GUIDE

Founders are the people who stand between running a business that works efficiently with cash or hustling to get cash to feed the hungry business. We call it “cashflow traps” at GUIDE. Here's some nuggets for you to catch: ▶ Startups and scaleups can unlock more cash through strategies beyond just focusing on revenue growth and retained earnings. (Hint: You might be leaving too much money on the table.) ▶ Founders deeply immersed in product innovation should take a step back to gain a broader perspective on their revenue recognition practices. (Hint: You may have a leaking ship, but you’re too busy chasing bigger fish to notice.) ▶ If you’re constantly putting out fires, it’s a sign your capital isn’t working for you — you’re working for it. Capital Efficiency is the next big focus at the Venture Capital Learning Lab with Asia School of Business. Because it’s a broad topic, we’ve broken it into separate event-based Masterclass Series in the next 6 months, starting in October. Join us on October 16 for an exclusive Masterclass Series: Capital Efficiencies in Operations (Part 1). This session is designed to help startup and scaleup founders accelerate revenue capture and manage capital more effectively—from checkout to payout—covering cash flow cycles, working capital, and equity distribution. Here’s what you will get out from the day:  💡 Effective Checkout, Payout, and Revenue Recognition with Douglas Ong and Yina Chan from Stripe: Learn how optimizing your checkout can be a game changer for sales conversion! 💸 Cash Flow & Working Capital Strategies with Christy WONG from Crusade Partners: Unlock smart financial stability through cash flow management and discover new instruments, like venture debt or loans, without diluting ownership. 🔥 Balancing Cash Flow for Growth with Joe Khoo from iStore iSend & moderated by myself: Hear his real-life journey to venture-backed success and how he uses venture debt for fast growth in this fireside chat. 📊 CapTable Management & Modelling Workshop with Alvin Chin, facilitated by myself: Get hands-on with managing equity ownership via cap table modeling and simulation. Founders will gain clarity and practical approaches to managing equity ownership, share classes, distribution, dilution, and exit scenarios. Nothing wraps up the day better than a nice drink, chit-chat, and food. Thanks to our friends at Stripe, we are putting on an after-party networking session (6-8pm). ______ Reserve your spot now on October 16 (Wednesday, 2:30 - 5:30pm, Asia School of Business). We are capping the audience size to promise a more intimate experience. 🔗 Registration Page: https://lu.ma/amrfumj5 🎁 This event is partially supported by Stripe ( 🎟️ Use Coupon: FROMSTRIPEWITHLOVE to get RM180 off on your early bird ticket purchase) #GUIDE #VentureCapital #Startup #VentureEducation Past Knowledge Partners: Gobi Partners, 500 Global, 500 Southeast Asia, Carta, Funding Societies | Modalku Group

Not just investors. "Dating" also applies to the search for co-founder(s). For a long time, I've been fascinated by a wave of startup programs limiting their investment/acceptance criteria to startups with at least two co-founders. 👥 On the other hand, cofounder matchmaking platforms are becoming quite popular, offering propositions that connect and pair cofounder candidates locally and globally. 🤝 Are they effective in any way? 🤔 I want to challenge the current trend that it is truly possible for someone strangers to each other to be connected, establish compatibility of skill sets, and form a lasting business partnership within 3 months (the typical length of startup programs). There's one deeper knowledge black hole here: No one talks about their split (destructiveness to a business 🤐 ) OR even those partnerships that are lasting might join later than we expected (beyond a year 👋 ). I would love to use data to shine some light on the timeline of cofounder discovery and the matching process. So, here's the survey for all business owners and existing founders out there around the world: We want to hear from everyone, whether you’ve had a co-founder from the very beginning, brought someone on board after launch, or navigated the challenges of a co-founder leaving. 📩 Share your thoughts here https://lnkd.in/g-AtAdf4 The results will be shared on my and GUIDE's feed. Follow us or subscribe to our newsletter to take advantage of the insights we discover through curiosity and interest in Asia's tech and innovation developments. 👉 Subscribe to our newsletter: https://shorturl.at/g67gq #GUIDE #Startup #VentureEducation #Asia #Founders

Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting Teng Lee, former cofounder of Aliments (acquired by Grab, now HUBBO POS) 🍽️, for an exclusive session where he shared his entrepreneurial journey with our GUIDE Founders’ Program founders. Through our conversation with Lee Teng, we learned how a food ordering and delivery platform could prioritize its merchants so deeply that they went above and beyond for the restaurant merchants during the pandemic lockdown in developing tailored strategies and campaigns to help boost their food delivery sales and reach broader customer group by expanding the area coverage, with the platform’s profit taking a backseat. This is undoubtedly one of the reasons why businesses tend to prefer working with solution providers who demonstrate a deep commitment to shared success for the long term, especially during challenging times 💪🏻 👥 Lee Teng also emphasized that while talent management is a crucial function, it is often overlooked in the early stages of a startup, as founders typically invest most of their time in product development and commercialization during this period. This serves as a reminder that founders should incorporate people management into their strategic planning and consider it when setting key milestones for the company. 💎 Once again thank you Lee Teng for generously sharing your entrepreneurial experiences and perspectives with us ☺️ We’re really excited to put these lessons into practice with our GFP founders soon! 🥳 _________ 👉 Want to be invited to the next sharing session? Join the #DefinitiveGUIDE community now to receive first-hand updates: https://shorturl.at/g67gq #GUIDE #VentureCapital #Fundraising #Startup #EntrepreneurshipEducation #VentureEducation Neil Cheong Alvin Chin

#EquityAllocation is not easy but it’s one of the most important decisions one has to make as a founder, so we asked founders about their willingness to allocate equity based on the value each role brings to the startup (using feedback from our community) 🤔 Here’s what we found consistently across all founders through our last #Bi-Weekly Poll: 💡 Setting aside a 10% ESOP pool for key employees 💡 Offering some equity (up to 10%) or none to advisors who made a strategic contribution to the startup 💡 Early-stage VCs that provide a valuation should not take more than 20% of the startup 💡 For angel investors, most founders offer only 10% with the capital they inject into the startup, with some cases going up to 20% 🔍 Responses vary the most when it comes to co-founders' shares, with a slight majority believing that co-founders should hold between 21% and 30% _________ It’s time for the new Bi-Weekly Poll! 🎉 💬 Survey: In which sector do you think technology is the most critical and useful for improving the way we live, and to what extent do you agree that tech or software-related expenditures in enterprises are effective in driving increased productivity and competitiveness? 📥 Drop your thoughts here and come back in two weeks to see what everyone else had to say: https://shorturl.at/t2a4P _________ 👉Want to receive invitations to join our latest Bi-Weekly Poll within the #DefinitiveGUIDE community? Sign up now: https://shorturl.at/g67gq #GUIDE #VentureCapital #Fundraising #Startup #EntrepreneurshipEducation #VentureEducation Neil Cheong Alvin Chin

👋 I am looking for an aspiring Chief of Staff to join one of our portfolio companies that GUIDE works very synergistically together to uplift emerging Pet Brands. ▶ He/she is willing to roll up her sleeve and start from the bottom with the founding team ▶ Unlearn and relearn with us while building the company. ▶ Passionate about brand building and/or a Furparent would be a ➕ ▶ We pave your way towards a Chief of Staff role Do you know anyone who might be interested? Share this post. Chief of Staff School Alvin Chin #chiefofstaff #chiefofstaffschool #hiring

Sharing is caring. It’s time to bring it to light. Every two weeks, GUIDE sends out a very special (and free) newsletter to nearly 2,000 individual inboxes covering: ▶ 🤔 Scalable technology that transforms lives and challenges our current notions ▶ 📈 Special focus on the progress and development of the tech industry and digital adoption in Asia ▶ 🧠 Food for thought on modern entrepreneurship and ecosystem building ▶ 🍭 Special invitations + Featured key takeaways from our venture education efforts across Asia All topics are handpicked because we are fascinated by them—and we think you would be, too! They are all summarized precisely within 10 points—no more, no less—for a 10-second skim. Hence, the name 10-Point Brief. 🍒 🍰 The best part? Alongside, we ran a poll and survey 🗳, asking our community of readers to share their thoughts on interesting topics or questions that would be difficult to ask at scale. ______ Stay more innovative and informed with the latest tech developments in Asia’s innovation ecosystem: https://shorturl.at/g67gq Next Poll ▶🗳 Share your thoughts on equity allocation: https://shorturl.at/P8hEE *You'll get to see the result tomorrow, Wednesday; don't miss out by subscribing to our newsletter #GUIDE #VentureCapital #Fundraising #Startup #EntrepreneurshipEducation #VentureEducation Alvin Chin Alexandra Mercz Afiq Johar

On 27 Jun, our Founding Managing Director, Neil Cheong was part of a panel session moderated by Amy Shelver, together with Jess Anuna from Klasha and Nielsimms Sangho from ShipShap to talk about innovative finance focuses on new financial solutions to support sustainable business growth 👣📈 The United Nations General Assembly designated 27 June as #WorldMSMEDay to acknowledge the critical role of micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises in driving economic growth and sustainable development 🚀🌟 Here’s some key takeaways we’ve gathered from the session: 💡 MSMEs generally rely on family, friends, or debt to run their businesses, and this approach is neither sustainable nor conducive to significant business growth. Thanks to new and emerging digital financing solutions, MSMEs now have more diverse financing options and can secure funding more effectively. Recognizing the potential of these new solutions, governments are introducing new policies and regulations to accommodate and support the growth of digital financing. 💡 Building a value chain from end to end is time-consuming and inefficient in growth within the ecosystem. Therefore, forming strategic partnerships between fintech companies and traditional financial institutions such as banks, would be more beneficial and open up more diverse pathways for MSMEs to access funding options. 💡 MSMEs differ significantly from emerging startups in various aspects, including their operational models and financing needs. Digital footprints such as social media engagements and online transactions, should be taken into account as key factors for financing solution providers when assessing the current financial health of MSMEs. These metrics can also provide a more comprehensive view of their future potential, leading to a more informed financing decision. All in all, it was a fruitful discussion with our fellow ecosystem friends and once again thank you UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and Empretec Network for having us for the event! ☺️ _________ 👉 Want to be part of our next panel session? Join the #DefinitiveGUIDE community now to receive first-hand updates: https://shorturl.at/g67gq #GUIDE #VentureCapital #Fundraising #Startup #EntrepreneurshipEducation #VentureEducation Alvin Chin

Pitch@ASB is a monthly pitching event jointly organized by GUIDE and the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center of Asia School of Business. Here are some photos to recap the moments we’ve shared for the past 6 months! ✨ ☁️ This event acts as a safe space for entrepreneurs to practice their pitches, fine-tune their messaging, and enhance their delivery and overall presentation skills. Each participant is given 3 minutes to present their pitch, followed by a Q&A and feedback session. During this session, participants receive constructive feedback and an overall scoring sheet from an experienced panel ✅ Over the past 6 months, we have met 18 entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs who came to the pitching event with a brief business idea and left with a solid proposition 🦾 We are always excited to meet more inspiring individuals and hope that through events like this, we can help them expand their reach within the startup ecosystem! 🚀 _________ 👉 Want to take part in more events like this? Join the #DefinitiveGUIDE community now to receive first-hand updates: https://shorturl.at/g67gq #GUIDE #VentureCapital #Fundraising #Startup #EntrepreneurshipEducation #VentureEducation

Earlier this month, JCI Entrepreneur hosted a 3-day ENTERPRISE 100 Innovator Program at Taylor's University Lakeside Campus to help startup founders and aspiring entrepreneurs learn the core skills of running and pitching a successful business 💡➡️🎯 Our Chief Financial Officer, Alvin Chin, was invited to join the program as a guest speaker to share fundraising strategies. During the session, participants learned how to effectively identify the right fundraising channel and understand what investors are looking for before making investment decisions 💰✅ The event wrapped up with a Final Showcase, where 8 groups of participants presented their business idea pitches focusing on wellness and health 🧘, F&B 🍴, and urban farming 🌽 and received feedback from the panel of judges, including our Founding Managing Director, Neil Cheong, Melvin Chan from Chup, Nelson Liew from Vanilla Crepe, William L. from Mystartr, Andrew Chee from RunningMen - Corporate Caterer in KL, and Aleexx Chor from Nexus Capital Malaysia. A big thank you to JCI Entrepreneur for having us at this event ☺️ It's always inspiring to be part of the journey with the entrepreneurs developing innovative business ideas from zero to one. We are excited to see how these ideas will turn into impactful results in the future! 🦾 _________ 👉 Want to take part in more events like this? Join the #DefinitiveGUIDE community now to receive first-hand updates: https://shorturl.at/g67gq #GUIDE #VentureCapital #Fundraising #Startup #EntrepreneurshipEducation #VentureEducation

Survey: How much equity would you allocate to your advisors, angel investors, co-founders, early/strategic employees, and early-stage VC? 🤔 Have you ever wondered what the optimal equity allocation is? 📩 Share your thoughts here, and come back here for the collected responses in two weeks: https://shorturl.at/iN36N _______ Results from the last poll: We ask whether startup entrepreneurs (or investors) would prefer to raise startup capital from (or fund) someone they know personally, professionally, or both. 🎯Here’s what we found: 👉 58% of investors prefer to fund founders they know both professionally and personally. 👉 69% of entrepreneurs raise funds solely from their professional connections. A minority raised funds by leveraging both their personal and professional relationships. ✅ How Angel Investors Can Invest More Effectively: Especially for new angel investors who aspire to be more active and prominent, actively involving yourself in the business and helping founders with their challenges can make a significant difference and attract new founders. ✅ How Founders Can Raise More Effectively from Angels: Founders should be proactive in building interpersonal trust and providing a more holistic picture of their personal and social profiles to establish greater confidence with individual investors, going beyond showcasing professional credibility and aptitude. _________ 👉Wanna be part of the #DefinitiveGUIDE community? Join us now: https://shorturl.at/g67gq #GUIDE #VentureCapital #Fundraising #Startup #EntrepreneurshipEducation #VentureEducation Neil Cheong Alvin Chin