EP 195 - Ben Harburg - MSA Capital - Is Southeast Asia an Innovation Laboratory?

The Asia Tech Podcast had an exciting and in-depth conversation with Ben Harburg, a Managing Partner at  MSA Capital. He serves as the CIO of Emerging Technology Markets and leads global growth for MSA’s portfolio companies. 

MSA is a global investment firm that invests from seed-to-growth stage investments across consumer, enterprise, core technologies, and healthcare. The firm was established in 2014 and manages $1.7 billion in capital across multiple funds.

Some of the topics that Ben covered:

• Did a Fulbright for a year in Germany studying Islamic Sciences and Oriental Philology
• Traveled to Egypt as a 13-year-old
• Grew up as an ex-pat, so had a global perspective from an early age
• China is an innovation leader across multiple tech verticals
• Alibaba's expansion strategy does not work
• Investing in the GoJek of Iraq
• The difference between emerging markets and emerging technology markets
• How the United Arab Emirates built a platform for long-term entrepreneurial development
• A large and growing appetite for tech startup investment in Africa

Other titles we considered for this episode:

1. Touching Down, I Remember the Heat
2. There Is an innovation Pendulum