‘Entrepreneurs Should Chase Big Markets'

The right business model intertwined with right execution is what determines if a start-up is going big or sailing back home. It is pivotal to grow a company, earn revenues, raise funds, expand into geographies, run operations — and most countries are already moving in this direction.

- Dipen Pradhan

In Southeast Asia, where more than half of the region’s GDP is driven by services verticals, there still exists a gap where technology can play a significant role to increase its efficiencies. To elaborate on such prospects, our conversation with Peng Tsin Ong, Co-founder & Managing Partner, Monk’s Hill Ventures, was influenced by what he likes to call ‘technification of services protocols’. Ong is a serial entrepreneur who has formerly co-founded companies such as SaaS-driven content management firm, Interwoven that went public on NASDAQ. Along with co-founder Kuo Yi Lim, Ong launched Monk’s Hill Ventures in 2014. The Singapore-based VC firm has invested in more than 20 tech-driven start-ups spanning across Southeast Asia. Here are edited excerpts from our interaction.

Where are investments happening in Southeast Asia?