Episodes
Welcome to Rising Giants with your hosts Max Thornton and Dominic Kalousek, where we explore the world of innovation and entrepreneurship in Cambodia and Southeaset Asia. On this week's episode we have Vanda Horn. Vanda is the Co-Founder and CEO of Solo Landscapes, an adventure tour operator for explorers and nature lovers who share the same desire to get out of their own comfort zone and to reconnect with themselves. Besides running tours, Solo Landscapes is committed to supporting the...
Published 05/02/24
Published 05/02/24
Welcome to Rising Giants with your hosts Max Thornton and Dominic Kalousek, where we explore the world of innovation and entrepreneurship in Cambodia and the Southeaset Asia region. On this week's episode we have Lucinda Revell.  Lucinda is the co-founder of Boost Capital, a company dedicated to leveraging innovative technology to broaden access to digital financial services, particularly for the underbanked. Through Boost's cutting-edge technology, entrepreneurs now have the ability to...
Published 04/18/24
Welcome back to Rising Giants with your hosts Max Thornton and Dominic Kalousek, where we explore the world of innovation and entrepreneurship in Cambodia and the Southeaset Asia region. On the episode today we have Louis-Alban Batard-Dupre, Co-Founder & CEO of Yindii. Louis is a seasoned social entrepreneur and sustainability expert with over a decade of experience nurturing startups across Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia. His latest venture, Yindii, is a game-changer in the...
Published 04/10/24
Today on Rising Giants, we're excited to introduce Ee Ling Lim, the Co-Founder of Smarter Me and Executive Director of Market Launch at 500 Global. Ee Ling heads up 500 Global's Market Launch Team, overseeing the development and implementation of startup programs for 500 and its partners all over the world, from Egypt and Canada, to Japan and Taiwan. In her role, she works with various ecosystem stakeholders - Governments, corporations, foundations, startups - to accelerate their innovation...
Published 04/05/24
Today on Rising Giants, we're excited to introduce Surasit Sachdev, the CEO and Co-Founder of Hungry Hub. A born entrepreneur, he has always been a problem solver. For him, trying new food and eating at new restaurants is a hobby. His passion for technology together with the reservation problems he experienced led him to the creation of Hungry Hub. Hungry Hub is N.1 restaurant reservation app in Thailand. Surasit leads a team of up to 100 people, helping over 1,000 restaraunt brands generate...
Published 03/28/24
Today on Rising Giants, we're excited to introduce Richard Armstrong, a Venture Partner at TA Ventures in Southeast Asia. His primary role involves scouting for promising ventures within emerging markets, with a keen focus on consumer technology and marketplaces. With five years of hands-on experience in startups and venture capital, Richard brings invaluable insights as a two-time founder himself. Moreover, his extensive background in creator and media domains enriches his...
Published 03/20/24
Today on Rising Giants we have Amanda Cua, she is the Founder and CEO of BackScoop, a media startup focused on Southeast Asian startups and tech. It started with their first product, a free daily newsletter that makes it fun and easy to stay informed with everything Southeast Asian business and startups in minutes. Launched in late 2021, BackScoop is read by thousands of SEA’s top founders, execs, VCs and startup operators. Born and raised in the Philippines, Amanda is 22 years old and was...
Published 03/13/24
On this week's episode of Rising Giants we are with Sophorth Khuon, CEO and Co-Founder of Morakot Technology. Morakot's core specialty is providing cloud-based core banking platforms for microfinance institutions and banks, having achieved market leadership in Cambodia, now expanding across Southeast Asia. They also recently launched Mora BNPL, Cambodia's first Buy Now, Pay Later platform. Key Points From The Show: The pathway for expanding Morakot into Indonesia and the Philippines in...
Published 03/06/24
On this week's episode of Rising Giants we are with Casino Apte, Co-Founder of Gamlytics. Gamlytics is an esports analytics and management platform, they provide esports teams with tools to streamline daily operations as well as advanced data analytics to improve player performance, optimize strategy, and sharpen team composition. Key Points From The Show: 'Moneyballing esports': bringing esports statistics into the 21st century Building teams in a global industry: Bangkok, Santiago and...
Published 02/28/24
On this week's episode of Rising Giants we have the pleasure of speaking with Sotha Veng, Founder & CEO of PlasGate. PlasGate is the largest and first cloud SMS, IP, Voice and OTT gateway in Cambodia authorized by Smart, Cellcard and Metfone. They provide an end to end B2B solution so businesses can set new communication standards with customers. Key Points From The Show: Building a new sector from scratch and earning trust from customers How convincing people to share your vision...
Published 02/22/24
On this week's episode of Rising Giants we have the pleasure of speaking with Harprem Doowa, Founder of Eazy Digital. Eazy builds platforms for insurance companies helping them digitize at affordable prices. Harprem previously Co-Founded and exited various startups including Frank (insurtech), Orami/Moxy (lifestyle products), WhatsNew Thailand, Petloft and Fluffi (pet products). Key Points From The Show: Lessons from a serial entrepreneur in Southeast Asia having Co-Founded 5+ startups! ...
Published 02/15/24
On this week's episode of Rising Giants we have the pleasure of speaking with Thomas Schings, GM of RGX, where he is building the first licensed Digital Asset Exchange in Cambodia. Thomas also spent five years as Head of Research at The Association of Banks in Cambodia, supporting the Cambodian banking sector to reach international best standards. Key Points From The Show: Is there any inherent value in memecoins like Dogecoin? How RGX is looking to differentiate itself from other CEXs ...
Published 02/08/24
On this week's episode of Rising Giants we have the pleasure of speaking with Sopheakmonkol Sok, Co-Founder and CEO of Codingate. Codingate is one of the original pioneers in the tech space in Cambodia, having built some of the leading applications in the country and transitioned many leading businesses to a digital future. They now embark on a new chapter that is product centric! Key Points From The Show: What makes a great founder: execution, not ideas! Launching GateMaster AI: making...
Published 02/01/24
On this week's episode of Rising Giants we have the pleasure of speaking with Sopheakmonkol Sok, Co-Founder and CEO of Codingate. Cogingate is one of the original pioneers in the tech space in Cambodia, having built some of the leading applications in the country and transitioned many leading businesses to a digital future. They now embark on a new chapter that is product centric! Key Points From The Show: What makes a great founder: execution, not ideas! Launching GateMaster AI: making...
Published 01/31/24
On this week's episode of Rising Giants we have the pleasure of speaking with Harrison White, Founder & Editor of Cambodia Investment Review and long time partner of RG. CIR is Cambodia’s #1 local news outlet dedicated to Cambodian investment news in the English language, publishing the latest business and investment news. Key Points From The Show: How to build a media company in the 21st century! Their new business vertical launch: CIR Recruitment The impact of AI on the...
Published 12/21/23
On this week's episode of Rising Giants we have the pleasure of speaking with Stephen Higgins, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Mekong Strategic Capital! Stephen has more than two decades of experience in banking and financial services, communications, leadership, and strategy. At Mekong Strategic Capital he specialises in financial services and renewable energy, and has advised on some of the largest transactions in Cambodia in recent years. Key Points From The Show: Perception vs...
Published 12/21/23
On this week's episode of Rising Giants we have the pleasure of hosting Yulia Khouri on the show. Yulia is the Founder & CEO of Animal Mama, one of Cambodia's most prominent veterinary hospitals, as well as Home of Heroes, the first retirement home in the world for de-mining dogs. Key Points From The Show: Yulia's story of building one of the most successful veterinary hospitals in Cambodia alongside the overall development of the veterinary sector The impact of the Home of Heroes...
Published 11/19/23
On this week's episode of Rising Giants we have the pleasure of speaking with Gabriele Faja, CEO of Soundskool Music and Producer of Madama Butterfly Opera. Gabi was born in Italy and grew up in a home with parents that were both classical musicians where he grew a passion for music at an early age. He then attended the Royal College of Music in London where he graduated in classical music performance and began his journey as a founder in the world of music. His journey led him to Cambodia...
Published 11/18/23
We are welcoming Lydet on Rising Giants this week. He is the founder of Tech for Kids Academy, that provides a new learning pathway for students to apply their knowledge in technological innovation, offering short courses in IoT, Coding, Robotics, AI and Entrepreneurship. He is also the President of The British Chevening Alumni Association of Cambodia, a network of Cambodian recipients of British Chevening Fellowships and Scholarships provided through the British Embassy in Cambodia. Key...
Published 10/26/23
Join us this week as we have the pleasure of speaking with Christophe Forsinetti, Co-Founder of OBOR Capital and Investment Director of Leap Philanthropy. Christophe has over 18 years of investment experience in emerging markets, and has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities in the region, as well as the geopolitical and socio-economic factors that influence them. Entering into Cambodia's market in the early 2010's, he has a great perspective on how the country's startup...
Published 10/19/23
This week on Rising Giants we have Socheat, the cofounder of one of Cambodia's leading healthteach companies, Pethyoeung, having recently set up their parent company, Pymed, in Dallas, Texas, USA, now entering a period of focused expansion beyond Cambodia. Pethyoeung is the largest cloud-based Hospital Management Software Platform created to advance the healthcare ecosystem in Cambodia and ASEAN nations through securing medical records, patient data and smoothening hospital operating...
Published 10/12/23
On this episode of Rising Giants, we welcome Senior Startup Development Specialist at Techo Startup Center Vantharith Oum to discuss his experience living and studying in Korea, his early work at Paragon University, and his first startup experience with Watershed Ventures. He shares his plans to support early startup businesses in Cambodia through joining Techo Startup Center, where he plays a pivotal role in continuing to foster startup activity and the adoption of technology across...
Published 10/05/23
We are welcoming back Jolyda Sou to Rising Giants. Jolyda is a Fulbright scholar and multidisciplinary professional in financial management and investment (PFM, corporate finance, venture capital, tech startups) plus project management and social advocacy developed through working and traveling in 25+ countries. Jolyda recently launched Prestige Consulting, a professional service firm specializing in helping businesses with financial management, marketing, and staff training. 3 Key Points...
Published 09/27/23
Kicking off our 101st episode of Rising Giants, Max and Dom get together to reflect on key learnings from the first 100 episodes over the past 3 years of hosting the channel. While many things are covered, we first and foremost want to say thank you to each of the guests who have come on the show and spent their valuable time with us - it has been a huge pleasure to learn from each of you and cover the amazing contributions you are making to the Cambodian ecosystem. We are excited for the...
Published 09/24/23