Vireak Chea: Return to Cambodia, Transforming Neighborhood Pharmacies & Prioritizing Family - E290

“Nothing will be easy. Along the journey, you will learn a lot more than you think. Don't worry about mistakes because they are meant to be made. We're human. The most important thing is how we can learn from them.” - Vireak Chea

“Do something that you really love, not something people tell you to do. Once you do, everything will start falling into place.” - Vireak Chea

“We help digitalize the pharmacy SMEs in Cambodia. When you start to become more digitalized, you have less work in the back end and you have more busy work in the front end, which is exactly what you want. Ultimately, that provides better care for the patients.” - Vireak Chea

Jeremy Au interviewed Vireak Chea, a pharmacist and the founder of PillTech, a Cambodia-based B2B marketplace for the pharmaceutical industry, and discussed his motivations, experiences, and hopes for the future. Vireak expressed his desire to be closer to his family, which influenced his decision to return to Cambodia and build his business. He acknowledged the challenges of maintaining a work-life balance while pursuing ambitious ideas and emphasized the importance of finding harmony between work and family.

Vireak’s primary goal is to provide access to affordable and legitimate medications in Cambodia, aiming to revolutionize the pharmacy industry and improve patient care through technology. He envisions expanding his venture to other countries with similar pain points in the pharmacy sector. He shared his insights on the journey of building a pharmacy business, including the need to understand customer journeys, educate customers, and adapt strategies based on learnings.

Throughout the discussion, Vireak’s strong family orientation emerged as a driving force behind his decisions and his commitment to improving healthcare for other families. He encouraged listeners to pursue their passions and emphasized that mistakes are opportunities for growth. Lastly, the importance of maintaining a work-life balance was highlighted, with the reminder that work will always be there, but family needs care and attention.

Overall, this interview provided valuable insights into the motivations, challenges, and aspirations of a pharmacist-turned-entrepreneur aiming to make a positive impact on healthcare in Cambodia.

Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/vireak-chea

Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com

WhatsApp: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CeL3ywi7yOWFd8HTo6yzde

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

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyAu

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

Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZC5jby9icmF2ZWR5bmFtaWNz

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea

Learn more about Pollen here: https://www.pollen.tech