Rising Giants Newsletter - N.11 Frederic H. Proulx, Co-Founder Haystack, Managing Partner Haystack Asia Capital
Talking with entrepreneurs and investors in the world’s most rapidly evolving frontier markets to understand what it takes to have bold ideas and build the business disruptors of tomorrow 🌏
Welcome to the Rising Giant's Podcast Newsletter by Max Thornton and Dominic Kalousek.
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In this episode, we interview Frederic Proulx of Haystack. Fred is a vision evoking entrepreneur and investor, having had a successful career in venture in Canada, whilst keeping a passion for Southeast Asia alongside his Khmer wife Linda Phou that has been a strong pillar in his success.
Fred has now turned his attention fully to Cambodia, where he is intent upon creating a leading venture builder and investment player in the country, serving as a launchpad for the region. Fred is turning the investment model on its head in Cambodia, drawing lessons from all around the world to come up with a new model that focuses on being nimble and iterating quickly, whilst creating a work environment that stresses camaraderie and collective buy-in.
We get into:
✅ What early stage investors (Incubators, Angels, VC, PE, etc.) are getting wrong and right in Cambodia.
💡 “If you build it, they will come”; lessons in creating a culture and working environment that enable innovation and bold thinkers
🐈 Why “good is the enemy of great” and how to get out of the trap of being a fat cat doing good work!
🧠Want to learn more about Haystack in Cambodia?
Haystack Canada acquires Hanuman Capital to create Haystack Asia - where Fred is currently the Managing Partner.
Haystack Asia acquires information tech company Khmer Dev in late March.
🎧 Find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Play, and Anchor!
📝 Venture Capital Deal Flow Highlights in Southeast Asia
📰 In Frontier and Emerging Market News
🇧🇩 Startup Bangladesh Ltd., the flagship venture capital fund of the ICT Ministry (Information and Communication Tech), will invest nearly $12M for 50 startups in the country through 2021.
🇻🇳 Why Vietnam is a Promising Contender for Investment Following Myanmar’s Coup.
🇲🇲 An update on the current situation happening in Myanmar.
📚 Knowledge Base: Entrepreneur and Investor Learning Resources
🔍 These Startup Job Trends Are Prevalent In South East Asia.
🔨 Frontier Investing: The Venture Capital Due Diligence Guide
👩💼 Lekha George, Cisco’s Head of People and Communities for ASEAN and Korea talks about how to attract more women in tech in Southeast Asia (and get them to stay!)
🔥 Hot Global Topic: The impact of global supply chains due to the blockage of the Suez Canal.
👨🏼💻 Frontier Market Job Opportunities
Blockchain Founders Fund is hiring for multiple positions and internships in emerging markets.
Cellcard is hiring for a Junior Finance Analyst in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The Heineken Company is hiring for a Finance Strategic Control Analyst in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Grab is hiring for a Associate / Senior Associate for Strategic Projects in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
UNDP is looking for International Interns at their Cambodia country office.
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🧐 About Rising Giants
The Rising Giants Podcast was created in November 2020 by Max Thornton and Dominic Kalousek after realizing that there were a limited number of resources available for insight into the local startup ecosystem in Southeast Asia.
Our mission is to talk to entrepreneurs and investors in the world’s most rapidly evolving frontier markets to help understand what it takes to have bold ideas and build the business disruptors of tomorrow. Through our personal exploration of these landscapes, we dive deep in our interviews with inspirational individuals learning about their career journeys, ideas, and insights into the markets of developing startup ecosystems, and expanding on why they see their business and the region as a "rising giant