Brendon Blacker

Enjoyed participating in a discussion on mobilizing investment to deliver a net-zero economy at the #JapanEnergySummit. The biggest barrier constricting VC capital flow is the potential for"death-by-pilot" where start-ups fail to secure the necessary funding required to support multiple iteration and scale-up phases often with moving goalposts from customers and partners. Contrary to popular belief, it is often commercial inertia that extends these timelines, not fundamental technology issues. While commercial partners need to manage risk, start-ups need to find partners where the highest levels of management see the vision for future alignment and are not just tinkering. And start-ups need to be able to give confidence to investors by striking early commercial deals with these partners that are subject to performance milestones and show real skin in the game.

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Global in Local - Glocal is a learning process, challenging yet very rich and meaningful 👏

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  Interesting 2024 Report on the Asian consumer here from Pricewaterhouse Coopers Private Limited, The Big 4 Tax Consulting Firm https://lnkd.in/ewwaWE82   Check this out and I quote “Asia Pacific is a powerhouse within the global consumer markets landscape. It’s home to 60% of the global population and represents 46% of global GDP. It is projected to make up nearly two-thirds of the global middle class by 2030. The opportunities for retailers and consumer markets companies are immense. Its diversity presents further opportunity — as well as risk — with its multitude of market archetypes, economic realities and buying patterns across multiple territories. Add to this a backdrop of economic and environmental uncertainty, ‘trust’ is the key to thriving and realising the potential of this dynamic market. “   The company polled over 7,000 consumers across 11 Asia Pacific territories, as part of a global survey.   This economic vibrancy is one of the many reasons we are  really looking forward to the 10th Annual Asian Surfactants Conference in Kuala Lumpur on the November 20 – 21 (Training in person with Neil A Burns on November 19th)  Book now. The space is certain to sell out.  https://lnkd.in/ezpfZyuy

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I visited Mumbai in December 1998 on a business school graduation trip. I had not been to India for over a decade. On that trip, everything changed for me. Given the opportunity I saw driven by growing consumer demand, I pivoted my professional career and personal ambitions to go all in India. Many may argue that I was 10-15 years too early. Early investments include brands that are market leaders today: Saffronart, India’s leading auction house; Sula Vineyards, India’s lead wine brand; and Cleartrip, one of India’s first OTAs. As I spend more time in ASEAN, I see many similarities in Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh and Manila. The smartest are coming back from the US and Europe to build business across sectors in their home countries. Consumers are becoming more demanding and asking more from the brands they buy. The incumbents, large and slow, are finding it difficult to launch new brands for this new consumer. We at DSG Consumer Partners are committed to spending the next decade seeding the ASEAN insurgent consumer brands of the future. My partner Sameer Mehta recently spoke to DealStreetAsia’s Ngoc Nguyen about the firm’s plans. We have already partnered with Youvit, SATURDAYS, and Rosé All Day in Indonesia, Colourette and PICKUP COFFEE in the Philippines, and Coolmate and Marathon Education (YC W22) in Vietnam. Our other Singapore-based businesses, including SaladStop Group, Moom Health, Blood, and Kind Kones, are active in these markets. I expect that, like India, these companies and economies will take time to mature. The need of the hour is 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬. #insurgentbrands #cpg #startups #consumer #brands #india #southeastasia #sea #brickbybrick #wswod

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If you are at SuperReturn Asia in Singapore today, catch Amit Anand at 2.50pm at the Venture Capital Summit panel, "VC in Southeast Asia: a fragmented but growing market" as he and other top regional VC leaders discuss how LPs can navigate this nuanced region as well the available exit opportunities. #SRAsia #SRAsia2024 #SuperReturnAsia

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Thanks to DealStreetAsia for letting us contribute to this interesting topical piece... #DPI is indeed an issue that needs to be addressed but it is also important to find solutions and tools which can provide positive outcomes for all stakeholders, something that is central to Collyer Capital's strategy! #CCPL #CollyerCapital #DPI #Secondaries #Liquidity

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We believe that 2025/26 will see a resurgence of new generation of fintech and financial innovation opportunities across the economies of #SEAsia and #India. As open data architecture, digital public Infra, cross border solutions, financial innovation across verticals, and digital evolution of SMEs reshape the real economies, we believe that new business models will be born and prevail. Taka Yamada Varun Malhotra Satvik B. Disha Soni Rachel Teow

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It can be said louder but not clearer: this is why SEA is a more attractive market in theory than in practice 🎯 Refining the strategies for specific personas and segments is the key Thanks, Arun Poojari for sharing

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Very positive and, as always, insightful edition of the GRI last week. A lot of take-aways from some of the amazing panels. It seems clearer that as we navigate this softer patch of the economy, a soft landing is still the dominant scenario projected and, given that we entered this cycle with relatively low levels of debt capital, there will most likely be healthy buffers of equity to absorb the negative capital value adjustments that we will see in some of the sub-sectors in Europe. However, supply and demand imbalances remain material, particularly on the living sector and the usual first movers (private markets and HNW) have shown over the last couple of quarters that some inflection points in the market have started creating opportunities to invest. Now, where does this leave operational real estate and, in particular, flexible living? In my view, as some of the best positioned to create a winning vintage. As capital markets adjust to a reasonable level but construction costs do remain high, the main lever for value creation is NOI growth. For the last 10 years, this has become quite clear to me and not only on the living sector but across the board, yet it is currently quite evident that the best operators will hold the key for optimised returns. And where NOI is affected by several regulatory levers, it’s even more important to excel on the selection of operators, and where Gravity Co does strive to make a difference. It was also a pleasure to share thoughts with my co-panelists Rafael Fernández-Villaverde, Esteve Almirall, Arnaud Malbos, Davide Ravalli, Jill Xiaozhou Ju, Jose María Llosa, Kashee Ramalingum on the co-living conversation. From there, a few highlights: 💡 Diversity of thoughts on the value of a brand, but all converging on the fact that demand for flexible living is strong and excellence in offering more than simply a bed is key to customer acquisition and retention; 💡 Technology well designed and implemented does resolve part of the operational challenges and assists in reducing costs, yet in co-living properties the need of a human element particularly on the community front remains important; 💡 Capital markets seem to start getting clarity on the sub-sector and more institutional investors do have more solid criteria and views both on pricing and operational aspects; As a sub-sector that is still defining itself, flexible living will for sure continue to provide opportunities to reshape a challenging residential market and hopefully unlock the ability to offer the beds that the best European cities urgently require.

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Worth reading: Situationsl Awareness by Leopold Aschenbrenner PDF : https://lnkd.in/gkxQ3yMD Web site: https://lnkd.in/gyJUCBhb Interesting perspective, time of course will tell.

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Board of Directors - insights from "The Essays of Warren Buffett" Buffett’s principles for Boards of Directors emphasize the importance of independence, accountability, and a focus on long-term shareholder value: - Long-Term Focus: Boards should act in the long-term interest of shareholders - Board Composition: Boards with mostly outside directors and select members for business savvy, not prominence or diversity (PE insight: CROs on the Board) - Regular Evaluation: Outside directors should meet without the CEO to assess performance True Independence: Directors must have equity in the company to align with shareholders' interests P.S. This is a very insightful book structuring Warren Buffett's shareholder letters by specific categories - here are the top summary takeaways from the rest of the book: Investment Discipline – Maintain patience and discipline, avoiding speculative investments and market timing Business Quality – Seek businesses with a durable competitive advantage Management – High-quality, trustworthy management & look for managers who think like owners Corporate Governance – Transparent communication and fair treatment of all stakeholders Risk Management – Avoid excessive leverage and maintain a margin of safety to minimize risk and preserve capital Fundamentals – Focus on fundamentals rather than market trends Economic Earnings – Focus on economic earnings and free cash flow rather than accounting profits for a true picture of financial health Long-Term Focus – Long-term investments and value creation vs. short-term gains Capital Allocation – Efficient capital allocation is key - reinvest earnings wisely Market Irrationality – Recognize and capitalize on irrationality as "Mr.Market" can be inefficient in the short term #investing #markets #business #stocks #finance #pe #ceo

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Setting up right and strong foundations when creating a company, is a must; more important than ever before. A company needs to have a PURPOSE and VISION. These have to be set as clear as possible by the founder(s) since its inception. Then VALUES. These will trickle down and used as the guidelines for everyone in the company to think and act. These are the backbones that will set the culture of the company. Founder/CEO cant just rely on those written and framed on the office wall. Purpose, Vision, and Values should not be something the team have to memorize. Rather, something they need to do. So, as the Founder/CEO, what you need to do is to LEAD BY EXAMPLE by always WALK THE TALK. As a VC, i would love to back this kind of company and founder. Maven Asia Capital (www.maven.asia) #mavenasiacapital

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Thanks to Kavitha N. and DealStreetAsia for featuring Collyer Capital in this interesting piece about secondaries. Glad to have contributed to the discussion as the secondary toolkit, if used right and in full transparency, can really benefit all parties involved, particularly in #ASEAN. #CollyerCapital #CCPL #ASEAN #secondaries #liquidity #transparency

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25 years ago, I wrote an email that went viral. It was called "Why I have Hope for the Philippines." I never thought I'd be part of an organization that would make such a big impact. Today, our portfolio companies have created 565,000 income earners, and our second circle impact—people indirectly benefiting from these ventures—now stands at 2,362,370. And now, there are even more ways we measure impact as a fund - this blog post shows how we view our investments, and by extension, the world. Edit: many have asked about the viral email. Here it is: https://lnkd.in/gZHzAPNt Thanking the Foxmont Capital Partners team for making this a reality: My partners: Jelmer David Ikink Jesse Maxwell Kenneth A. Value Creation: Bea Mantecon Clara Elizalde Portfolio Management: Francisco Sibal Denise Betito IR: Janine Ramirez Axel Fries Investments: Nathan Kawpeng Catrina Magsadia Joan Sy Ops: Krissa Janela Ongjuco

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This is a good resource I've stumbled upon. It covers a plethora of VC and startup-related topics and contains links to expand your knowledge. https://lnkd.in/dqkdV4fA TL;DR: "It's the founders, stupid!" These two lines made me hover over: "I know the physical and emotional tolls that entrepreneurs face". "Resources for Managing Founder Anxiety and Depression" I've been one myself, and it's not for the faint-hearted. I struggled and failed many times. From the standpoint of a person working now for a VC fund, the ability to support a founder who was hit with too much at the same time, to know how to listen, mirror and label Chris Voss's style, and a bit of guidance to build confidence back can do wonders. Assisting portfolio companies doesn't have to be just intros and throwing money or unsolicited advice. And what about identifying troublesome founders before investing to prevent assisting portfolio companies from becoming a nightmare flop? Ahh, that's a tricky one. Startups fail for a variety of reasons. At the early stage, we should look at many things, to name a few: product-market fit, go-to-market, blue ocean or zero to one, CAC and LTV ratio, CAP table, passion, leadership potential, intelligence, technical ability, and many, many more. Crunch the numbers. Sure. What about the early stage? Limited information and knowledge when a decision has to be made, and the outcome is impossible to predict because the future is unknown and unknowable. Examine the founders. If you don't read the founders right and overlook some hidden toxic traits and coping mechanisms that mask something that can derail the startup and founders down the road (vulnerable narcissism, antisocial tendencies, Machiavellism, blameshifting or more benign like anxiety-prone, conflict avoidance, burn-out tendency, inability to delegate, perfectionism, risk aversion, etc.), the chances that it will be your next outlier significantly diminish. How many of you saw dead equity on the capable, founders' clash, low morale, a founder playing the sunk cost game with the fund after burning cash, lying, or even more brazen behaviours like experimenting with horse tranquilisers and smoking weed on a podcast? A "Sudden" shift of values with a splash of megalomania could lead to a CEO removal attempt by the board. Or stealing "HER" voice. It is fun to watch as a TV drama, not to deal with as your portfolio. We won't be able to see it all during a few conversations with the founders and not everyone is Wendy Rhoades from Billions. Knowing how to ask a question behind which is a hidden question and being able to detect when founders say what they think we want to hear to get the funding is a good start. Spending extra time learning that is a good investment. A splash of psychology, empathy, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence to become an excellent GP won't harm your ability to identify and help the right entrepreneurs build great companies.

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This is a very cool read! With the increased visibility in VC secondaries pricing and trading data, makes me wondering if there is less arbitrage for pricing in VC fund secondary deals?

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🤝 Proud to partner with a true game-changer in CPG market research and innovation! Ai Palette is a Singapore-based AI startup that is transforming how CPG brands uncover insights, making it faster, smarter, and more affordable than ever. Through our partnership, we’re helping to redefine what CPG market research and innovation can be. Here’s what we’re making possible together: Real-time insights: Moving from months to minutes for critical data. Actionable data: Insights are sharper, so brands can respond immediately. Accessible research: Innovation that levels the playing field for businesses of all sizes. This isn’t just a tech upgrade—it’s a shift in how CPG brands understand their audiences. Excited to see where we take this next! ➡️ Read more about Ai Palette and this AI-driven revolution on CNBC, link in the comments. How are you using AI to stay ahead in your industry? HauerX Holdings, Ai Palette, Somsubhra GanChoudhuri, Anmol Singh, Shreerang Joshi, Alexandria Maruska

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