In this episode we sit down with Hian Goh—founder of Openspace Ventures (US $800 M AUM) and one of Southeast Asia’s most influential early-stage VCs. A former Salomon Smith Barney tech-banker who built and sold the Asian Food Channel, Hian now backs companies such as Gojek, Love Bonito, MAKA Motors and Lucence. We unpack his hunt for a “post-NVIDIA” hardware champion, how he bridges A*STAR research to market, and why a home-built pizza oven teaches him more about founders than term sheets ever could.

Hosts:

Michael Smith Jr: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Razko Kotler: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/razko282/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest:

Hian Goh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiangoh/

Links Mentioned:

• Openspace Ventures: https://openspace.vc
• Asian Food Channel: https://www.asianfoodchannel.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiancancook
• Plunge: https://theplunge.club/
• A*STAR: https://www.a-star.edu.sg/

Books & Media Mentioned:

• Zero to One by Peter Thiel & Blake Masters: https://www.amazon.com/Zero-One-Notes-Startups-Future/dp/0804139296/
• Monocle: https://monocle.com/magazine/
• Blinkist (short-form book summaries): https://www.blinkist.com/
• Vito Iacopelli YouTube (Pizza craft): https://www.youtube.com/@vitoiacopelli

In this episode, we sit down with Sina Meraji — a self-described polymath and deep tech founder reshaping education and societal structures. Sina is the Founder & CEO of Integral HQ, a personalized app for online social communities. We unpack his journey across Southeast Asia’s startup ecosystems, his polymath mindset, and his long-term mission to create universal systems for education, justice, and healthcare. From his early struggles as an immigrant in Malaysia to his aspirations for billion-dollar impact, Sina shares raw, unapologetic insights on resilience, ambition, and systems change.

Hosts:

Michael Smith Jr: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Razko Kotler: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/razko282/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guests:

Sina Meraji: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sinameraji/

Links Mentioned:

• Learning Loop: https://www.learningloop.ai/
• Integral HQ: https://integralhq.com
• Entrepreneur First: https://www.joinef.com/
• Mindvalley: https://www.mindvalley.com/
• WeGoWhere: https://www.wegowhere.io/

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Books & Media Mentioned:

• Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Bets-Making-Smarter-Decisions/dp/0735216355/
• How to Solve Tough Problems by Adam Kahane: https://www.amazon.com/Solving-Tough-Problems-Adam-Kahane/dp/1576754642/

In this episode, we sit down with one of Singapore's most iconic power couples in tech — Der Shing Lim and Shao-Ning Huang, Co-Founders of AngelCentral. From meeting at the University of Michigan to bootstrapping JobsCentral (which they later sold to CareerBuilder), raising four boys, and then founding AngelCentral — their journey has been nothing short of incredible. We go deep into building businesses as a couple, bootstrapping during the dotcom era, becoming active angel investors, and reflecting on how Singapore's startup ecosystem has evolved. Also: what’s tougher — startups or parenting?

Hosts:

Michael Smith Jr: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Razko Kotler: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/razko282/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guests:

Shao-Ning Huang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaoning/

Der Shing Lim: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dershing/

Links Mentioned:

• AngelCentral: https://www.angelcentral.co
• JobsCentral (now part of CareerBuilder): https://www.careerbuilder.com.sg/
• Grab: https://www.grab.com
• Carousell: https://www.carousell.sg
• ShopBack: https://www.shopback.sg
• PatSnap: https://www.patsnap.com
• Entrepreneurs First: https://www.joinef.com
• JobStreet (now SEEK): https://www.jobstreet.com.sg
• JobsDB: https://www.jobsdb.com
• Duolingo: https://www.duolingo.com

Books & Media Mentioned:

• Squid Game: https://www.netflix.com/title/81040344
• The Substance: https://www.variancefilms.com/project/the-substance
• The Expats: https://www.amazon.com/Expats-Season-1/dp/B0CMHG544V