I met Chris Tran at the Asian Investment Conference in Singapore, 2-3 May 2019, and was impressed by his depth of understanding and insight into the startup ecosystem in South East Asia.
Chris Tran, Head of North Ridge Partners (NRP), is an investor, advisor, and speaker focused on Series B+ South East Asian Tech and Internet companies. Chris focuses on helping tech entrepreneurs in the South East Asian space to executive strategy, raise funds, and facilitate Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A). Chris was formerly an investment fund manager for NRP, an Executive Director in ASX listed, APD; and an observer board member for aCommerce.
These are the crucial questions we asked him during our interview.
Question 1: Why do you feel that the future of Asia or ASEAN is so bright?
Although South East Asia is considered a region that still has a long way to go, it is undeniable that its future is very promising. It is growing faster than ever, it is becoming the hub that is creating technologies that will actually create a better future and is seeing one of the biggest growth stories of all time. These are only some of the things that should be considered as to why it is good to invest in the tech companies from the region. This success story is definitely happening soon enough and for some investors, this could be a huge opportunity that they should look into.
Question 2: Why so should we give so much support for these entrepreneurs? Why are you so keen on helping them?
The rate of change South East Asia is undergoing requires a new physical and social and mental infrastructure for the next stage of success, and we rely on technology to fulfil these requirements. But who creates this technology? These are the entrepreneurs that are creating technological solutions, the people who truly care about changing the world – the unsung heroes of today’s generation. For Chris, they deserve to get all the support they needed to start up with their companies and to actually make a change in the community.
Question 3: Which particular industry do you think will be the one that grows fastest?
There are a couple of industries in technology that is growing the fastest. That includes FinTech, HealthTech, and A.I. & Big Data. With FinTech, dealing with money would be more secure & transparent; in A.I. & Big Data, it will shape industries fundamentally and with HealthTech, it will help to create more available health services. These are the technologies that could truly help our lives become easier and more efficient. Through these, we can solve problems we did not know how to and we will have real visibility in ways that humans could not have before.
Thanks again to Chris Tran and Asian Investment Conference 2019, Singapore. It seems Asia is growing brighter and brighter; stay with us here at Asian Entrepreneur as we capture and explore the region together.
