The part about confronting superiority bias really resonated. I've seen alot of founders assume Western markets are automatically more sophisticated, when really its just different constraints that produce diferent solutions. Eng Hengs realization about merchants in the Philippines and Malaysia having sophisticated problem solving approaches is spot on. The pivot from selling to US companies to focusing on Southeast Asia shows a maturity thats rare in early stage founders. Building resilience across fragmented markets isnt glamorous, but its the kind of foundational work that actally matters.
The part about confronting superiority bias really resonated. I've seen alot of founders assume Western markets are automatically more sophisticated, when really its just different constraints that produce diferent solutions. Eng Hengs realization about merchants in the Philippines and Malaysia having sophisticated problem solving approaches is spot on. The pivot from selling to US companies to focusing on Southeast Asia shows a maturity thats rare in early stage founders. Building resilience across fragmented markets isnt glamorous, but its the kind of foundational work that actally matters.
We're glad that you enjoyed the article! Southeast Asia is indeed full of hidden opportunities when we choose to overcome biases against the region :)