Asian Founders at Work, 1st ed. Stories from the Region’s Top Technopreneurs

What does it take to successfully launch and scale a startup in Asia? While much of modern business literature covers Silicon Valley and its founders, building a company in Asia?a world center of technology and innovation?is a vastly different journey, and not nearly as widely covered. This book aims to change that.

Asian Founders at Work is an essential compilation of in-depth, incisive interviews with over 20 top technopreneurs from the region. Authors Ezra Ferraz and Gracy Fernandez have gathered their exclusive conversations with business leaders: Min-Liang Tan (Razer), Maria Ressa (Rappler), Chatri Sityodtong (ONE Championship), Patrick Grove (iflix), and Khailee Ng (500 Startups) are just a few.

Questions about early difficulties, fundraising, business pivots, strategic partnerships, exits via acquisition or IPO, and more are answered in great detail to shine a light on the founders' unique experiences. Learn directly from game-changers in their own voice. By documenting these stories, the authors have created the largest and most comprehensive record of successes to date. Whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur yourself, a business student wanting to become well-versed in international practices, or an owner looking to expand to the area, this book provides a thorough guide to the startup culture in Asia from the most knowledgeable sources possible.

What You Will Learn

• Gain business knowledge of practices that are localized to Asia
• Become familiar with essential startup topics, including product development, user acquisition, recruiting, and fundraising
• Study individual companies and founders, and an overview of startup culture

Who This Book Is For 

Those in the tech ecosystem in East, Southeast, and South Asia, including aspiring founders or current founders who have started their entrepreneurial journey. This book is alsofor people outside of Asia who have an interest in the region. Entrepreneurs or businesspeople can refer to this book as they consider expansion into the area. Researchers and readers can pick up this book if they are curious about the business landscape of Asia and want to hear directly from game-changing founders.

Chapter 1: Siu Rui Quek: CEO and Co-founder, Carousell Chapter 2: Shing Chow: Founder and CEO, Lalamove Chapter 3: Khailee Ng: Managing Partner, 500 Startups Chapter 4: Royston Tay: Founder, Zopim Chapter 5: Chatri Sityodtong: Founder, Chairman, and CEO, ONE Championship Chapter 6: Willis Wee: Founder and CEO, Tech in Asia Chapter 7: Ritesh Agarwal: Founder and CEO, OYO Hotels & Homes  Chapter 8: Shao-Ning Huang: Co-founder and Deputy CEO, JobsCentral Chapter 9: Achmad Zaky: Founder and CEO, Bukalapak Chapter 10: Patrick Grove: Founder, iflix Chapter 11: Chitpol Mungprom: CEO and Founder, Zanroo Chapter 12: Mohan Belani: Co-founder and CEO, e27 Chapter 13: John Orrock: Founder, CEO, and Principal Investor, Future Now Ventures, Future Now Ventures Chapter 14: Zeeshan Ali Khan: CEO and Co-founder, Zameen.com Chapter 15: Akiko Naka: CEO and Founder, Wantedly Chapter 16: Ron Hose: Co-founder and CEO, Coins.ph Chapter 17: Zac Cheah: CEO and Co-founder, Pundi X Chapter 18: Chih-Han Yu: CEO and Co-founder, Appier Chapter 19: Winston Damarillo: CEO and Founder, GlueCode Chapter 20: Min-Liang Tan: Co-founder and CEO, Razer Chapter 21: Maria Ressa: Co-founder and CEO, Rappler Chapter 22: Mark Sears: CEO and Founder, CloudFactory Chapter 23: Teresa Condicion: Co-founder and CEO, Snapcart

Ezra Ferraz is the founder and managing partner of Ambidextr, a full-service content marketing studio backed by Future Now Ventures. Ambidextr executes the content marketing for some of Asia Pacific’s largest tech companies. He graduated from UC Berkeley and earned a Master in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California. 

Gracy Fernandez is a frequent contributor to Entrepreneur Asia Pacific—the mother brand of Entrepreneur in the region—and the founder of a venture-backed tech startup, Graventure. She is a professional marketer by trade.