What is 1-to-10?
Learnings from a Southeast Asia (SEA) startup operator
There are 3 stages in any startup:
0 to 1 (finding product-market fit)
1 to 10 (scaling up company processes, structures, fundraising)
10 to 100 (larger fundraising, pre-IPO)
This Substack (1-to-10 Scaleup) will focus on the 2nd phase of company-building: product-market fit achieved, some institutional fundraising achieved and the company reached a size of ~50-100 employees. The advice and learnings from 0 to 1 do not apply as much as 1 to 10 then. We are in for a messy ride, but a good ride.
Background Intro
I currently work in a strategy/ops/finance role in a SEA social commerce company. Our primary market is Indonesia.
I have worked in venture capital, consulting and different startups across Indonesia, New York City and Singapore. I studied finance & operations from NUS Business School, where I did a one-year stint in New York City.
What content will I share?
This Substack will focus on the technology, e-commerce, logistics and startup space. The geographical focus will be Southeast Asia (SEA), predominantly Indonesia and Singapore - regions where I have more experience in.
I find SEA fascinating. There has been so much public analysis on U.S. and China, but very little has been publicly written, discussed about SEA companies. SEA startup founders, operators and funds do not write as much publicly about the region, so I see a gap in terms of content and knowledge about the region.
This is what I will cover
(1) Learnings as a SEA startup cofounder/operator : 6 years of professional experience in SEA has given me tons of learnings. I break down my learnings here:
How to use this guide
(2) Business model breakdowns: I will break down the technology sector into various sub-sectors and research, write about them.
(3) Company deep-dives: I will analyze various SEA companies, dive deep into their financials and strategies; and hopefully draw actionable insights.
(5) Book summaries & recommendations: I read a ton of books on startups, politics, productivity and self-improvements. My recent interest is in climate change.
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