In the rapidly evolving landscape of AI and filmmaking, the intersection of creativity and technology is producing groundbreaking results. I had the pleasure of speaking with Jud Willmont, the owner and Producer / Director at Willmountain Films, and Jacky Lin, a founding partner at Creative Fitting, to delve into their recent collaboration on an AI-generated film for the Shanghai Film Festival entitled M.A.D. Some of the topics they covered in detail included: The importance of a hybrid approach in filmmaking. While AI can handle the heavy lifting of creating visual content, the essence of storytelling still relies on human creativity. The suggestion that AI should be treated as an artist rather than just a tool. The astonishing speed at which AI technology is advancing. They noted that the AI models they were using evolved even during the short three-week competition period. The significant challenges in using AI for film production is maintaining consistency, especially with character movements and expressions. As AI-generated content becomes more prevalent, the unique perspectives and creative inputs from humans will continue to be what sets truly exceptional work apart. And... On Friday June 14th, the Global AI Film Marathon held the award ceremony in Shanghai Film Art Center. Jud and Jacky's film, M.A.D, won the Audience Award! This is the official announcement of the winning teams in Chinese:  https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/N1IUAhtK6z4WQPYwEP_McQ

In this episode of the Asia Tech Podcast, Ryan Manafe, co-founder and CEO of Dagangan, shared his insights on revolutionizing rural distribution in Indonesia. Drawing from his personal experiences in Central Java, Manafe identified the significant challenges faced by rural communities in accessing daily necessities. Some of the topics that Ryan covered in detail: In Indonesia, 80% of the population lives outside major cities like Jakarta. These areas represent a substantial market with unique needs, often neglected by large corporations. The importance of building a hub-and-spoke distribution network with micro-warehouses in villages. How local community leaders and religious figures play a vital role in educating villagers about new services. Facilitating access to the most remote markets for big brands like Coca-Cola and promoting local brands as well. How Dagangan isn't just about distributing goods; it's also about improving lives. For example, Dagangan partnered with a local milk company to address the issue of stunted growth in children by promoting affordable, nutritious milk in school canteens.

"So an event mesh is a data movement fabric, okay, yep, so the network, but it's the layer between the network and the applications. So if we explain it a little bit further, event broker is this technology that allows you to move data in a one to many manner, in a publish to subscribe manner. So for example, if an order is created, and we say that order event is published to the event broker, that order may have to go to the order management system. It may also go to the digital receipt system. It may also go to the loyalty system. So the same order has to go to multiple systems. And this pattern is called publish, subscribe, which is done by an event broker." - Sumeet Puri In this episode of the Asia Tech Podcast, Sumeet Puri, Chief Technology Solutions Officer at Solace, shared deep insights on the transformative power of real-time data and event-driven architecture. He explained how advancements in network and computing capabilities have enabled industries to transition from traditional data handling to real-time data processing.  Some of the topics that Sumeet covered in detail: The evolution from traditional data handling to real-time data processing. Real-time data is no longer a luxury reserved for high-frequency trading desks. It has permeated various industries, enhancing customer experience and operational efficiency.  The importance of event-driven architecture in facilitating real-time data movement. This architecture operates on the principle of event meshes, which are networks of event brokers that handle data in a publish-subscribe model.  Real-time data processing democratizes access to information and services. Puri highlights initiatives like Singapore's SGQR and India's UPI as examples where real-time data movement has enabled even the smallest merchants to participate in the digital economy. The concept of 'Event Storming' workshops is an innovative approach to identifying and leveraging real-time data opportunities. By breaking down business processes into individual events, companies can uncover previously hidden efficiencies and opportunities.

"Resistance training is, you know, they can take away everything in terms of like, your comfort, your warmth, your food, you know, etc, make you disoriented, but they can't take away your will to resist, right? And they can't take away your mind, right? That's the thing that you can always control in terms of resistance. And so I emphasized that to her what they taught us over and over, which was, never forget who the enemy is." - Gene Yu In this episode of the Asia Tech Podcast, featuring Gene Yu, a Founder and CEO of Blackpanda, we explored innovative approaches to cybersecurity and the vital role of crisis response. Gene’s unique background as a West Point graduate and a former Green Beret significantly shaped BlackPanda's approach. Some of the topics Gene covered in more detail included: By wrapping their cybersecurity emergency response services in an insurance-like product and a SaaS platform, BlackPanda has made high-quality cybersecurity accessible to a broader market at a significantly reduced cost. Given the sensitive nature of cybersecurity, the background of the founders and the reputation of the company play a crucial role in gaining clients' trust. One of the most profound insights Gene shared was about transferring skills and methodologies across different domains. He spoke about his transition from physical security and crisis response in the military to the digital realm of cybersecurity. This shift was facilitated by his ability to apply strategic and tactical principles from his military experience to cybersecurity challenges. BlackPanda’s focus on emergency response and crisis management in cybersecurity has allowed them to carve out a distinct identity in a new and growing market. Most importantly, Gene shared a gripping, true story about rescuing a family friend that had been kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf, an experience that profoundly impacted his life. This mission highlighted the importance of resilience, adaptability, and human connection in crisis situations. Amazon commissioned Gene to write a book about the incident that will be released on October 1, 2024 and you can find it here.

So it's actually very interesting how technology is taking a lot of the grunt work out of investment banking, which allows the real investment bankers to focus on the important stuff, which is, you know, the negotiations and the closing of the deals and more personal stuff. There is a good company in Japan, which has a good precedent called M&A Research Institute, which is a listed. And within it's a listed company, it's a similar business, and we're following basically the same path as they have. And they closed 150 deals last year. And they made $60 million of revenue. And it's a very profitable business model. - Marcus Yeung The journey of entrepreneurship is often fraught with challenges, triumphs, and valuable lessons. Asia Tech Podcast had the pleasure of conversing with Marcus Yeung, a seasoned entrepreneur and investment banker. Marcus is the co-Founder and Managing Partner at Match.Asia and the Founder of Seabridge Partners. Our discussion provided important insights into the world of entrepreneurship, particularly within the context of the evolving landscape of technology and investment banking. Some of the topics Marcus covered in detail: Embracing failure and the important learnings that result from it The power of long-term relationships The role of technology in scaling businesses The importance of integrity, humility, and gratitude A future where investment banking is significantly disrupted by technology The importance of long-term relationships and career evolution

"Well, we think of this catalog as, ideally, a kind of cannon for progress, both in a very sort of explicit sense when it comes to, again, growing the GDP of the internet, making it much easier for people who have very ambitious ideas about a company they want to build to do that, and in an easier way than they might have to do if they were just trying to figure out everything themselves. You don't need to reinvent the wheel." - Tamara Winter In this episode of the Asia Tech Podcast, Tamara Winter, the Commissioning Editor of Stripe Press, shares her insights on the unique mission and values guiding Stripe's publishing efforts. Stripe Press aims to disseminate practical and provocative content tailored to a specific audience of high-agency individuals such as founders, executives, and technologists. Some of the topics that Tamara covered in more detail: How the creation of Stripe Press was serendipitous, born during a conversation between Stripe’s co-founder John Collison and entrepreneur Elad Gil. How physical books offer a timeless and beautiful presentation for important ideas. The tactile experience of a book, from its cover design to the feel of the pages, adds a layer of significance to the content. A dedication to curating a catalog that serves as a canon for progress underscores Stripe Press’s commitment to providing essential knowledge to its audience. Stripe Press's philosophy is that "the way you do one thing is indicative of how you do everything". This ethos ensures that each book they publish is not only informative but also a work of art. How Tamara's own background, growing up in a culturally rich and diverse environment, shaped her understanding of the importance and the power of ideas.

Entrepreneur Meenah Tariq shares her journey from childhood ventures to CEO of Metric. She discusses the importance of adaptability in unfamiliar environments, democratizing financial intelligence, advocating for women entrepreneurs, and the resilience needed in the entrepreneurial journey.

"What we are saying is, hey, right now you have this unified infrastructure that allows you to do payment experimentation. And guess what, if you want to try and test different services, now you have access to an app store of services, you go in, in the Primer dashboard, they can just like toggle on and off, like the services you want to use. You can add test them, AB testing in the world of payments is simply impossible, right?" - Gabriel Le Roux Some of the topics that Gabriel highlighted in detail included: A pivotal shift towards modular payment systems, emphasizing flexibility and customization over the traditional one-size-fits-all solutions. The shift towards merchant-centric services, diverging from the historically provider-focused models, where businesses had to adapt to the limitations and structures of their payment service providers. The recent announcement by Stripe to open up its services aligns with a broader industry trend towards interoperability and flexibility. How Primer’s technology enables businesses to adapt their payment methods and procedures on a country-by-country basis seamlessly. The concept of "future-proofing" businesses through scalable payment infrastructures, allowing small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to implement a robust payment system early in their development phase, which can scale as they grow and expand.

"I think Hong Kong is a very special city. I think the spirit of the people, it's been a very entrepreneurial city over whatever, 100 plus years...Hong Kong, at the end day also has a good capital markets environment, for fundraising, especially for companies that have good traction and whatnot, I think it's a great place to track capital." - Christopher Yu The Asia Tech Podcast hosted Christopher Yu, the President and CFO at KPay Group. Chris shared his journey from investment banking to the entrepreneurial sector, highlighting his transition from a generalist in the corporate realm to embracing more entrepreneurial challenges. It was a really cool conversation. Some of the topics that Chris highlighted in detail included: The strength found in a longstanding partnership among KPay's founders, who have been together for over 15 years, proving that a cohesive team can significantly impact a business's resilience and adaptability. The importance of timing and self-awareness in corporate to entrepreneurial transitions, advocating for the entrepreneurial path as a platform for continued learning and growth. The necessity for building a deep understanding of the pain points faced by SMEs, emphasizing the importance of starting with a real, tangible problem and expanding solutions organically. Understanding local nuances while addressing universal pain points is crucial for successful market penetration and customer satisfaction. How KPay envisions a platform that is as seamless as upgrading from one smartphone model to another, emphasizing the importance of a synchronized, user-friendly experience that allows SMEs to focus on their core business.

"I've been moving by myself since I was 17... And each time I managed to pull myself up. And each time I managed to build a community around myself. And I think I was doing well in my own definition. So really, I believe any situation I can do well." - Jingjing Zhong In a revealing conversation on the Asia Tech Podcast, Jingjing Zhong, co-founder of Superbench, shared her entrepreneurial journey and the innovative work her company is doing in the home services industry. Some of the topics that Jingjing covered in detail included: Navigating cultural nuances can enhance business growth and communication The transition from corporate to entrepreneurship requires courage and the clarity of 'why' Emerging technological innovation can solve traditional business pain points Robust data management can lead to better decision-making and increased efficiency The importance of building a business model that scales by aligning closely with customer demands and industry dynamics Some other titles we considered for this episode: From Banking to AI: Revolutionizing Home Services The Future of Home Services: An AI-Driven Approach Empowering Small Businesses Through AI From Investment Banking to Tech Innovations: Revolutionizing Home Services with AI