecta now reshaping the digital economy: AI, stablecoins, and tokenization. Timestamps (0:00): Introduction (1:37): A Career Across Policy, Tech, and Finance (3:50): IPO Milestones and the Journey to Trillions (5:39): Asia Adoption Playbook (8:52): Real-World USDC Use Cases (11:40): Upgrading Financial Rails (13:56): Circle's Full-Stack Platform (17:00): Treasury, VC, and Programmable Money (20:59): Programmable Money and the Bigger Opportunity (26:13): Southeast Asia's Role in Stablecoin Adoption (30:00): Policy Outlook Across Asia (33:00): A Closing Note for Builders About our guest Yam Ki Chan is the Managing Director, Asia Pacific at Circle (NYSE: CRCL), where he is responsible for the company’s business and strategy in the region. He leads a team driving partnerships and market expansion across Asia, and also serves as Managing Director of Circle Singapore. In his time at Circle, he has overseen the enablement of USDC in Japan — the first stablecoin recognized in the country. Before Circle, Yam Ki spent six years at Google, holding strategy & operations and public policy roles across Google Payments and Google Cloud, where he worked on partnership strategy, market launches, and government affairs in Asia-Pacific. Prior to Google, he served as a Director at the White House National Security Council, where he coordinated the interagency process on U.S. economic strategy in Asia and was a member of the U.S. negotiations team for the G-20 and G-7. Before joining the NSC, he worked at the U.S. Department of the Treasury in the Office of the U.S.–China Strategic and Economic Dialogue and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. Earlier in his career, he was in technology investment banking at Jefferies in Silicon Valley.He holds a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Carleton College. Directed by Paulo Joquiño Produced by Paulo Joquiño Follow us on LinkedIn for more updates 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.

    35 min
  5. Jonathan Yip, Head of Innovation Banking, Asia at HSBC on the Future of Innovation Capital and CFOs

    May 25

    Jonathan Yip, Head of Innovation Banking, Asia at HSBC on the Future of Innovation Capital and CFOs

    In this episode of On Call with Insignia Ventures, host Paulo Joquino sits down with Jonathan Yip, Head of Innovation Banking, Asia at HSBC, recorded live at HSBC’s office in downtown Singapore. The conversation explores what “innovation banking” actually means in practice — from how a global bank serves two unusually demanding sets of customers (founders and venture capital firms) to the specific liquidity, treasury, and cross-border needs of companies that are born global from day one. Jonathan and Paulo dig into how the AI cycle is broadening the demand for capital across applications, foundational models, hardware, data centers, and energy, why CFOs in this environment can leapfrog the traditional finance-team maturity curve, and how multipolarity is reshaping — but not unwinding — the global flow of talent and capital. The episode closes with Jonathan’s framework for what makes companies endure in this cycle: the three Cs of customers, connections, and capital. Timestamps (1:08): What Is Innovation Banking (2:10): HSBC Innovation Platform (3:55): Liquidity and Treasury Needs (5:46): Scaling Across Borders (7:18): Asia Innovation Learning Curve (8:51): Credit Demand in AI Era (10:39): AI Tools for Modern CFOs (13:10): Geopolitics and the Three Cs About Our Guest Jonathan Yip is Managing Director and Head of Innovation Banking, Asia at HSBC, where he leads teams across the region serving high-growth technology businesses and the venture capital firms that back them. HSBC formally appointed him to the role in September 2025 to scale its innovation banking platform across key Asian markets. Since joining HSBC in 2008, Jonathan has held a number of international roles across Global Banking in Hong Kong, New York, and San Francisco, with a coverage focus on global technology and media companies, and he previously served as Head of Global Banking for HSBC Korea, where he led the franchise’s expansion into the new economy and sustainable finance. HSBC launched its Innovation Banking arm in 2023 to provide a tailored suite of banking and financial services to start-ups and their investors, and now operates the platform across ten of the world’s leading innovation hubs within HSBC’s wider 57-market footprint. Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University in Canada. Directed by Paulo Joquiño Produced by Paulo Joquiño Follow us on LinkedIn for more updates 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.

    18 min
  6. Why you should take stablecoins seriously with Coinbase Singapore Country Director Hassan Ahmed

    Apr 14

    Why you should take stablecoins seriously with Coinbase Singapore Country Director Hassan Ahmed

    This special episode, recorded live at the Insignia Ventures Partners office at the Singapore Exchange Centre in Singapore with VP of Strategic Development and Operations Allen Chng, explores a question that feels increasingly urgent: if money is becoming more digitally-native, what happens to the systems built for an earlier era? Drawing on Hassan Ahmed’s experience across traditional finance, fintech, and now Coinbase Singapore, the conversation unpacks why stablecoins are gaining traction, why Singapore matters in that shift, and where new opportunities may emerge for builders and investors. Transcript Timestamps (02:15) Three Generations of Money (05:47) Stablecoins and Wall Street (11:10) The Role of Singapore for Coinbase in Asia (15:11) Agent Payments and Coinbase's X402 (19:01) Builder Risks and Stablecoin Rules (22:56) Future of Payments: Agentic Commerce, Local Stablecoins (26:28) Unbanked to Unbrokered: The Next Big Fintech Innovation Wave (28:37) Outlook for Builders and Investors About our guest Hassan Ahmed is the CEO and Country Director for Coinbase Singapore. Based in Singapore, he leads Coinbase’s operations and strategy in the Southeast Asia region, focusing on expanding the platform’s presence, fostering partnerships, and supporting the local developer ecosystem. Before joining Coinbase, Hassan served as CEO of Coins.ph, a major crypto brokerage in the Philippines, and Head of Strategy for GoPay in Indonesia under GoTo Group. He also held roles in New York, including at eToro USA as Director of Finance & Operations, Venmo as the Head of Business Operations, and Merrill Lynch as the Vice President of Strategy and Business Development. Hassan holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. Directed by Paulo Joquiño Produced by Paulo Joquiño Follow us on LinkedIn for more updatesThe 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.

    36 min
  7. The right way to bridge fintechs and banks with Standard Chartered Head of Fintech, Asia Luke Boland

    Mar 12

    The right way to bridge fintechs and banks with Standard Chartered Head of Fintech, Asia Luke Boland

    Luke Boland shares insights from his journey spanning over 15 years in banking, from managing merchant relationships during the early days of contactless payments in Australia to building Standard Chartered's FinTech client coverage across Asia. In this conversation, he discusses the evolution of bank-fintech relationships, the bank's approach to supporting both global players and homegrown innovators like StraitsX and Finmo, the role of stablecoins in bridging traditional finance and digital innovation, and practical advice for FinTech founders on building strong partnerships with financial institutions. About our Guest Luke Boland is the Executive Director and Head of Fintech for ASEAN, South Asia, and GCNA (Greater China and North Asia) at Standard Chartered Bank, based in Singapore. In this role, he leads the Corporate & Investment Banking initiatives within Banks & Broker Dealers, focusing on expanding Standard Chartered's FinTech client coverage across Asia and the bank's global network. Boland joined Standard Chartered in March 2020 as Director of FinTech, and was promoted to his current executive director role in January 2024. His career spans over 15 years in banking, with a strong focus on transactional banking, cash management, and payments. Prior to Standard Chartered, he spent over a decade at National Australia Bank (NAB), where he held various leadership positions across Singapore and Melbourne, including Director of Transactional and Trade Asia and Associate Director of Transactional Banking Asia. Boland's early career included a role as Business Relations Manager at Merchantlink, a merchant acquiring business, where he developed deep expertise in card acceptance and payments infrastructure. He holds a Bachelor of Business in International Business (Applied) from RMIT University in Melbourne. Throughout his tenure at Standard Chartered, Boland has been instrumental in fostering partnerships with leading fintechs in the region, including Xfers (now StraitsX), Finmo, and Atome. He has been at the forefront of the bank's digital asset strategy, supporting the integration of stablecoin infrastructure and blockchain technology into traditional banking services. Under his leadership, Standard Chartered has positioned itself as an active participant in Asia's evolving FinTech ecosystem, supporting both global players and homegrown innovators. Directed by Paulo Joquiño Produced by Paulo Joquiño Follow us on LinkedIn for more updates 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.

    32 min
  8. Why AI native companies can't chase features and what they should focus on instead with Diaflow CEO and co-founder Jonathan Pham

    Mar 5

    Why AI native companies can't chase features and what they should focus on instead with Diaflow CEO and co-founder Jonathan Pham

    In the crowded landscape of AI workflow automation, Diaflow has carved out a distinctive position by prioritizing what enterprise customers care about most: security, compliance, and trust. After years of building custom enterprise software and witnessing firsthand how traditional automation failed to deliver on its promises, founder Jonathan Viet Pham and his co-founders launched Diaflow in September 2023 with a different approach—an AI-native platform that's both powerful and accessible without coding expertise.  The results surprised even the founding team: within weeks, the platform ranked number one on Product Hunt and attracted over 10,000 users, with unexpected traction in the competitive US market. In this conversation, Viet discusses how Diaflow differentiates through enterprise-grade compliance standards, the evolution toward a hybrid pricing model, the company's community-first strategy including free university access, and how Insignia Ventures Partners' seed investment is accelerating both technological innovation and global expansion into Southeast Asia and beyond. About Our Guest Jonathan Viet Pham is the Founder and CEO of Diaflow, an AI-native workflow automation platform that enables businesses to deploy powerful AI agents without extensive coding knowledge. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jonathan brings a unique blend of finance and technology expertise to his role. His family developed Vietnam's first dictionary, which was sold to Apple in 2014, instilling in him an early appreciation for product development. After studying finance at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Switzerland, Viet founded his first global startup in 2017, expanding it to five countries before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a pivot. From 2020 to 2023, Jonathan served as Managing Partner at Devtify Technologies, where he led digital transformation consultancy and implementation for over 50 global clients across the Financial Services Industry and Digital Retail sectors in the US and Vietnam. His client portfolio included major brands such as TheFaceShop Vietnam, BeautyBox, Reebok Vietnam, and Techcombank, achieving seven-figure annual revenue. He also founded Artcific, a digital platform connecting artists and galleries that attracted 20,000 daily visitors, and co-founded Calioo Technologies, an online marketplace for bakeries and eateries in Hong Kong. In September 2023, Jonathan co-founded Diaflow with his long-time collaborators Lai Pham (Co-founder and CTO) and Anh Doan (Co-founder and CISO), a team that has worked together for over seven years. Under his leadership, Diaflow has achieved significant milestones including ranking number one on Product Hunt, attracting over 10,000 users globally, and securing full compliance with HIPAA Type II, SOC 2 Type I, and GDPR standards. The company raised a seed round led by Insignia Ventures Partners in 2025, positioning it for continued global expansion and technological innovation in the AI workflow automation space. Directed by Paulo Joquiño Produced by Paulo Joquiño Follow us on LinkedIn for more updates 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.

    31 min
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Singapore and Southeast Asia's longest running VC podcast! Previous guests include Dianping founder Zhang Tao, Nobel Laureate in economics Michael Spence, MUFG APAC Chief of Staff and Mars Growth founder Osamu Abe, Kaszek Ventures and MercadoLibre founder Hernan Kazah, Endeavor Catalyst managing partner Allen Taylor, monashees founding partner Eric Acher, Tao of Alibaba author and Alibaba Global Initiatives’ Brian Wong, JETRO Director General of Innovation Takeo Nakajima, Ard Financial Group executive chairman Ganhuyag, Appier founder Chih Han Yu, and Carro founder Aaron Tan.

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