In this episode of 60/40, the crew goes into full AI group therapy mode.
Maria, Prashanth, Peter, and Alexey debate whether we’re living through another tech bubble—or just the warm-up act. From OpenAI’s trillion-dollar spend and AMD’s $90 billion chip deal, to SoftBank’s robotics binge and Deloitte’s AI “oops” moment, the team breaks down where the hype ends and the hard math begins.
They unpack why OpenAI might actually be too big to fail, how retail investors end up holding the bag, and why Asia’s energy constraints could make it the AI world’s blind spot. Along the way: humanoid robots, nuclear-powered data centers, and a few cuddly market bears.
Timestamps
00:00 – The Bearish Camp. Are we really in an AI bubble? Goldman data says not yet — AI capex still under 1% of global GDP.
02:30 – What If OpenAI Fails? A trillion-dollar spend, no profits, and systemic risk: is OpenAI too big to fail?
09:10 – Capacity vs Demand. AWS déjà vu — everyone’s building at once, but can demand keep up?
14:30 – Bubble Math. From 1890s railroads to 1990s fiber optics: why today’s AI hype is still early-stage.
18:10 – Round-Tripping & Retail Bags. Cross-investments, AMD warrants, and who really pays when the music stops.
25:20 – SoftBank’s Robot Empire. Masa bets $5.4B that humanoids will outlast the hype.
31:00 – AI in the Workplace. Deloitte’s $440K AI flop vs Bank of Singapore’s “10-day-to-1-hour” win.
40:50 – The Vibe Coding Hangover. Lovable’s crash, hype fatigue, and the next evolution of AI-assisted work.
42:55 – Powering the Future. Why Southeast Asia’s missing the data-center race — and that might be okay.
53:30 – Wrap-Up: Friendly Bears Edition. We’re still in 1999, not 2000. The last sucker hasn’t walked in yet.
Give us feedback or nominate topics & speakers at 6040podcast@techinasia.com.
60/40 is a bi-weekly podcast co-hosted by Prashanth Ranganathan, Peter Bithos, Aleksey Mironenko, and Maria Li.
A podcast by Tech in Asia, a member of The Business Times.
Stablecoins are having a main-character moment.
In this episode, Maria, Peter, and Prashanth are joined by Milind Sanghavi, co-founder of XWeave.io, to decode the hype and the hard reality behind the $30 trillion cross-border payments market.
Together, they explore:
It’s a crash course in the new galactic order of money — less lightsabers, more ledgers.
Timestamps
00:00 – Cold Open & Studio Intro02:00 – Headlines: OpenAI, Agentic E-Commerce & the Buy Button09:56 – Stablecoins 101: What They Are and Why They Matter13:06 – Programmability, Regulation & The “Clean Money” Future17:56 – Real-World Use Cases: Remittances, Trade & Local Stables21:31 – Who’s Who: Inside the Stablecoin Value Chain26:21 – The White Space: New Issuers, Local Currencies & Rules28:39 – XWeave.io: Building the Pipes for Digital Money33:17 – The Genius Act: America’s Digital Dollar Power Play40:00 – Asia’s Response: Singapore, Japan & the Philippines47:57 – Will the Empire Strike Back? Big Banks vs. Startups49:23 – Founder Reflections: The Lonely Road of Yeses and No’s51:06 – The Stablecoin Poem (Yes, Really)
Give us feedback or nominate topics & speakers at 6040podcast@techinasia.com.
60/40 is a bi-weekly podcast co-hosted by Prashanth Ranganathan, Peter Bithos, Aleksey Mironenko, and Maria Li. Special thanks to this week's guest, Milind Sanghavi from XWeave.io.
A podcast by Tech in Asia, a member of The Business Times.
This week, the 60/40 team dives into the eye-popping $300 billion OpenAI–Oracle deal and what it signals about the future of compute, models, and AI monetization. We also unpack OpenAI’s StatSig acquisition, Europe’s big swing with ASML backing Mistral, and whether we’re already in an AI bubble.Â
Plus, the gang breaks down Alibaba’s latest earnings and Lightspeed’s “consumer barbell” thesis in Southeast Asia. Expect sharp takes, laughs, and yes, Peter’s poems are back.
Timestamps
00:00 – Kicking off with OpenAI & Oracle’s $300B compute deal
03:00 – Can OpenAI really afford this? Risks, revenues & runway
12:30 – A poetic take on Oracle + OpenAI
13:30 – OpenAI acquires StatSig: why it matters for safe model deployment
20:10 – ASML’s $1.5B bet on Mistral and Europe’s AI ambitions
26:31– Is there an AI bubble—or just the next paradigm shift?
34:40 – Alibaba’s flat revenue but booming cloud numbers
40:45 – Southeast Asia’s “consumer barbell” thesis: hits and misses
50:20 – The pitfalls of fintech lending and “cheap dopamine” apps
Give us feedback or nominate topics & speakers at 6040podcast@techinasia.com.
60/40 is a bi-weekly podcast co-hosted by Prashanth Ranganathan, Peter Bithos, Aleksey Mironenko, and Maria Li.
A podcast by Tech in Asia, a member of The Business Times.
This isn’t Kee Lock Chua’s first rodeo. Widely regarded as the OG of Singapore’s VC scene, Kee Lock — CEO of Vertex Holdings — joins 60/40 to break down the state of Southeast Asia’s startup ecosystem. From LP demands to inexperienced VCs to the curse of excess capital, he offers candid lessons from decades in the industry.
We cover:
Timestamps
00:00 The Curse of Excessive Capital
02:25 Current State of Southeast Asia's Startup Ecosystem
06:09 Challenges in Fundraising for VCs
10:14 The Role of LPs in Venture Capital
13:09 Assessing Founders: Beyond Ability
18:09 Learning from Failure: Backing Founders Again
22:20 The Learning Curve of Entrepreneurship
26:14 Navigating the VC Ecosystem's Challenges
29:07 Impact of Scandals on LP Perception
32:09 The Entrepreneurial Mindset: Faking It Till You Make It
37:07 Understanding the LP Mindset and Market Concerns
40:58 AI in Southeast Asia: Opportunities and Challenges
55:12 The Future of the Startup Ecosystem in Southeast Asia
01:00:45 Navigating Global Relationships and Economic Bifurcation
Give us feedback or nominate topics & speakers at 6040podcast@techinasia.com.
60/40 is a bi-weekly podcast co-hosted by Prashanth Ranganathan, Peter Bithos, and Maria Li. Special thanks to our guest, Kee Lock Chua, CEO of Vertex Holdings.
A podcast by Tech in Asia, a member of The Business Times.
Ula was once one of Southeast Asia’s brightest startups. In under two years, it raised $140M from Tiger Global, Lightspeed, Peak XV, and even Bezos Expeditions — all while seeking to reinvent Indonesia’s warung (roadside kiosk) economy.
But when global markets turned in 2022, co-founder and CEO Nipun Mehra saw the writing on the wall. Without fresh capital, tough choices loomed. What followed was a grueling two-year stretch of layoffs, a failed M&A attempt, and, by late 2023, Ula’s shutdown.
Now, for the first time, Nipun tells the full story — and unveils his next venture — exclusively on the 60/40 Podcast.
Timestamps
00:00 – The single hardest thing to do as an entrepreneurÂ
01:35 – What’s happening in Indonesia’s startup scene06:55 – Nipun’s own journey to founding Ula
09:05 – Why Ula set out to transform Indonesia’s warung economy
15:00 – Cracks appear: global downturn, local realities
20:20 – When growth-at-all-costs stopped working
25:48 – The most critical assumption for any founder
27:00 – Layoffs, pivots, and the psychology of tough calls
31:10 – The $50M question: why Nipun chose to shut down
38:15 – Giving capital a choice and a failed M&A process
43:26 – Walking away from a potential $100M fortune45:50 – Announcing his new startup — and what he’s building next
51:40 – Founders just have to keep going and keep building
Give us feedback or nominate topics & speakers at 6040podcast@techinasia.com.
60/40 is a bi-weekly podcast co-hosted by Prashanth Ranganathan, Peter Bithos, and Maria Li. Special thanks to our guest, Nipun Mehra, CEO & Co-founder of Ula and Neoflo.AI
A podcast by Tech in Asia, a member of The Business Times.
Southeast Asia’s and India’s leading tech firms are, at long last, delivering on the promise of profitability. Sea, Grab, GoTo, and Paytm all reported better-than-expected numbers in Q2, and markets rewarded them accordingly.Â
At the same time, the global conversation around AI shifted again. The launch of GPT-5 raised more questions than it answered: have we reached a plateau in AI advancements, or are we merely pausing before the next great leap?Â
On this episode of 60/40, Maria Li and Prashanth Ranganathan team up with analyst Aleksey Mironenko to untangle the hype from the signal, swap notes on how Southeast Asia’s fintech engines are quietly powering growth, and even indulge in a detour to China’s very first Humanoid Olympics (spoiler: lots of bad robot soccer).
Timestamps
00:00 – Kicking off with Beijing’s Humanoid Olympics
01:00 – GPT-5: leap forward or overhyped minor tweak?
07:30 – The three phases of AI (spoiler: we’re still in kindergarten)
12:00 – Perplexity’s Chrome bid: bold play or PR theater?
22:00 – Southeast Asia Q2 earnings: profit finally shows up to the party
31:00 – Fintech takes the spotlight (and why banks can’t keep up)
35:30 – Robots as the new factory workers (and geopolitical pawns)
47:00 – Would you buy a Chinese humanoid robot for your home?
51:30 – Wrap: AI, earnings, and robots all in one breath
Give us feedback or nominate topics & speakers at 6040podcast@techinasia.com.
60/40 is a bi-weekly podcast co-hosted by Prashanth Ranganathan, Peter Bithos, and Maria Li. Special thanks to our resident analyst, Aleksey Mironenko.
A podcast by Tech in Asia, a member of The Business Times.
Asia’s IPO window is finally open — but the action isn’t in New York anymore. From Hong Kong’s rebound to India’s retail-fueled listings, Maria, Prashanth, and new resident analyst Aleksey Mironenko break down why Asia’s biggest tech players are staying closer to home this round.
They then tackle the deepening AI divide: is the world headed toward two tech stacks, two chipsets, and two digital ecosystems? And finally, they decode the U.S. Genius Act — a cleverly named law that could quietly cement the dollar’s dominance in the crypto future.
Three macro shifts. One sharp conversation. Welcome to 60/40.
Timestamps
[00:00]Â Welcome back + Meet new co-host Aleksey Mironenko
[01:20] The IPO window is open — is Asia ready to step through?
[04:45]Â Why Chinese and Indian tech giants are listing closer to home
[06:20]Â Geopolitics, dual listings, and the case for staying off NASDAQ
[08:50] India’s IPO moment: Retail frenzy, deep markets, and homegrown confidence
[11:30] Why Singapore (still) isn’t a real contender
[13:10]Â Are we headed for a bifurcated AI world? Two tech stacks, two chipsets
[18:00] China’s hardware edge vs. the US software play
[22:00]Â Is AI already becoming a commodity?
[27:00] The AI agent wars: Why loyalty doesn’t matter (yet)
[36:00]Â Is the Genius Act actually genius?
[38:00]Â Stablecoins, dollar dominance, and programmable money
[49:00]Â The business model behind stablecoins: Who profits, and how
[52:00]Â AI agents, microtransactions, and the future of digital money
[58:00] Tariffs, Trump, and Tokyo’s $550B surprise deal
[01:01:30]Â Wrap-up: Should we keep Aleksey?
Give us feedback or nominate topics & speakers at 6040podcast@techinasia.com.
60/40 is co-hosted by: Prashanth Ranganathan, Peter Bithos, and Maria Li. Special thanks to our resident analyst, Aleksey Mironenko.
A podcast by Tech in Asia, a member of The Business Times.Â
In this episode of 60/40, we sit down with Lewis Ng, the new CEO of PropertyGuru, to explore the evolving role of marketplaces in Southeast Asia—and what it takes to lead one.
In conversation with Peter Bithos (his former boss, no less!), Lewis reflects on his path from telesales to the C-suite, how he deliberately built career experience to become a tech executive, and why he believes marketplaces still offer some of the most resilient business models around.
They also unpack:
Listen for a clear-eyed conversation on scaling with purpose, managing investor expectations, the beauty of marketplaces, and what it really feels like to step into the CEO seat.
Timestamps
00:00 – Intro: Property markets up, PropertyGuru up
Lewis explains why PropertyGuru does well in both hot and cold markets.
01:20 – Welcome to 60/40
Peter introduces the show and Lewis Ng, filling in for Maria and Prashanth.
02:10 – Tech headlines of the week
NVIDIA hits $4T, McDonald’s AI bot gets hacked (with “123456” as the password), and Foxconn shifts strategy in India.
07:25 – Career rewind: From telesales to the C-suite
Lewis’s journey across Telstra, Apple, News Corp, TripAdvisor, Carousel, Seek—and now, CEO at PropertyGuru.
08:45 – What is PropertyGuru?
Lewis gives an overview of the platform and its markets.
09:50 – How do you become a CEO?
Career philosophy, mentors, and the story of writing “CEO” on a customs card at age 17.
11:30 – Career strategy: Getting into classifieds and Asia tech
Why Lewis took a role at Global Yellow Pages to break into marketplaces.
13:00 – What’s different about being CEO?
How the mindset shift hits you—and why it’s more consuming than expected.
15:00 – Working with private equity (EQT)
Lewis shares how PropertyGuru’s investor is an “active owner” and what that really means.
16:45 – Strategic shift: Doubling down on core markets
Why PropertyGuru streamlined its business—and how EQT supported that call.
19:05 – CEO priorities: Focus, innovation, and people
Lewis’s three-part plan for PropertyGuru’s next phase.
20:20 – Property trends across Southeast Asia
Macroeconomic uncertainty, sentiment vs. demand, and Vietnam’s growth potential.
23:10 – Product pillars: Trust, efficiency, and sustainability
How PropertyGuru is building for impact—from verified agents to AI listings to inclusive rental tools.
25:40 – Why AI is helping upgrade agent listings
The rise of smart listing tools and the surprising value of bad toilet photos.
27:25 – Real estate differences: SEA vs. Australia
Why property photos and seller involvement vary across markets—and why that’s starting to shift.
31:50 – Why Lewis loves marketplaces
Scalability, defensibility, impact—and how each marketplace has touched his life personally.
37:55 – First job lessons: Telesales and target pressure
How early sales experience built communication, empathy, and drive.
39:30 – Rapid-fire round
Favorite food? Pho. Country to expand into? Indonesia. Secret wish? Be an artist.
43:00 – Peter’s poem: From Seek to CEO
A custom 60/40 sign-off in verse form.
Give us feedback or nominate topics & speakers at 6040podcast@techinasia.com.
60/40 is co-hosted by: Prashanth Ranganathan, Peter Bithos, and Maria Li. Special thanks to our guest, Lewis Ng, CEO of PropertyGuru.
A podcast by Tech in Asia, a member of The Business Times.Â
In this high-energy episode, we sit down with Ronnie Chatterji, Chief Economist at OpenAI, to unpack why Southeast Asia might just be the most exciting region for AI adoption right now.
While the West debates regulation and risk, Asia’s young, ambitious workforce is seizing AI as a tool to leapfrog outdated development models — from rethinking education to building local AI-powered apps. We talk growth-hacking governments, geopolitics, calorie-counting with ChatGPT, and why the real AI race isn’t about who builds the models — but who uses them best.
Timestamps
00:00 – "We Need Smarter Models"
Ronnie kicks things off by stating OpenAI’s not-so-secret sauce: better models in products people actually want.
01:00 – Professor to Policy to OpenAI: How Did He Get Here
Ronnie shares his career path — from academia to the White House to the bleeding edge of AI.
07:45 – Why Southeast Asia’s AI Optimism Is Different
Asia’s younger, hungrier, and way more bullish on AI than the West. Ronnie explains why.
11:00 – Advice for Governments: Educate, Build Infra, Pick Your Lane
Three things every emerging market leader should do today to prep for AI.
14:00 – Is There Really an AI Race? Spoiler: It’s Not Zero-Sum
Ronnie breaks down why "US vs China" is too simplistic — and where Southeast Asia fits in.
18:30 – Chips, Supply Chains & Econ 102
We dig into semiconductors, national security, and how Ronnie helped architect the CHIPS Act.
21:20 – Which Jobs Are Safe? Which Aren’t?
From classrooms to call centers — Ronnie predicts where AI hits hardest (and where it won’t).
24:00 – Will Robots Replace Steph Curry?
We talk robotics, blue-collar disruption, and why humans still matter — especially in the NBA.
27:00 – Should We Regulate AI Now?
Ronnie makes the case for adaptive regulation and cross-sector collaboration.
30:00 – Inside OpenAI: Culture, Speed & 12 Products in 12 Days
What's it really like working at OpenAI? Hint: it's a bit like finals week, every week.
32:45 – What OpenAI Must Get Right Next
Ronnie lays out the two things OpenAI has to nail to stay ahead.
37:20 – Teaching Kids Critical Thinking in an AI World
Ronnie the dad explains how to balance screen time, schoolwork, and AI exposure at home.
39:00 – A Hopeful Future: What Ronnie Wants AI to Unlock
A surprisingly sweet close: better tools, deeper curiosity, and more meaningful work for the next generation.
Give us feedback or nominate topics & speakers at 6040podcast@techinasia.com.
60/40 is co-hosted by: Prashanth Ranganathan, Peter Bithos, and Maria Li. Special thanks to our guest, Ronnie Chatterji, Chief Economist of OpenAI.Â
A podcast by Tech in Asia, a member of The Business Times.Â
We are back with Khailee Ng, Managing Partner at 500 Global, for Part 2 of our conversation and how founders can move from the doom loop to the hope loop!
From healing grief to revenue-first strategies, AI-enabled reinvention, and going global with conviction, Khailee shares a blueprint for how founders can turn pain into possibility. Whether you’re fundraising, bootstrapping, or in between, this episode reminds us: we can’t wait for optimism to show up in Southeast Asia’s startup ecosystem. We have to build it.
Now, onto the hope loop!
Timestamps
00:30 – Part 1 Recap
We revisit the highlights from Part 1, including the vicious cycle throttling Southeast Asia’s startup momentum—from LPs to media to founders themselves.
02:30 – “I’m Not Here to Motivate You”
Forget the pep talk. Khailee explains why real talk, not rah-rah, is what founders need to survive—and why you should be stacking probabilities, not just chasing vibes.
04:45 – Why Rejection Hurts So Damn Much
The unexpected link between founder trauma and VC rejection. Grief counseling meets fundraising reality check. One of the most honest moments in the episode.
07:40 – Fork in the Road: Fundraise or Fire?
A real-world founder dilemma: raise now or lay off half your team? Khailee breaks down how to make gut-wrenching calls with clarity.
12:10 – Your “Second Founding” Starts Now
From AI toys turned unicorns to solo devs making $60K/month, this is Khailee’s blueprint for reinventing your startup—and yourself.
15:00 – Building Your Own Hope Loop
No one’s coming to save you. Here’s how to rebuild optimism from the inside out and take back control of your narrative, your team, and your growth.
17:30 – The Geography Myth
SEA founders, take note: opportunity isn’t local. It’s wherever the demand is. Brazil, Zambia, Denmark—go where the money wants to find you.
21:25 – Death by Risk Aversion
What happens when VCs and LPs stop taking risks? Khailee explains how fear is silently suffocating innovation in SEA—and how to reverse it.
29:10 – The “Right to Win” Starts with Three Things
Ship. Iterate. Last. Khailee’s mantra for modern founders—and why staying in the game might be the biggest superpower of all.
35:50 – Don’t Be a Duck. Fly Like an Eagle.
The final mic drop: a simple, unforgettable metaphor for how founders should think, act, and rise above the noise.
Give us feedback or nominate topics & speakers at 6040podcast@techinasia.com.
60/40 is co-hosted by: Prashanth Ranganathan, Peter Bithos, and Maria Li. Special thanks to our guest, Khailee Ng, Managing Partner of 500 Global.
A podcast by Tech in Asia, a member of The Business Times. Produced by Studio+65.
This is a spicy one. In a no-holds-barred convo with 500 Global’s Khailee Ng, we unpack the emotional, economic, and ecosystem-wide challenges currently plaguing Southeast Asia’s startup scene.Â
In this Part 1, Khailee describes his concept of a "doom loop" in brutal detail - characterized by decreased venture capital funding, lower returns for investors, and an emotional toll on founders and employees. This challenging period stems from a combination of macroeconomic shifts, and a "flight to safety" among global investors.
Khailee throws down an open challenge to us all: want out? Stack your leverage, play smarter kung fu, and stop being a crab in the tub.
Timestamps
00:30 – The One-VC Trap
Why betting on a single investor makes founders desperate—and why VCs can smell it a mile away.
03:00 – The Origin of the Doom Loop
Khailee calls out the emotional + economic spiral dragging down SEA’s ecosystem—and the ripple effect from LPs to media.
07:00 – “We're Already in the Doom Loop”
A reality check: how Southeast Asia's weak returns, capital flight, and startup stagnation form a self-reinforcing mess.
13:30 – Buy Now, Panic Later
Khailee explains SEA’s economic moment through TikTok shopping sprees, Labubus, and why we’re spending money we don’t have.
18:30 – Founder Fantasy vs. Founder Reality
Up rounds, Forbes lists, and dreams of glory crash into layoffs and bad term sheets.
22:10 – 🦀 Crabs in a Tub Metaphor
The viral moment: Khailee’s gut-punch story about crabs tearing each other apart—aka, what happens when the ecosystem turns toxic.
26:00 – The Founder/VC Power Flip
How “founder-friendly” went too far, and why true ecosystem health requires more than just swinging the pendulum.
35:00 – Real Tactics to Escape the Doom Loop
Khailee drops tactical fundraising kung fu—alternate capital sources, customer-led funding, and the underrated “ladder strategy.”
39:00 – Walk Up the Ladder, Walk Down with Power
How to build momentum with small checks, close the middle, and bring in the whales last.
41:30 – Media’s Role: Balance or Blame?
A candid back-and-forth on whether media is exposing injustice—or just feeding emotional virality.
47:00 – Viral Positivity Is Underrated
Why “wholesome hustle” needs to go viral too—and how startup media can learn from Upworthy and educators on TikTok.
52:00 – “We're Squabbling Over Chairs on the Titanic”
A callout to the ecosystem: focus on fixing fundamentals, not finger-pointing.
Give us feedback or nominate topics & speakers at 6040podcast@techinasia.com.
60/40 is co-hosted by: Prashanth Ranganathan, Peter Bithos, and Maria Li. Special thanks to our guest, Khailee Ng, Managing Partner of 500 Global.
A podcast by Tech in Asia, a member of The Business Times. Produced by Studio+65.
In episode 7 of the 60/40 Podcast, co-hosts Maria, Prashanth, and Peter discuss the evolving landscape of AI in business and recruitment with Grant Wright, the group executive for AI at Seek.
The group explores how AI is reshaping the recruitment process and how Seek, one of the largest jobs platforms in Asia, is staying ahead of the AI trend to disrupt its core business. This conversation covers the importance of trust and identity in recruitment, the future of work with AI agents, the intersection of AI and robotics, and more!
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction and Current Headlines
02:59 AI in Venture Capital and Traditional Business Models
06:00 The Role of AI in Recruitment and Job Matching
08:46 Building AI Capabilities at Seek
12:10 The Impact of AI on Job Roles and Recruitment
14:51 Navigating Change in the Recruitment Landscape
18:06 Trust and Identity in AI Recruitment
20:51 The Future of Job Markets and AI Agents
24:04 Innovations in Candidate and Recruiter Experiences
27:02 Business Model Evolution in Recruitment
30:03 The Future of Work and AI Agents
36:48 The Shift in Work Dynamics
39:11 Trust in the Corporate Landscape
43:20 AI and Robotics: A New Era
48:28 Evolving Skills for the Future
51:30 Investing in AI: Where to Focus
54:45 Personal AI Integration in Daily Life
Give us feedback or nominate topics & speakers at 6040podcast@techinasia.com
60/40 is co-hosted by: Prashanth Ranganathan, Peter Bithos, and Maria Li. Special thanks to our guest, Grant Wright, Group Executive of Artificial Intelligence for Seek.
A podcast by Tech in Asia, a member of The Business Times.
Walter de Oude is the founder and CEO behind Chocolate Finance, the Singaporean fintech company that got swept up in a mass withdrawal debacle in March (check out episode 2 for more details about that!). In this episode, Walter chats with the 60/40 team about lessons learned from March, what keeps him building, and how he's cracked the most important part of any startup journey - scaling.
Hot takes of the week cover the prospects for a merged Grab/GoTo financial services platform and the demise of Skype, the OG video calling service.
Timestamps
00:00 Intros by Prashanth!
03:08 The world’s most exciting actuary?
06:10 The journey of building SingLife
14:02 How to raise $50MÂ
16:00 The joy of building
17:10 Why the Chocolate product works
21:03 There’s no such thing as a free lunch (or chocolate)
24:20 The dark side of super scaling
27:55 What Walter would have done differently
33:00 The power of finfluencers
35:00 Where does Chocolate go from here?
37:00 Ain’t my first rodeo
39:20 Chocolate AI
41:28 Where AI will impact the financial services industry first
42:58 The joy of doing fun stuff
44:30 A blessing in disguise
46:20 Grab/GoTo - how the financial services support each other
50:34 Farewell to Skype, the end of an era
Give us feedback or nominate topics & speakers at 6040podcast@techinasia.com
60/40 is co-hosted by: Prashanth Ranganathan, Peter Bithos, and Maria Li. Special thanks to our guest, Walter de Oude of Chocolate Finance.
A podcast by Tech in Asia, a member of The Business Times.
Pine Labs is one of India's hottest fintech startups, a position cemented by recent headlines over its upcoming IPO. We hear firsthand from Amrish Rau, CEO of Pine Labs, on his journey to transform the company from a hardware, offline based payments company to the leading fintech solutions provider of the future.
For hot takes of the week, we turn our attention to the Blusmart/Gensol case in India, before wrapping up on Indonesia possibly relaxing its Local Content Requirements in response to the Trump tariffs.
Timestamps
1:12 Why did Amrish take over the 20-year old Pine Labs in 2020?
10:02 Pine Lab’s competitive moat
13:50 Reinvigorating a 20-year old company
17:25 The best and worst day of a founder’s life
21:20 The future of payments in India
29:00 Great leaders look at input metrics
33:20 What to expect from the pending IPO
40:30 Blusmart, not so smart
52:30 Is Indonesia changing its tune on Local Content Requirements?
1:02:40 AI taking over healthcare
Give us feedback or nominate topics & speakers at 6040podcast@techinasia.com
60/40 is co-hosted by Prashanth Ranganathan, Peter Bithos, and Maria Li. Special thanks to our guest, Amrish Rau, CEO of Pine Labs
The 60/40 Podcast dives into what’s really happening in Japan’s startup and fintech ecosystem. Is the world’s fourth largest economy finally ready to embrace the tech and startup opportunity? The team touches on everything from market fundamentals, to fundraising, to gender norms in Japan.
Hot takes of the week include Shopify’s AI memo, Grab 2024 earnings, and news of Aspire withdrawing from the Indonesia market. Tune in to learn about all these topics and more!
Timestamps:
00:00 Welcome & intro
03:30 What’s happening in Japan’s tech and startup scene
19:10 State of fundraising in Japan
25:30 The need for cash conservation in building a startup in Japan
30:30 The Triple F- Female, Foreign, Founder
34:50 Shopify CEO’s AI memo
41:20 The difference between value creation vs. value capture by AI
57:30 Grab’s 2024 earnings and the hard road to profitability
1:04:21 Aspire withdrawing from the Indonesian market - does it make sense?
Give us feedback or nominate topics & speakers at 6040podcast@techinasia.com
60/40 is co-hosted by Prashanth Ranganathan, Peter Bithos, and Maria Li. Special thanks to our guest, Sam Ghiotti of Habitto.
A podcast by Tech in Asia, a member of The Business Times.
This week, the 60/40 Podcast tackles some of the biggest existential questions for the startup community: How does AI change the process of building startups, for early stage and late stage companies? What is AI's impact on VC fund economics? What is the current state of fundraising in Southeast Asia?
Tune in to hear Hsu Ken Ooi, Managing Partner of Iterative Capital, discuss these topics and more with Prashanth and Maria.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introductions
01:08 Is the rise of AI-driven, small companies true?
08:40 The human vs. AI edge in building startups
13:56 Tech talent at risk of replacement by AI
24:18 When capital still matters
29:30 The impact of AI-native companies on VC funds
39:34 State of LP fundraising in Southeast Asia
48:46 Trump's April 2 tariffs in Asia
57:00 Grab/GoTo acquisition rumors
Give us feedback or nominate topics & speakers at 6040podcast@techinasia.com
60/40 is co-hosted by: Prashanth Ranganathan, Peter Bithos, and Maria Li. Special thanks to our guest, Hsu Ken Ooi.
A podcast by Tech in Asia, a member of The Business Times.
[Bahasa is used in this episode] Building AI often feels like an expensive challenge, but Irzan Raditya, Co-Founder & CEO of Kata.ai, believes it starts with something simpler—culture.
In this episode of Spill the T, he shares how AI can transform businesses through small shifts and why Indonesia needs its own 'Gojek moment' for AI-driven solutions. Irzan also reflects on a decade of building a startup, revealing key lessons, innovations, and strategies for long-term growth.
Tune in for a deep dive into the future of AI and entrepreneurship!
In this episode of the 60/40 Podcast, the hosts dive deep into the recent drama surrounding Chocolate Finance, a fintech company in Singapore.
They discuss the rapid rise of the company, its innovative product offerings, and the subsequent fallout due to marketing miscalculations and customer trust issues. The conversation also touches on the broader implications for the fintech industry, the role of influencers in shaping customer behavior, and the regulatory landscape.
Finally, the hosts explore the current state of China's tech scene and Malaysia's ambitions in the AI and semiconductor sectors, concluding with reflections on the future of these markets.
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction to the 60/40 Podcast
01:22 The backstory to the Chocolate Finance drama
03:50 Understanding Chocolate Finance's product
13:10 The challenge of instant liquidity
22:50 Challenges of frequent flyer promotions
28:50 The dangers of finfluencers and homogeneous population
36:06 The one thing that Chocolate did wrong
41:51 The rise of China's Seven Titans
51:55 Malaysia's AI and semiconductor industry potential
Give us feedback or nominate topics & speakers at 6040podcast@techinasia.com
60/40 is co-hosted by: Prashanth Ranganathan, Peter Bithos, and Maria Li. Special thanks to our guest, Aleksey Mironenko
A podcast by Tech in Asia, a member of The Business Times
With special guest Raghav Kapoor, founder & CEO of SmartKarma
(0:00) Why 60/40
(1:20) India's NSE - is the market correction overblown?
(13:40) Trump tariffs in China - are there any winners?
(24:00) TSMC in the US - why now?
(32:30) Jack Ma is back! What does it mean for China's tech industry?
(37:50) Exciting times for Singapore's SGX - new measures to support the SGX and what else should be done
Drop us a line at 6040podcast@techinasia.com to share feedback, suggest topics, or nominate speakers!