e27 has been nurturing a supportive ecosystem for entrepreneurs since its inception. Our Contributor Programme offers a platform for sharing unique insights. As part of our ‘Contributor Spotlight’ series, we shine a spotlight on an outstanding contributor and dive into the vastness of their knowledge and expertise.
In this episode, we feature James Spurway, the Co-Founder and CIO of Eco Solutions Capital, Inc. (Massachusetts) and leads Business Development at Indochina Consulting Pte Ltd, the second generation of a company he founded in 1993. He also serves on the Advisory Board of over a dozen global startups and scale-ups.
Originally from Australia, James has spent 35 years abroad, including 15 years in Singapore. He has started 10 businesses, sold seven, and invested in 75 startups since becoming a full-time angel investor in 2001. Over the years, he has reviewed more than 10,000 pitch decks, met 5,000 founders, and achieved two unicorn exits with an average 5X ROI. His focus today is on deeptech and hardtech solutions tied to SDGs 7, 12, and 13, usually coming in as the first cheque. He also mentors founders through programs such as 500 Global, MassChallenge, Creatella Impact, and Silicon Beach.
Beyond investing, James enjoys long walks of 10-20 km, volunteers monthly at local food banks, and has a soft spot for stray animals. He co-authored a book on raising debt and equity in Singapore, has published poetry, and is currently writing a memoir titled Bloodied but Unbowed, and Never Beaten – An Unconventional Life of Someone Not Destined to Succeed – Who Did It Anyway.
In the sections below, he reflects on his journey, the lessons he’s learned, and what keeps him going.
How I got here
I collapsed and flatlined four times in six hours. After that, I walked away from a successful run in transactional businesses and chose to become a full-time angel investor and mentor. I needed to feel I was giving back, creating something tangible, and helping to solve real problems for many people.
Also Read: My heart gave out, but my purpose came alive
If I had to explain my work to a kid
I find people who have invented something that solves big problems, and I support them with some money and spend time helping them do the best job they can.
Lessons learned along the way
I used to live by the rule that “it’s better to beg forgiveness than seek approval”. That kind of gels with the “move fast and break things” dogma as espoused by Mark Zuckerberg, except I was living by my CODEX before Silicon Valley was a “thing” and 20 years before Zuc was born. I still follow this.
I realised, however, that I should not suggest to everyone I meet to follow the same mantra. If a person hasn’t developed their sense of “self” and hasn’t had enough failures to know if the decision they’re about to make might kill the company, they may need to consult first.
What more people should notice
Unless governments, industry, academia, and trained entrepreneurs come together to build a platform that channels more capital into solving global warming, expanding renewable energy, and developing technologies that turn 100 per cent of waste into valuable, sustainable products, then AI and every other breakthrough will mean very little. Without this, the quality of life on our planet as we know it will not exist.
Why I write
I’ve been creating content for as long as I can remember. Having spent much of my life in Southeast Asia, I’ve seen how daily life here differs from the US, Australia, or Europe. That perspective, along with the knowledge I’ve gathered along the way, felt like something worth sharing.
I don’t plan much. I get inspired and start. Sometimes an idea just pops into my head, or while I’m working on a problem, I recall another experience and realise it could offer a new way of solving something. When that happens, I want to tell others about it.
Also Read: AI in Southeast Asia: The silent force powering today and the engine for tomorrow’s growth
My advice for aspiring thought leaders
I believe readers want to connect with authors as much as with their content. That’s why I try to include personal stories and examples of how a topic affected me, or how a takeaway from one situation helped me later in my career. I also tell founders preparing a pitch deck to picture their audience as a 10- to 12-year-old: keep the concepts simple and jargon-free, and link ideas in a natural way that feels understandable, relatable, and believable.
What drives my curiosity
I know that I need to nourish the other aspects of my soul. I have always written poetry and still do, and now I am revisiting music. I have long been curious about the human mind, how we tick, and I am always working on myself. People often tell me one of my “superhero” skills is the ability to connect with someone in seconds and make them feel seen and respected. At the same time, I know I am flawed in many ways, and I make it a practice to work on myself every day.
Influences that shaped me
- Richard Branson taught me, both figuratively and literally, how to carry myself in a genuine and caring way while building something as large as a multi-billion-dollar empire.
- John Doerr through Measure What Matters and Speed & Scale, showed me the value of the old-school VC approach that worked, as well as the substance of those two books. Measure What Matters is essential reading for every founder, reminding them to focus on controlling outcomes rather than letting outcomes control them. Speed & Scale gave us a roadmap for closing the Climate Finance gap and moving toward a Net Zero world.
- My wife, Sylvia Spurway, taught me that I need to nourish, exercise, and tune my mind the way a violinist tunes strings, if I want to play the lead role in the biggest symphony on the world stage.
Take a look at Spurway’s articles here for more insights and perspectives on his expertise.
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