037: The State of SE Asia's VC and Startup Ecosystems w/ Cap Connect's Chris Tran
Release Date: 09/27/2021
066: BEYOND SILOS: PropTech, Gen AI & the Future of Real Estate
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Antony Slumbers is a leading voice on the future of real estate, keynote speaker, and educator on AI for property leaders. Antony Slumbers doesn't just talk PropTech—he created it. Long before "PropTech" was even a word, he launched the UK's first commercial real estate website in 1995. Now he's teaching the industry how to survive what's coming next. This isn't your typical tech cheerleading session. Antony cuts through the noise to explain why PropTech's cooling hype actually signals its maturation. The party's over. Now comes the real work. The brutal truth? Most real estate companies are...
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065: BUILDING IOT TOGETHER: From Hype to Reality
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IoT isn't a buzzword anymore. It's business. Wienke Giezeman built The Things Industries from scratch. Now he's managing 3 million connected devices globally. $4M in annual revenue. And he did it by breaking every Silicon Valley rule. No "winner takes all" mentality. Pure collaboration. This episode cuts through the IoT hype cycle. Wienke reveals why most IoT projects failed. How his company survived when others didn't. And why sharing your IP actually grows the market. Real talk on scaling hardware. Building communities. Making AI work with IoT data. From cattle tracking to vape...
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064: CONNECTIONS vs COLLECTIONS: Why Telcos Keep Losing
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Jeff Apcar spent 24 years as a Distinguished Engineer at Cisco and has zero patience for tech BS. 5G? Overhyped. IoT? Mostly failing. Service providers? Becoming dinosaurs. But quantum computing? That's where things get interesting—and terrifying. Jeff breaks down what's actually working, what's pure marketing fluff, and why the hyperscalers are eating everyone's lunch. Plus: why AI makes him both excited and worried about the future. No vendor pitches. No fairy tales. Just 46 years of brutal honesty about where tech is really heading. 🎧 Listen on all major platforms 🎥 Watch the full...
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063: THE SHIFT TO SPACE: The Rise of Orbital Computing
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In this episode of Tech Burst Talks, Charles sits down with Rob DeMillo — ex-JPL, serial entrepreneur, SparkLabs Venture Partner, and now CEO of — to unpack one of the most disruptive tech ideas out there: putting compute in orbit. Rob walks us through his wild career path from space science to cloud animation, to architecting data centers in the sky. And learn how he was about to produce 7 EXITS from 9 STARTUPS! They dive deep into Sophia Space’s modular “tile” technology, built from first principles for space — not retrofitted earth tech — and explore the near-term use...
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062: TELCO'S FUTURE? Look to the Middle East, Not the West
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Middle East’s Tech Revolution: From Regional Ambitions to Global Leadership In this episode of TechBurst Talks, Charles sits down with Danial Mausoof, Vice President of Mobile Networks for the Middle East & Africa at Nokia, to explore how the region is transforming into a global tech powerhouse. From government-driven infrastructure investments to next-gen telecom innovation, the Middle East is no longer playing catch-up — it’s leapfrogging the rest of the world. We dive into: Why the Middle East is attracting global talent and tech capital The rise of private 5G networks in...
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061: CORPORATE CROSSFIRE: Navigating the New Global Order
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In this explosive Tech Burst Talks episode, host Charles sits down with , a battle-tested geopolitical expert who made the leap from to founding his own advisory firm, . Together, they dissect how corporations across Asia are caught in the crossfire of escalating US-China tensions, tariff wars, and supply chain disruptions. This isn't just academic analysis - it's corporate survival intelligence from the trenches. Staples reveals how multinationals are paralysed by uncertainty, with investment plans on hold whilst executives scramble to navigate everything from Vietnam's tariff...
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060: SMARTPHONES DISRUPTED: Tariffs, Trends & Turmoil
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In this episode of Tech Burst Talks, Bryan Ma joins Charles to unpack the shifting landscape of the global smartphone and device industry. From the US–China tariff shake-up to Apple’s manufacturing pivot toward India and Vietnam, they break down how supply chains are being reengineered in real time. They also dig into the latest AI integrations—from smartphones to PCs—and what Computex 2025 revealed about the future of consumer tech. Expect insights on Samsung, Google, OpenAI, and what might finally follow the smartphone era. Tariffs, AI, and tech power plays—this is the episode that...
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059: AI & Advertising: From MAD MEN to MACHINE LEARNING
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🚀 AI is transforming advertising, and in this episode, we dive deep into how digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising is changing the game. My guest, Dagny Lacka, founder of Flow City, explains how her company is using AI, foot traffic analytics, and real-time bidding to make billboard advertising as dynamic and targeted as online ads. No more two-week static campaigns—now brands can target the right people, at the right time, in the right place. 🎯 What You’ll Learn: ✅ How AI is revolutionising outdoor advertising ✅ The power of real-time ad buying & precision targeting ✅ How...
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058: The ART & SCIENCE of B2B Marketing: Delivering what Buyers VALUE
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🚀 Tech, Marketing, and a Football Obsession—What Could Go Wrong? In this episode of TechBurst Talks, I sit down with my old mate Jon Buckthorp—Commercial Director of Differentiated, founder of Jon B Studios, and the kind of guy who juggles marketing, content, board advisory roles, and a questionable football allegiance (looking at you, Lincoln City). We cut through the noise of B2B marketing, diving into: 🔥 Why creativity is the secret weapon in tech marketing 🔥 The brutal truth about building a personal brand 🔥 How to stay authentic in a world of corporate BS...
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057: SAMSUNG'S GALAXY AI: Exploring Innovation, Security and Real-World Applications for AI on the Smartphone
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In this episode of Tech Burst Talks, I sit down with Ian Chong from Samsung Electronics to talk about his work on the mobile B2B team and the cutting-edge advancements Samsung is making, particularly in AI technology for smartphones. We dive into the new Galaxy AI capabilities, including features like Circle to Search, Live Translate, and Transcript Assist. Ian shares why on-device AI is critical for ensuring both security and speed and discusses Samsung’s collaborations with major tech players. We also explore how AI is being implemented in industries like law enforcement and finance. On a...
info_outlineIn a recent TechBurst Asia podcast, we delved deep into Singapore’s startup and venture capital ecosystems. Not surprisingly, they are both evolving well. But what I wanted to do as a follow up is look at the wider Southeast Asia startup and venture capital ecosystems to see how countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and the others are progressing.
To help me with this, I am joined by my good friend Chris Tran, who has been supporting start-ups in those countries for the past 12 years. This makes him ideally suited to discuss how the markets are developing, identify what works and what needs improvement. And I’m also keen to learn more about the launch of his new Boutique Investment Bank that supports Southeast Asian Technology Entrepreneurs and Investors, Cap Connect.
Show notes:
00:00 Intro to Cap Connect and what led Chris to launch his own boutique investment firm
05:15 How does Chris source deal flow across the many countries in SE Asia
08:00 How is the startup ecosystem evolving across SE Asia, including Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines
16:00 How does the VC industry support SE Asia? Is it all Singapore-based or has each country developed its own funding ecosystem?
19:30 What’s the good, the bad and the ugly about Singapore innovation and VC industries?
21:30 What industries are driving innovation across SE Asia
26:30 How has the pandemic impacted startups across the region - and what has been the impact on valuations?
32:00 How Chris got into venture capital and what brought him to Singapore 12 years ago
33:00 What Chris looks for in a founder or startup - and what are the red flags
34:30 What advice do you have for aspiring venture capitalists?
37:45 Tell us something about yourself that will surprise us (note: I recommend listening to this, it is the funniest segment of any podcast I have ever recorded)