Ron Baetiong: PH Basketball Jock to Founder Exit, Startup Failure Lessons, Podcast Network Asia-E509

Ron Baetiong, Founder of Podcast Network Asia, and Jeremy Au discussed:

Philippines Basketball Jock to Founder Exit:

Ron shared his early life as a basketball jock raised in a lower-middle-class Filipino household by his single mother. Determined to achieve the Filipino dream of owning a house, Ron worked in a call center at 18 while studying at the University of Santo Tomas. Ron’s time at Groupon (2011) taught him foundational sales skills that later became pivotal. He launched his first startup, a nightlife app called Partyphile, inspired by his personal pain points as a clubgoer. Despite initial traction with 50,000 users, the business struggled with monetization. By 2016, Ron pivoted to Chatbot.ph, leveraging the emerging chatbot market. Within a year, the company was acquired by Sterling Paper Group, allowing Ron to fulfill his dream of buying his mother a house.

2. Startup Failure Lessons:

His journey revealed key lessons about being a solo founder and the importance of monetization strategies. Ron shared how missing opportunities to sell club tables—a lucrative revenue stream—hindered growth. The business faced a turning point in 2016, following a tragic incident at a major rave event and political shifts under Duterte’s presidency that dampened the nightlife scene. Transitioning to Chatbot.ph, Ron capitalized on timing and his ability to build quick MVPs. By mid-2017, the company generated over $10,000 in monthly revenue and attracted investors, leading to its acquisition. Ron highlighted how this pivot taught him to prioritize building strong teams and focusing on cash flow.

3. Podcast Network Asia & Serye FM

In 2019, Ron founded the podcast HustleShare to document startup journeys and give back to the Philippine ecosystem. He expanded this passion into Podcast Network Asia (PNA), which grew to manage 320 shows, including exclusive collaborations with Spotify, paying $20,000 per show annually. However, Spotify’s strategic pivot in 2023—ending exclusivity deals—led to significant financial strain for PNA. In response, Ron launched Serye FM to address the growing demand for localized audio content. Serye FM adopted a paywall model within Spotify, enabling Filipino listeners to access serialized audio series. With 100% month-on-month growth over five months, Serye FM has emerged as a rising star. Ron’s teaming with co-founder Rexy Dorado, formerly of Kumu, reinforced the platform’s potential to replicate its success.

Jeremy and Ron also talks about the grief of losing his co-founder in 2023, managing platform risks with Spotify, and his plans to scale Serye FM from the Philippines to the U.S.

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Spotify

English: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TnqkaWpTT181lMA8xNu0T

Bahasa Indonesia: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Vs8t6qPo0eFb4o6zOmiVZ

Chinese: https://open.spotify.com/show/20AGbzHhzFDWyRTbHTVDJR

Vietnamese: https://open.spotify.com/show/0yqd3Jj0I19NhN0h8lWrK1

YouTube

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Apple Podcast

English: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/brave-southeast-asia-tech-singapore-indonesia-vietnam/id1506890464