Achmad Zaky and Nugroho Herucahyono (Xinuc), co-founders of Indonesia’s marketplace unicorn Bukalapak, have set up an early-stage VC fund, called Init 6, to back seed-stage and Series A startups in the country, DealStreetAsia has reported.

As of yet, Init 6 is entirely self-funded.

“It is not a proper fund. We will consider inviting external parties in the future if this proves successful,” said Zaky.

According to some other reports, the move was initiated by Zaky, who stepped down as Bukalapak’s CEO late last year. He currently holds the role of its advisor, tech startup mentor, and Chairman of Achmad Zaky Foundation.

The duo recently announced their first undisclosed investment in the edutech startup Eduka System, with plans to fund a few more in the near future. The two-year-old Eduka develops online test system for schools and students.

“We want to help our younger brothers who have just started building a startup. We feel that our skill and experience can be of help to them,” he said.

Also Read: Why Khailee Ng puts mental healthcare support as key to successful founders-investors relationship

Zaky and Xinuc met during their college days at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), where they founded Bukalapak in their college dorm in 2009.

Bukalapak is currently valued at more than US$2.5 billion, making it Indonesia’s fourth unicorn after gojek, Traveloka, and competitor Tokopedia.

“We have hands-on experience. Xinuc, for example, is good at scaling technology so that it can absorb millions of users at once in a cost-efficient way. Therefore there is no need for trials and errors,” Zaky added.

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Image Credit: Bukalapak

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Accelerating Asia Co-founders Craig Bristol Dixon (L) and Amra Naidoo

Accelerating Asia to invest up to US$141K each in startups

Singapore-based early-stage VC firm-cum-accelerator Accelerating Asia announced today that it will invest up to S$200,000 (US$141,000) in eligible startups from its third cohort.

This will be done via a Simple Agreement for Future Equity note in exchange for 7-10 per cent of equity each.

The investment also includes a US$17,600 to support the startup.

In addition, each attendee will receive perks worth US$159,000.

Accelerating Asia’s Cohort 2 Virtual Demo Day will take place online on Wednesday, April 29 at 15:00 SGT.

Information on the programme and its upcoming 3rd cohort are available here.

Malaysian adtech startup AdEasy introduces support for COVID-19-hit SMEs

AdEasy, a Malaysia-based adtech startup and online marketplace for buying offline ads space, has announced the launch of ​#AdEasyJagaSME.

It is an initiative to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) affected by COVID-19.

AdEasy has urged people to buy local and support SMEs so they can survive the pandemic and stay afloat.

Also Read: No (wo)man’s land: Finding success in a male-dominated tech landscape

The #AdEasyJagaSME initiative webpage allows SMEs to register themselves for free, and they can go live within 24 hours of signing up. The ‘support’ button on the webpage redirects users to the SMEs’ website or social page where they can browse and purchase products and services.

The ‘share’ button allows users to spread the word about an SME and give them a shoutout on social media.

500 Startups invests in Malaysian startup LottieFiles

San Francisco- and Kuala Lumpur-based design and animation startup LottieFiles has raised an undisclosed amount in funding from 500 Startups and Adobe Fund for Design.

The company aims to pave the future of animation with a new file format, called Lottie (which on average is 600 per cent smaller than a GIF), and its animation workflow platform.

Kshitij Minglani, Co-founder and CEO of LottieFiles, said that the company plans to use the capital towards R&D efforts in making the Lottie file format even more capable and expanding its community of both individuals and medium to large companies.

Also Read: Glee Trees raises funding from 500 Startups to take its robotic process automation tech to Indonesia, Vietnam

LottieFiles focusses on the power of interactive content across platforms, devices and industry verticals, such as marketing, gaming, productivity, and media.

Mobile game publisher Funtap raises Series A led by Makers Fund

Vietnam-based mobile game publisher Funtap has secured a seven-digit investment in Series A round of financing, led by Makers Fund, a VC firm focussed on the interactive entertainment industry, as reported by DealStreetAsia.

Other investors participating in the round are South Korean VC firm DT&Investment, and Colopl Next, the corporate VC arm of Japanese gaming company Colopl. Existing backer Soulbei also joined.

The company said in a statement it will use the funding to develop its digital content platforms for entertainment and education in the future as well as prepare for overseas expansion to countries such as Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, among others.

In 2018, Funtap managed to raise US$300,000 in a seed funding round from Korean investor Soulbei.

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More than 80 per cent of employees in Singapore wish to continue working from home (WFH) post-Circuit Breaker, says a survey by EngageRocket,  a company that helps organisations make better people decisions using real-time data.

More than two million employees are now telecommuting and it has profoundly affected their work, with a potential reshaping of the future might be forming, reveals the “Pulse of the Singapore Workforce Survey”.

Engage Rocket conducted the survey in partnership with the Institute for HR Professionals (IHRP) and the Singapore HR Institute (SHRI).

WFH will likely be a standardised option

The result is that WFH is desirable for most Singaporeans, although they admit that it has imposed their productivity.

The key insights from the survey are:

• 80 per cent of employees wish to continue working from home half their time or more post-Circuit Breaker, while 10 per cent do not want to work from home after the Circuit Breaker.
• But more than four in 10 (​46 per cent) ​report lower productivity, taking more time to achieve the same as before.

Also Read: e27’s remote staffers sharing their work-from-home experience

Younger employees are less likely to have their productivity affected by working from home — 40 per cent of younger workers aged 21-30 years old indicated that they are less productive than before working from home, compared to 49 per cent of employees aged 40-53 years old.

The main challenges faced by workers with low productivity are:

• Practical aspects such as family presence, distractions, and space constraints (22 per cent)
• Working longer hours than usual (22 per cent)
• Inability to access resources and tools that they could have in the office (21 per cent)

Mayank Parekh, CEO of IHRP, said: “​These are early days yet and we will need to see the results over a longer period. However, beyond doubt, COVID-19 will have a profound impact on the future of work.

For instance, it has ended the debate on whether or not companies should offer to telecommute. The next step for many companies, however, is to couple this flexibility with employee engagement programmes that helps to alleviate the productivity challenges​,” he said.

Mental health issue with WFH

The result of the survey also reveals that a quarter of workers report more stress, mostly driven by concerns around:

• The health and economic impact on the country (67 per cent),
• Their impacted productivity and performance due to working from home (64 per cent), and
• The possibility that a member of their family might contract COVID-19 (57 per cent)

Alvin Goh, Executive Director at SHRI, added: “​Mental health plays an important role in the way we deal with stress, how we relate to others, and the decisions we make in our daily lives. Without positive mental health, it will be almost impossible to realise one’s full potential, work productively, or handle the stress that comes with life. Thus, with the preliminary results, there is a greater need to focus and assist our workforce in overcoming the pressures that they currently face.”​ ​

Maintaining employees’ engagement

According to the survey’s result, engaged employees are more confident of and committed to working towards the company’s success in a crisis.

• Among promoters, 95 per cent agree or strongly agree that they are confident about the future of their organisation
• During crises like this, strong leadership and communication are critical. 94 per cent of promoters report being well-taken care of by their organisation, along with 88 per cent of them reporting that they have strong management support. 95 per cent of promoters also indicated that their organisation communicates with them effectively throughout the ongoing pandemic.

Measuring employee engagement and workforce attitudes are ​a business imperative​, and it has become even more critical during an economic downturn or a crisis.

Also Read: Why remote working is the future for startups

​Research shows that engaged employees are more likely to actively participate in crisis management to support and benefit the organisation. High-performing and high-potential employees will be the key to any company’s recovery.

Takeaways

With the trend shifting towards favouring flexibility in work settings, employers have to take action now to ensure that these business-critical employees do not resign when the job market stabilises.

“​While ensuring business continuity is important through such crises, the need to engage employees effectively is a critical factor determining how quickly companies can rebound when the economy recovers​,” added Leong Chee Tung, Co-founder and CEO of EngageRocket.

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Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash

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Shonet’s new e-commerce platform aims to become Indonesia’s one-stop solution for beauty products

Shonet, an Indonesian social media platform, has launched an e-commerce platform for fashion and beauty products, according to a press release.

With this launch, the company aims to become a one-stop solution platform for all things, fashion and beauty.

KPMG’s report reveals slip in India’s VC funding to US$2.2 billion in Q1

Despite the fact that many Indian startups landing investors during the pandemic, KPMG’s latest Venture Pulse report has reported that VC investments in India have dropped to US$2.2 billion in Q1 of 2020, according to The Economic Times.

This compares with the US$6 billion in the October-November quarter of 2019.

The reason for the decline remains obvious as more investors begin to worry about the implications of COVID-19 on companies and India’s economy in general.

On the other hand, 2019 had seen a record-breaking inflow of US$14.5 billion in investment, spread over 909 deals.

Also Read: Five e27 Pro member-companies describe their experience with e27 Connect

“Initially, India was not as affected by COVID-19 in Q1 2020 compared to China. Concerns related to the pandemic grew later in the quarter, due in part to the fact that India receives a significant amount of VC investment from international VC firms and corporates,” the report said.

Deals are expected to slow over the next quarter. However, sectors like edutech, health-tech, gaming and auto-tech, are anticipated to continue to draw interest from VC investors.

Good Doctor, GrabHealth team up to offer healthcare workers and driver-partners free rapid tests

Good Doctor Technology Indonesia has partnered with GrabHealth to offer healthcare workers and driver-partners free rapid tests, according to a company statement.

The tests will be implemented in eight regional cities outside of Jakarta, including Bekasi, Bogor, Tangerang, Yogyakarta, Semarang, Surabaya, Medan, and Makassar.

Health workers and driver-partners who wish to register for this programme can enter the Grab application and select the ‘Health’ service to consult with Good Doctor’s partner doctors and through the screening process. Good Doctor will be collaborating with 19 hospitals to serve as the rapid test implementation team.

“The government’s action in improving and increasing both rapid and PCR tests is very much on point at this stage. Compared to the beginning of April, the national positive COVID-19 cases have increased threefold, and 40 per cent of the COVID-19 cases in Indonesia stemmed from provinces outside of Jakarta,” said Danu Wicaksana, Managing Director of Good Doctor.

“The programme remains targeted for health workers in the frontline and Grab‟s partner-rivers as these two groups have the greatest need for this service. We hope that our efforts can help accelerate the COVID-19 handling in our beloved country,” he added.

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Image Credit: Shonet

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Rayson Tan, Chief Compliance Officer, Revolut

In an article, Forbes highlights the major challenges that fintech startups face today, and regulatory issues fall into the top-three list.

“It is important to work with regulators and make sure that you hire a capable team member who is dedicated to understanding the trends, can interface with the appropriate regulatory bodies, and who has a solid understanding of any regulatory impact on your product or the way you market the product,” the article says.

In many countries, including Singapore, it has become a common practice for the government to run a sandbox programme to balance out between innovation and compliance.

But how exactly does one perform compliance in a fintech startup? For those who are new in this, what are the factors that need to be considered? How can one know they have done it right?

e27 reaches out to Rayson Tan, Chief Compliance Officer at Revolut, to understand how the UK-based fintech giant works with the regulator to ensure safety and security for their customers.

Also Read: Why companies should prioritise compliance during a worldwide pandemic

A little background information about Tan: Prior to joining Revolut, he has over 19 years of financial services experience. He has deep in-house experience building, running, and changing compliance programmes in financial services across investment banking, private banking, corporate banking, asset management, payments, and financial technology.

The following is the edited excerpt of the interview with Tan:

Can you explain to us the basic principles of regulatory compliance framework and how it is being implemented in your company?

There are many components to a good compliance framework, which includes having a coherent strategy and clearly set out objectives, having appropriate policies, processes, systems and controls, having a suitable level of resources and the right kind of people.

In what ways does it differ from traditional practices?

The traditional compliance model was designed in a different time and often has compliance teams focussing solely on promulgating regulations and internal policies in a largely advisory capacity. At Revolut, the Compliance department is more than just an advisor, and we play an active role in risk management and monitoring. We seek to focus on actual risk identification by understanding business operations and the underlying risk exposure and then being practical and smart enough to translate the regulatory requirements into business actions that work for our organisation.

What are the most pressing challenges you have ever faced in its implementation? And what are the most valuable lessons you got from it?

Our company has ambitious plans to be the world’s first digital bank. In the case of Singapore, the regulatory requirements have changed with the introduction of the Payment Services Act in late January 2020. We have and continue to expend energy interpreting new regulations and thinking of innovative ways of implementing them into day-to-day operations, this can be a labour intensive and complex process.

Also Read: Compliance, lending are the most popular fintech sectors among banks in Malaysia

The lessons that I have learnt in dealing with regulatory change is that you have to get up to speed very quickly and also going about managing the change in a methodical and structured manner. This means, for example, creating an inventory of laws and regulations and a clear mapping of the regulations to controls in place, and having a structured process to go about doing an impact assessment when the obligations change, and prioritising them accordingly.

There is also a need to build capacity quickly given the large volume of change. However, this does not mean adding indiscriminately resources by throwing warm bodies at the problem. Capacity can be built by using technology such as in the area of surveillance and monitoring.

What is your advice for fintech startups who would like to implement this in their companies? What are some of the worst mistakes a fintech startup can do in implementing this? How to avoid this?

Think how best to leverage technology to plot your regulatory journey. Technology is a powerful enabler, not only just allowing one to be more effective and efficient, but also helping one identify potential risk hotspots and taking corrective measures before they become bigger.

Other than the hard elements, it is important to establish a strong risk and compliance culture throughout the organisation. Most senior failures in companies in recent times have a cultural element.

One of the worst mistakes that I have seen is the adoption of a one-size-fits-all approach towards compliance. Each company’s circumstances are different and compliance officers should not be thinking that if this worked at my previous organisation, let’s copy and paste it here.

Also Read: Why using security information and event management (SIEM) tools makes sense even if SEA isn’t high on compliance yet

Working with regulators. What are some of the tips that you can share about building relationships and collaboration?

Initially, some regulators may have difficulty dealing with fintech companies as there is a perception they differ so much from traditional players.

The diverse nature of the fintech industry can create obstacles for some regulators who are looking to classify the variety of fintech companies and provide appropriate oversight. Given how rapidly the fintech industry evolves, regulators are often similarly on a learning journey and it is wise that you walk the journey with them and help give them perspective.

I find that constructive engagement works much better than strategies of avoidance or opposition. Engagement is often the best way of building an effective relationship. When a firm is not known to the regulator, and they have an issue, if there is no relationship, it can make it difficult to move on the issue. If you have a relationship you may find it easier to sit down with the regulator and pitch ideas to them.

What are the knowledge and skillsets required to work in this field?

Hiring the right people who can think about issues the right way is key to be successful as compliance undergo rapid transformation.

I like people who are proactive and inquisitive, who take it upon them to understands the business they are managing and its specific risks in addition to having the technical regulatory expertise. It is also important that compliance officers do not see their role as solely advising and being able to execute key tasks on top of the advice they provide.

Also Read: Why culture will play a huge role in compliance with data privacy rules

Lastly, I like staff who are willing to get out of their comfort zone are comfortable in learning new skills. For example, there is considerable opportunity to use more technology to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of compliance, if you don’t already know it, learn.

What is the future of compliance and how does your company plan to get there? What are the barriers that you need to jump through?

As regulations have become more important in shaping business strategy, the future of compliance has to evolve to one that is supporting the business as a strategic business partner. It has to evolve from a function that is focused on conservatism to one that operates in a more strategic and predictive capacity.

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Image Credit: Revolut

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ShopBack acquires South Korean rebates platform Ebates

ShopBack, an online rewards and discovery platform, has acquired South Korean cash-back startup Ebates, according to a company statement.

Although the terms of the deals were not disclosed, this acquisition will grow ShopBack’s user base and strengthen its list of merchants offering cashback properties.

The company is projected to have over 500,000 customers in South Korea this year.

Henry Chan, Co-founder of ShopBack, said: “South Korea’s digitally mature mindset and rapid adoption of e-commerce makes it a core and high-potential market for cash-back platforms. By entering the market through the acquisition of Ebates Korea, we will be able to leverage its strong local presence to become the nation’s leading cashback platform.”

Ripple, Siam Commercial Bank partner to ease money transfer solutions for customers

Thailand’s first indigenous bank Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) has announced a partnership with Silicon Valley-based blockchain company Ripple to ease money transfer solutions for customers, according to a company statement.

This partnership will allow Ripple to expand the coverage of its remittance services across 12 countries and help SCB to establish solutions that will enhance its financial products that can address its customers needs.

The countries where the service will be provided are the UK, the US, Singapore, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Austria, Belgium, and Portugal.

Also Read: For these 5 space tech startups in SEA, the future is as bright as the sky

ShareChat buys meme sharing platform Memer to serve the social needs of Indian masses

Regional social networking platform ShareChat has acquired a meme discovery and sharing platform Memer for an undisclosed amount, according to The Economic Times.

Post the deal, Memer’s product suite will be integrated into Twitter-backed ShareChat, and the eight-member team will join the Bengaluru-based startup.

“Today, ShareChat is on a rapid growth path, and it’s really important to keep a sharp focus on product innovation and faster execution. Therefore, we are looking for inorganic opportunities to complement our organic efforts and power the growth engine,” said Manohar Charan, VP of Corporate Development of ShareChat.

MindFi makes its mindfulness app free for healthcare workers during COVID-19

MindFi, a mobile app for mindfulness meditation, has partnered with the Labour Movement’s Healthcare Academy to offer healthcare workers free access to its service, according to the company statement.

“In these times of crisis, our public healthcare workers are at the frontline and selflessly doing their part for society. From the comforts of our homes, we want to help these carers care for themselves. We hope MindFi can be a useful tool for self-care during their brief moments of rest to restore some calm and comfort. We are also in discussions with more partners to broaden our social impact during these trying times,” said Bjorn Lee, founder of MindFi.

Also Read: e27 webinar: Sailing through COVID-19 crisis with mindfulness meditation

This initiative comes during a time when there is growing pressure on the nation’s healthcare system to combat the upsurge in COVID-19 cases.

MindFi app aims to provide a diverse set of mindfulness activities based on personal goals during this period to support the warriors of COVID-19

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Image Credit: Shopback

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Singapore-based fintech platform Helicap has raised US$10M in a Series A financing round, led by early-stage VC firm Saison Capital, according to KrAsia.

Existing investor East Ventures, and new investors Access Ventures and Lamivoie, besides unnamed individual investors also participated.

This round pushes the startup’s total funds raised till date to almost US$17 million.

Helicap said that it would use the fresh capital to grow its business further by enhancing its current platform and expanding towards the private debt space.

Helicap is an online investment platform that specialises in the alternative lending space in Southeast Asia and Oceania.

The company most recently registered its fund management subsidiary, Helicap Investments with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), according to founder David Wang. It also managed to obtain a capital markets services license by acquiring Arcor Capital last in 2019.

Also Read: Morning News Roundup: HKs fintech startup Oriente receives US$50M; Singapores ZuBlu raises US$1M

Earlier, Helicap roped in the eldest son of late former Indonesian president B.J. Habibie as Special Advisor to the company’s Board of Directors. The company is speculated to be eyeing Indonesian expansion.

Habibie said: “As the Indonesian economy evolves and our labour force re-skills for the future, there will continue to be a large gap in the Indonesian credit market which is not addressed by traditional banks. As a result, there is a significant role for a rigorous data-driven firm like Helicap to play in the alternative lending space.”

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Image Credit: Unsplash

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Conicle secures US$900K from Humanica, 500 TukTuks and Stormbreaker Venture

Conicle, an edutech startup based in Thailand, has secured US$900,000 pre-Series A round of funding from Humanica, a local HR and ERP solutions company, and 500 TukTuks and edtech accelerator Stormbreaker Venture.

The funds will be used by the startup to expand into the international education market, as well as to further develop a comprehensive solution for Human Resource managers to improve their employees’ skills, drive digital transformation and respond to future work trends.

Concicle is a learning management system, which acts as an executive assistant and HR in developing the internal workforce under the concept of ‘modernise learning’.

A key strength of Conicle is its blended-learning approach with data-driven personalisation. The learning content will be personalised to each user alongside personalised recommendations for courses. Lastly, Conicle also gamifies their courses so that learners are incentivized to complete lessons to earn points.

So far, Conicle has bagged over 500,000 users from more than 30 leading companies, such as AIA, PTT Group, AIA, CPALL, Makro and Honda.

Vonder raises funding from Pongsak Trakulsuk, Stormbreaker Venture

Separately, Vonder, another edutech company from the country, has raised an undisclosed seed funding round, led by existing investor Pongsak Trakulsuk and existing backer Stormbreaker Venture.

The seed funding will be used to further penetrate the B2B corporate training market for HR, corporates and SMEs, in addition to developing and expanding new products for the regional market.

Vonder, which develops micro-learning solutions and HRD platforms, has  found a way to make learning more effective and fun by converting hard-to-digest and boring content into short gamified micro-lessons. These lessons can be effective for both the education sector and for staff training.

For corporates, HRs can create their own content, or the Vonder team can help HR to co-create or convert the organisation’s existing content into Vonder’s micro-learning format. Popular lessons are Tax 101 for employees, new product training for sales, regulations and Standard of Practice training.

Founded in 2018, the company aims to grow by 3x in order to raise Series A funding in the next 12 months.

In addition to its core products, the company also provides many features to support the HR department, such as the Vonder FAQ manager, a chat bot that helps to answer employee’s questions, and Vonder’s Pulse Survey, a feature that allows HR to survey their employees easier in a gamified way which incentivises participation.

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Khailee Ng speaking at Echelon Malaysia 2015

Khailee Ng is one of the most successful founders from Southeast Asia. In 2011, he sold daily deals site GroupsMore to Groupon, as part of the latter’s entrance into Malaysia. Just two years later, Ng sold social curation and news platform Says.com to Malaysian media giant Media Prima Bhd.

Now, as one of four managing partners of 500 Startups globally, Khailee also oversees Southeast Asia as a region. Ng is one of the few venture capitalists with direct experience in the region as both a founder and an investor. His track record in this role is equally impressive. Of the 180 investments Ng has made, three are already unicorns: Grab, Revolution Precraftd, and Bukalapak.

Gracy Fernandez: What is the toughest part about mentoring and advising founders? How do you make this investor-founder relationship successful?

Ng: I ask myself, how does this get done well, at scale? Assuming that I will be the primary mentor and advisor to founders creates limitations on how effective the firm can be at scale. The benefit of having a large portfolio the way 500 Startups does is that we have the economies of scale to run programs. We have run B2C and B2B growth programs, bringing down legendary talent from the likes of Facebook, YouTube, and Lyft, and in multiple geographies.

In Southeast Asia, for example, we have flown in 50 mentors, with 88 companies participating, clocking in over 2,000 hours of hands-on growth work! I wasn’t involved in mentoring and advising. But the team put together a successful program that did.

We noticed that founder burnout, stress, and depression were a real thing.

Also Read: Khailee Ng “angry and sad” about Dave McClure scandal, but will continue to support 500 Startups

We sought out experts. We found the Director of Emotional Wellbeing Research at Yale and his partner, a successful life coach. We tried and introduced their programs to founders in Southeast Asia. We got feedback like, “We canceled our divorce after practicing the tools we learned,” and “I was cured of my three months of insomnia and now manage my mental health way better,” all the way to entire management teams of our founders seeking more coaching. Again, when I embrace my personal limitations, I unlock unlimited potential. This is what I believe 500 to be, not a VC firm, but a VC platform.

Gracy Fernandez: Can you delve deeper into this problem, so people can better appreciate your innovative solutions? How have you seen founder burnout, stress, and depression negatively affect both founders and the companies they lead?

Ng: The divorce and insomnia examples are listed below. But across 500’s 2,000+ investments, there have been two founder suicides. That’s two too many.

On a basic level:
1. Founders may tend to over-personalize, internalize, and energize issues in business as issues in themselves, or their lives.

2. Tools and tactics to regulate awareness, communication, vulnerability, and strength are very helpful, but are not the first things they ask for. They just spend more time at work.

3. Having a foundation of friends, health, and family gives strength. But it is also the weakest part in most founding journeys with this “all in,” “go big or go home,” overglorification of over-working culture.

There is another way. Very rarely is a startup a quick sprint. We’re playing the long game here. It is better to have foundations and tools. You’ll need them.

Also Read: This world is a f**ked up place!: Khailee Ng

You don’t want to pick them up the hard way. That’s what the drive to run these programs is about.

Personally, when I was going through having my entire business wiped out at SAYS.com, from the Facebook URL ban, I had to put up a strong front every day, but I felt broken inside. That takes energy. Even after we created the new business, I felt it may happen again at any time, and I didn’t feel secure. The thing is, I still did not talk to my team about it. I only told them much later when I broke down, and they asked me “why didn’t you tell us earlier, we all could have doubled down and helped, shared the burden”. This is a familiar story that all founders can relate to. And I’m here to say, you don’t have to turn your problems into your entire universe. On the contrary, you have a universe of resources and help for you to overcome any problem at all. Anything.

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This story has been excerpted by courtesy of the publisher from Asian Founders at Work by Ezra Ferraz and Gracy Fernandez (Apress, 2020).

To purchase the book, please visit Amazon.

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