Rising Giants Newsletter - N.13 Chy Sila, CEO and Founder of Sabay
Max & Dom chatting with the boldest and most inspiring entrepreneurs and investors in Cambodia 🇰🇭 Turn on 💡, tune in 📻, keep up 🚀
Welcome to the Rising Giant's Podcast Newsletter by Max Thornton and Dominic Kalousek.
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In this episode we interview we talk with Chy Sila, one of the most influential entrepreneurs in Cambodia, who has been at the forefront of digital innovation in the country for the last two decades. He is known as the first Cambodian, to fully become adept at computer science, spurring a generation of new entrepreneurs that have followed in his footsteps.
We get into:
💾 The immense challenge of starting an internet business in Cambodia in the 2000's, when internet connectivity and developer talent was limited.
🎮 His viewpoint on the key trends impacting media and technology in Cambodia; video on demand, freemium gaming, subscription content etc.
💰 Opportunities for investing in emerging founders and a variety of evolving business models in Cambodia; dairy, e-commerce, publishing etc.
🧠 Want to learn more about Sabay in Cambodia?
Read about Chy Sila’s journey to becoming one of the most influential entrepreneurs in Cambodia.
Learn more about Sabay’s digital reach and the different business verticals they operate in.
How Sabay’s Secure Settlement Network (SSN) is Cambodia’s answer to Stripe and the banking blockchain system in the country.
🎧 Find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Play, and Anchor!
📝 Venture Capital Deal Flow Highlights in Southeast Asia
Sequoia Capital India announced at the end of March that it closed a second seed fund at $195 million to back promising entrepreneurs across India and Southeast Asia.
Jambox Games raises $1.1M to publish mobile games in India and Southeast Asia. The funding shows that emerging regions are also benefiting from the growth of gaming and the availability of capital in games, which is is now supported by dozens of game-focused venture capital funds
Indonesia edtech CoLearn gets $10M in Series A led by Alpha Wave Incubation and GSV Ventures. he round also included participation from returning investors Sequoia Capital India’s Surge and AC Ventures.
Philippines fintech startup Plentina announced it has closed a $2.2 million seed round, co-led by former Tableau executive and ClearGraph chief executive officer Andrew Vigneault, Unpopular Ventures and DV Collective. Other participants included JG Digital Equity Ventures (JGDEV), Amino Capital, Canaan Partners Scout Fund and Ignite Impact Fund.
Singapore-based fintech Hashstacs Pte Ltd (STACS) announced today it has raised $3.6 million USD in pre-Series A funding. The company develops blockchain platforms that can work with financial institutions’ existing infrastructure, and its core technology is also used in GreenSTACS for environmental, social and governance (ESG) investments.
📰 Frontier Market Start-Up and Venture Capital News
🇰🇭 Cambodian banks ‘under siege’ from fintech revolution.
🇱🇦 What’s next for Laos growth strategy?
🇧🇩 4 Bangladeshi startups among Accelerating Asia’s 11 high-potential startups.
🇻🇳 Tim Draper-backed Draper Startup House acquires Hatch Ventures Vietnam.
🇲🇲 EU adopts new round of sanctions on Myanmar after Feb coup.
🇵🇭 The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) of the Philippines creating $5M venture fund for local startups.
📚 Knowledge Base: Entrepreneur and Investor Learning Resources
In this week’s newsletter, we wanted to switch things up a little bit. We’ve received feedback from readers that we should include resource videos to better explain some of the more advanced concepts around startups especially in frontier markets. We hope that this week’s video will help in explaining startup funding and how it works.
Startup Funding Explained: Everything You Need To Know:
Additional Resources To Check Out:
🔍 Forbes released their 2021 30 under 30 for Asia.
🎥 What you can earn at a Southeast Asia startup.
🔨 The merits of bottom up investing.
👨💻 The founder dating playbook - the process of finding your perfect co-founder
🔥 Hot Global Topic: How the cryptocurrency DOGE has gone from a joke to being worth more than Ford.
👨🏼💻 Frontier Market Job Opportunities
International Finance Corporation (IFC) is hiring for an Investment Officer in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Grab is hiring for an Associate / Senior Associate, Strategic Projects in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The Heineken Company is hiring for a Senior Finance Strategic Control Analyst in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
WWF is hiring for a Conservation Program Director in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
UN is looking for Internship - Human Rights (Country office) 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 and investor 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
