Empires - An Asian Business Podcast
1UpMedia
If you love Business Wars, you'll love this!
From 1UpMedia, Empires is an immersive storytelling that dives deep into the history of the most successful businesses in Asia.
Every Monday, you'll learn the history of its leaders, the decisions that have rippled across the industry, and the factors that allowed them to become the empire's that they are today.
From triumph and victories, to monumental failures - Empires gets you behind the scenes of some of the most successful companies in Asia.
From 1UpMedia, Empires is an immersive storytelling that dives deep into the history of the most successful businesses in Asia.
Every Monday, you'll learn the history of its leaders, the decisions that have rippled across the industry, and the factors that allowed them to become the empire's that they are today.
From triumph and victories, to monumental failures - Empires gets you behind the scenes of some of the most successful companies in Asia.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 6, 2025 • 31min
Grameen Bank (BD) I Beyond Banking I 5/5
Apple changed how we use technology. Grameen changed how the poor use money.From one man’s frustration in famine-stricken Bangladesh to a global revolution in microcredit, Muhammad Yunus turned a $27 experiment into one of the world’s most powerful engines of poverty reduction.He wasn’t supposed to succeed. Banks refused him. Bureaucrats mocked him. Critics swore the poor could never repay loans.But Yunus proved everyone wrong.From the paddy fields of Jobra to the slums of Chicago, Grameen spread an idea that dignity, not charity, was the path out of poverty. Along the way, it became more than a bank. It became a movement.This is the story of Grameen Bank. Of how compassion and credit reshaped lives, industries, and the very meaning of wealth.Episode 1: The First DepositIn famine-stricken Bangladesh, a young economist lends $27 to 42 villagers. What happens next sets in motion a financial revolution.Episode 2: Promise to the PoorBanks dismiss his idea as madness. So Yunus signs his name as collateral and invents a radical new kind of banking.Episode 3: Business is WarTo prove microcredit works beyond one village, Grameen expands into Tangail - a district plagued by violence, rumors, and armed revolutionaries.Episode 4: Growth before the Storm Grameen becomes an independent bank. But just as it grows into a national force, one of the deadliest cyclones in history threatens to wipe it all away.Episode 5: Beyond BankingFrom fish ponds to textiles, from cell phones to America’s welfare system, Yunus takes the Grameen model global, imagining a future where poverty belongs only in museums.-Want to showcase your brand to listeners with a combined net worth of over $1 billion and a network of 100,000+ employees and industry contacts? Drop us an email: sales@1upmediapodcast.com-We're looking to grow our team! Support our productions by buying us a coffee.-Want to meet the team? Follow me here!-If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/Apple)
Sep 29, 2025 • 30min
Grameen Bank (BD) I Growth Before The Storm I 4/5
Apple changed how we use technology. Grameen changed how the poor use money.From one man’s frustration in famine-stricken Bangladesh to a global revolution in microcredit, Muhammad Yunus turned a $27 experiment into one of the world’s most powerful engines of poverty reduction.He wasn’t supposed to succeed. Banks refused him. Bureaucrats mocked him. Critics swore the poor could never repay loans.But Yunus proved everyone wrong.From the paddy fields of Jobra to the slums of Chicago, Grameen spread an idea that dignity, not charity, was the path out of poverty. Along the way, it became more than a bank. It became a movement.This is the story of Grameen Bank. Of how compassion and credit reshaped lives, industries, and the very meaning of wealth.Episode 1: The First DepositIn famine-stricken Bangladesh, a young economist lends $27 to 42 villagers. What happens next sets in motion a financial revolution.Episode 2: Promise to the PoorBanks dismiss his idea as madness. So Yunus signs his name as collateral and invents a radical new kind of banking.Episode 3: Business is WarTo prove microcredit works beyond one village, Grameen expands into Tangail - a district plagued by violence, rumors, and armed revolutionaries.Episode 4: Growth before the Storm Grameen becomes an independent bank. But just as it grows into a national force, one of the deadliest cyclones in history threatens to wipe it all away.Episode 5: Beyond BankingFrom fish ponds to textiles, from cell phones to America’s welfare system, Yunus takes the Grameen model global, imagining a future where poverty belongs only in museums.-Want to showcase your brand to listeners with a combined net worth of over $1 billion and a network of 100,000+ employees and industry contacts? Drop us an email: sales@1upmediapodcast.com-We're looking to grow our team! Support our productions by buying us a coffee.-Want to meet the team? Follow me here!-If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/Apple)
Sep 22, 2025 • 26min
Grameen Bank (BD) I Business is war I 3/5
Apple changed how we use technology. Grameen changed how the poor use money.From one man’s frustration in famine-stricken Bangladesh to a global revolution in microcredit, Muhammad Yunus turned a $27 experiment into one of the world’s most powerful engines of poverty reduction.He wasn’t supposed to succeed. Banks refused him. Bureaucrats mocked him. Critics swore the poor could never repay loans.But Yunus proved everyone wrong.From the paddy fields of Jobra to the slums of Chicago, Grameen spread an idea that dignity, not charity, was the path out of poverty. Along the way, it became more than a bank. It became a movement.This is the story of Grameen Bank. Of how compassion and credit reshaped lives, industries, and the very meaning of wealth.Episode 1: The First DepositIn famine-stricken Bangladesh, a young economist lends $27 to 42 villagers. What happens next sets in motion a financial revolution.Episode 2: Promise to the PoorBanks dismiss his idea as madness. So Yunus signs his name as collateral and invents a radical new kind of banking.Episode 3: Business is WarTo prove microcredit works beyond one village, Grameen expands into Tangail - a district plagued by violence, rumors, and armed revolutionaries.Episode 4: Growth before the Storm Grameen becomes an independent bank. But just as it grows into a national force, one of the deadliest cyclones in history threatens to wipe it all away.Episode 5: Beyond BankingFrom fish ponds to textiles, from cell phones to America’s welfare system, Yunus takes the Grameen model global, imagining a future where poverty belongs only in museums.-Want to showcase your brand to listeners with a combined net worth of over $1 billion and a network of 100,000+ employees and industry contacts? Drop us an email: sales@1upmediapodcast.com-We're looking to grow our team! Support our productions by buying us a coffee.-Want to meet the team? Follow me here!-If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/Apple)
Sep 15, 2025 • 28min
Grameen Bank (BD) I Promise To The Poor I 2/5
Apple changed how we use technology. Grameen changed how the poor use money.From one man’s frustration in famine-stricken Bangladesh to a global revolution in microcredit, Muhammad Yunus turned a $27 experiment into one of the world’s most powerful engines of poverty reduction.He wasn’t supposed to succeed. Banks refused him. Bureaucrats mocked him. Critics swore the poor could never repay loans.But Yunus proved everyone wrong.From the paddy fields of Jobra to the slums of Chicago, Grameen spread an idea that dignity, not charity, was the path out of poverty. Along the way, it became more than a bank. It became a movement.This is the story of Grameen Bank. Of how compassion and credit reshaped lives, industries, and the very meaning of wealth.Episode 1: The First DepositIn famine-stricken Bangladesh, a young economist lends $27 to 42 villagers. What happens next sets in motion a financial revolution.Episode 2: Promise to the PoorBanks dismiss his idea as madness. So Yunus signs his name as collateral and invents a radical new kind of banking.Episode 3: Business is WarTo prove microcredit works beyond one village, Grameen expands into Tangail - a district plagued by violence, rumors, and armed revolutionaries.Episode 4: Growth before the Storm Grameen becomes an independent bank. But just as it grows into a national force, one of the deadliest cyclones in history threatens to wipe it all away.Episode 5: Beyond BankingFrom fish ponds to textiles, from cell phones to America’s welfare system, Yunus takes the Grameen model global, imagining a future where poverty belongs only in museums.-Want to showcase your brand to listeners with a combined net worth of over $1 billion and a network of 100,000+ employees and industry contacts? Drop us an email: sales@1upmediapodcast.com-We're looking to grow our team! Support our productions by buying us a coffee.-Want to meet the team? Follow me here!-If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/Apple)
Sep 8, 2025 • 27min
Grameen Bank (BD) I The First Deposit I 1/5
Apple changed how we use technology. Grameen changed how the poor use money.From one man’s frustration in famine-stricken Bangladesh to a global revolution in microcredit, Muhammad Yunus turned a $27 experiment into one of the world’s most powerful engines of poverty reduction.He wasn’t supposed to succeed. Banks refused him. Bureaucrats mocked him. Critics swore the poor could never repay loans.But Yunus proved everyone wrong.From the paddy fields of Jobra to the slums of Chicago, Grameen spread an idea that dignity, not charity, was the path out of poverty. Along the way, it became more than a bank. It became a movement.This is the story of Grameen Bank. Of how compassion and credit reshaped lives, industries, and the very meaning of wealth.Episode 1: The First DepositIn famine-stricken Bangladesh, a young economist lends $27 to 42 villagers. What happens next sets in motion a financial revolution.Episode 2: Promise to the PoorBanks dismiss his idea as madness. So Yunus signs his name as collateral and invents a radical new kind of banking.Episode 3: Business is WarTo prove microcredit works beyond one village, Grameen expands into Tangail - a district plagued by violence, rumors, and armed revolutionaries.Episode 4: Growth before the Storm Grameen becomes an independent bank. But just as it grows into a national force, one of the deadliest cyclones in history threatens to wipe it all away.Episode 5: Beyond BankingFrom fish ponds to textiles, from cell phones to America’s welfare system, Yunus takes the Grameen model global, imagining a future where poverty belongs only in museums.-Want to showcase your brand to listeners with a combined net worth of over $1 billion and a network of 100,000+ employees and industry contacts? Drop us an email: sales@1upmediapodcast.com-We're looking to grow our team! Support our productions by buying us a coffee.-Want to meet the team? Follow me here!-If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/Apple)
Aug 11, 2025 • 42min
Huawei (CN) I Final Connection I 5/5
Our series is proudly sponsored by AlphaSense.-Access expert analyst reports, perfectly summarised by Gen-AI with precision and no hallucinations. Support our productions by booking your free trial today.-Huawei didn’t just build networks. It built the backbone of China’s rise.From a scrappy startup in 1980s Shenzhen to a global tech titan, Huawei’s climb has rattled the West, redrawn alliances, and redefined what a Chinese company can do.At the center is Ren Zhengfei. Ex-soldier, engineer, and survivor.He never planned to take on the world. But the world came for him anyway.Through sanctions, surveillance and accusations of espionage, Huawei always bounced back stronger.This is the story of Huawei — how one man’s obsession with technology turned into a battle over power, politics, and the future of global tech.Episode 1: Master SwitchShenzhen, 1987. Ren Zhengfei starts Huawei with limited cash, no tech of his own, and everything to prove. To survive, he builds not just a product — but a system. A culture of hunger, obsession, and unrelenting speed.Episode 2: Cost of SpeedWhen the People’s Liberation Army comes calling, Huawei gets its first big break. But with military contracts come new scrutiny, and Ren learns that loyalty has a price.Episode 3: Eyes of the StateHuawei’s surveillance tech becomes essential at home — powering cities, borders, and entire regions. But abroad, it triggers alarm. As the company expands globally, critics warn it’s not just watching — it’s watching for China.Episode 4: Honour and GloryHuawei’s mobile division takes aim at the global market — but the launch is rocky. Delays, bugs, and fierce competition threaten to sink it. Still, Ren doubles down, betting everything on the dream of a Chinese-made smartphone empire.Episode 5: Final ConnectionCut off, cornered, and branded a threat to national security, Huawei doesn’t fold. It doubles down. Rewriting software, rebuilding chips, the world can no longer ignore them.-Want to showcase your brand to listeners with a combined net worth of over $1 billion and a network of 100,000+ employees and industry contacts? Drop us an email: sales@1upmediapodcast.com-We're looking to grow our team! Support our productions by buying us a coffee.-Want to meet the team? Follow me here!-If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/Apple)
Aug 4, 2025 • 33min
Huawei (CN) I Honour and Glory I 4/5
Our series is proudly sponsored by AlphaSense.-Access expert analyst reports, perfectly summarised by Gen-AI with precision and no hallucinations. Support our productions by booking your free trial today.-Huawei didn’t just build networks. It built the backbone of China’s rise.From a scrappy startup in 1980s Shenzhen to a global tech titan, Huawei’s climb has rattled the West, redrawn alliances, and redefined what a Chinese company can do.At the center is Ren Zhengfei. Ex-soldier, engineer, and survivor.He never planned to take on the world. But the world came for him anyway.Through sanctions, surveillance and accusations of espionage, Huawei always bounced back stronger.This is the story of Huawei — how one man’s obsession with technology turned into a battle over power, politics, and the future of global tech.Episode 1: Master SwitchShenzhen, 1987. Ren Zhengfei starts Huawei with limited cash, no tech of his own, and everything to prove. To survive, he builds not just a product — but a system. A culture of hunger, obsession, and unrelenting speed.Episode 2: Cost of SpeedWhen the People’s Liberation Army comes calling, Huawei gets its first big break. But with military contracts come new scrutiny, and Ren learns that loyalty has a price.Episode 3: Eyes of the StateHuawei’s surveillance tech becomes essential at home — powering cities, borders, and entire regions. But abroad, it triggers alarm. As the company expands globally, critics warn it’s not just watching — it’s watching for China.Episode 4: Honour and GloryHuawei’s mobile division takes aim at the global market — but the launch is rocky. Delays, bugs, and fierce competition threaten to sink it. Still, Ren doubles down, betting everything on the dream of a Chinese-made smartphone empire.Episode 5: Final ConnectionCut off, cornered, and branded a threat to national security, Huawei doesn’t fold. It doubles down. Rewriting software, rebuilding chips, the world can no longer ignore them.-Want to showcase your brand to listeners with a combined net worth of over $1 billion and a network of 100,000+ employees and industry contacts? Drop us an email: sales@1upmediapodcast.com-We're looking to grow our team! Support our productions by buying us a coffee.-Want to meet the team? Follow me here!-If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/Apple)
Jul 28, 2025 • 34min
Huawei (CN) I Eyes of The State I 3/5
Our series is proudly sponsored by AlphaSense.-Access expert analyst reports, perfectly summarised by Gen-AI with precision and no hallucinations. Support our productions by booking your free trial today.-Huawei didn’t just build networks. It built the backbone of China’s rise.From a scrappy startup in 1980s Shenzhen to a global tech titan, Huawei’s climb has rattled the West, redrawn alliances, and redefined what a Chinese company can do.At the center is Ren Zhengfei. Ex-soldier, engineer, and survivor.He never planned to take on the world. But the world came for him anyway.Through sanctions, surveillance and accusations of espionage, Huawei always bounced back stronger.This is the story of Huawei — how one man’s obsession with technology turned into a battle over power, politics, and the future of global tech.Episode 1: Master SwitchShenzhen, 1987. Ren Zhengfei starts Huawei with limited cash, no tech of his own, and everything to prove. To survive, he builds not just a product — but a system. A culture of hunger, obsession, and unrelenting speed.Episode 2: Cost of SpeedWhen the People’s Liberation Army comes calling, Huawei gets its first big break. But with military contracts come new scrutiny, and Ren learns that loyalty has a price.Episode 3: Eyes of the StateHuawei’s surveillance tech becomes essential at home — powering cities, borders, and entire regions. But abroad, it triggers alarm. As the company expands globally, critics warn it’s not just watching — it’s watching for China.Episode 4: Honour and GloryHuawei’s mobile division takes aim at the global market — but the launch is rocky. Delays, bugs, and fierce competition threaten to sink it. Still, Ren doubles down, betting everything on the dream of a Chinese-made smartphone empire.Episode 5: Final ConnectionCut off, cornered, and branded a threat to national security, Huawei doesn’t fold. It doubles down. Rewriting software, rebuilding chips, the world can no longer ignore them.-Want to showcase your brand to listeners with a combined net worth of over $1 billion and a network of 100,000+ employees and industry contacts? Drop us an email: sales@1upmediapodcast.com-We're looking to grow our team! Support our productions by buying us a coffee.-Want to meet the team? Follow me here!-If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/Apple)
Jul 21, 2025 • 37min
Huawei (CN) I Cost of Speed I 2/5
Our series is proudly sponsored by AlphaSense.-Access expert analyst reports, perfectly summarised by Gen-AI with precision and no hallucinations. Support our productions by booking your free trial today.-Huawei didn’t just build networks. It built the backbone of China’s rise.From a scrappy startup in 1980s Shenzhen to a global tech titan, Huawei’s climb has rattled the West, redrawn alliances, and redefined what a Chinese company can do.At the center is Ren Zhengfei. Ex-soldier, engineer, and survivor.He never planned to take on the world. But the world came for him anyway.Through sanctions, surveillance and accusations of espionage, Huawei always bounced back stronger.This is the story of Huawei — how one man’s obsession with technology turned into a battle over power, politics, and the future of global tech.Episode 1: Master SwitchShenzhen, 1987. Ren Zhengfei starts Huawei with limited cash, no tech of his own, and everything to prove. To survive, he builds not just a product — but a system. A culture of hunger, obsession, and unrelenting speed.Episode 2: Cost of SpeedWhen the People’s Liberation Army comes calling, Huawei gets its first big break. But with military contracts come new scrutiny, and Ren learns that loyalty has a price.Episode 3: Eyes of the StateHuawei’s surveillance tech becomes essential at home — powering cities, borders, and entire regions. But abroad, it triggers alarm. As the company expands globally, critics warn it’s not just watching — it’s watching for China.Episode 4: Honour and GloryHuawei’s mobile division takes aim at the global market — but the launch is rocky. Delays, bugs, and fierce competition threaten to sink it. Still, Ren doubles down, betting everything on the dream of a Chinese-made smartphone empire.Episode 5: Final ConnectionCut off, cornered, and branded a threat to national security, Huawei doesn’t fold. It doubles down. Rewriting software, rebuilding chips, the world can no longer ignore them.-Want to showcase your brand to listeners with a combined net worth of over $1 billion and a network of 100,000+ employees and industry contacts? Drop us an email: sales@1upmediapodcast.com-We're looking to grow our team! Support our productions by buying us a coffee.-Want to meet the team? Follow me here!-If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/Apple)
Jul 14, 2025 • 39min
Huawei (CN) I Master Switch I 1/5
Our series is proudly sponsored by AlphaSense.-Access expert analyst reports, perfectly summarised by Gen-AI with precision and no hallucinations. Support our productions by booking your free trial today.-Huawei didn’t just build networks. It built the backbone of China’s rise.From a scrappy startup in 1980s Shenzhen to a global tech titan, Huawei’s climb has rattled the West, redrawn alliances, and redefined what a Chinese company can do.At the center is Ren Zhengfei. Ex-soldier, engineer, and survivor.He never planned to take on the world. But the world came for him anyway.Through sanctions, surveillance and accusations of espionage, Huawei always bounced back stronger.This is the story of Huawei — how one man’s obsession with technology turned into a battle over power, politics, and the future of global tech.Episode 1: Master SwitchShenzhen, 1987. Ren Zhengfei starts Huawei with limited cash, no tech of his own, and everything to prove. To survive, he builds not just a product — but a system. A culture of hunger, obsession, and unrelenting speed.Episode 2: Cost of SpeedWhen the People’s Liberation Army comes calling, Huawei gets its first big break. But with military contracts come new scrutiny, and Ren learns that loyalty has a price.Episode 3: Eyes of the StateHuawei’s surveillance tech becomes essential at home — powering cities, borders, and entire regions. But abroad, it triggers alarm. As the company expands globally, critics warn it’s not just watching — it’s watching for China.Episode 4: Honour and GloryHuawei’s mobile division takes aim at the global market — but the launch is rocky. Delays, bugs, and fierce competition threaten to sink it. Still, Ren doubles down, betting everything on the dream of a Chinese-made smartphone empire.Episode 5: Final ConnectionCut off, cornered, and branded a threat to national security, Huawei doesn’t fold. It doubles down. Rewriting software, rebuilding chips, the world can no longer ignore them.-Want to showcase your brand to listeners with a combined net worth of over $1 billion and a network of 100,000+ employees and industry contacts? Drop us an email: sales@1upmediapodcast.com-We're looking to grow our team! Support our productions by buying us a coffee.-Want to meet the team? Follow me here!-If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/Apple)
