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🎙 Most VCs think ESG stories are too noble to fact-check. That's how you lose $600 million. — Kim Yeoh

🛰 Southeast Asia's startup ecosystem just got a reality check that makes WeWork look like a rounding error. E-Fishery — Indonesia's sustainable aquaculture darling backed by SoftBank and Temasek — somehow turned $150 million in real revenue into $750 million on paper.

This week, Kim and Kevin dissect how an entire investment ecosystem got so drunk on ESG narratives that apparently nobody thought to count the actual fish feeders.

The truth? When trust breaks in relationship-driven markets, the damage spreads faster than a TikTok trend.

💡 What You'll Learn

Why ESG halos can blind even sophisticated investors — and how noble missions became get-out-of-jail-free cards for basic due diligence.

How fabricated revenue scales exponentially — from 2x inflation to 5x fantasy, with receipts to match.

Why Southeast Asia's trust networks amplify fraud damage — and how one scandal sets back an entire regional ecosystem.

How institutional investors missed obvious red flags — when SoftBank and Temasek-level due diligence still isn't enough.

🔎 Key Takeaways

ESG stories aren't immune to fraud — sustainability missions require the same verification as any other business model.

Regional trust damage compounds — unlike Silicon Valley's forgive-and-forget culture, broken trust in SEA stays broken.

Due diligence can't be outsourced to lead investors — even big names get it spectacularly wrong.

Authenticity is now a competitive advantage — in a world of fabricated metrics, radical transparency wins long-term.

🧠 Sound Bites

"Math that would make Elizabeth Holmes blush."

"Apparently fraud has a universal playbook."

"In Silicon Valley, Adam Neumann crashes WeWork and still raises another fund. In Southeast Asia? Once trust breaks, it's gone."

"The most important business advice is also the most uncomfortable: verify, don't just trust."

"While we're explaining why counting fish feeders should be standard due diligence, Silicon Valley is buying AI researchers for $1.5 billion."

⏱ Chapters

00:00 – The $600M Fish Farm Scandal Explained

08:15 – How ESG Stories Became Too Good to Question

15:30 – When SoftBank and Temasek Miss the Red Flags

22:45 – Regional Trust Networks and Fraud Amplification

29:20 – The Silicon Valley vs SEA Redemption Gap

35:10 – Why Authenticity is the New Competitive Advantage

41:30 – Next Week Preview: Chi Chi Wong on Substance Over Spectacle

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💬 Let's Connect 🎙 Kim Yeoh → https://www.linkedin.com/in/weiisyuenyeohacmacgma/

🎙 Kevin Brockland → https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbrockland/

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