In another week filled with headlines about AI, I found myself learning from Spain’s World Cup victory and what it says about the power of consistency.
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IN FOCUS

  • Thu Huong Le on why consistency still matters in an AI-first world
  • What a decade of investing in Indian consumer brands can teach founders and investors
  • We track an elusive cohort of Chinese founders in Southeast Asia so you don't have to

Hello reader,

Though it's old news by now, Spain's World Cup win reminded me of the importance of consistency.

Spain came into the tournament as the reigning European champion but still flew under the radar. Most of the media attention went to Messi's final World Cup and France's Kylian Mbappé.

Still, Spain somehow finished this campaign unbeaten. It did not rely on one superstar - though Lamine Yamal came close - but rather focused on the team, the system, and the discipline of all of their games.

The power of doing the same things well again and again was the main message of James Clear's Atomic Habits. That said, reading the book is one thing, putting it into practice is another.

When my Garmin watch broke for three days, I couldn't muster up the motivation to hit my goal of 7,000 steps a day. So who am I to talk about consistency?

I've also realized that to be consistent, you need to accept that much of the journey isn't glamorous. Some parts are simply dull or include moments you want to forget. For me, it's finishing my step goal on a treadmill. For Spain, it was years of falling short before finally winning the World Cup for the second time.

Staying consistent in this AI-first world is even harder. You always feel like you're missing out on something, whether it's learning a new skill AI can't replace or talking to more people in the industry.

So this week, I'd like to highlight our interview with Fireside Ventures founder and managing partner Kanwaljit Singh, who has spent the past decade backing one Indian consumer brand after another.

One insight I took away from the conversation is that there's still plenty of room to build enduring consumer businesses, as long as they solve a deeply personal consumer problem well - whether it's hair growth, skincare, or sleep.

I would also suggest our readers to take another look at our updated list of Chinese founders making waves in Southeast Asia. While some have been making global headlines, many others prefer to keep a low profile. That's partly their style, but it also may reflect a belief that consistent execution matters more than constant visibility.

At Tech in Asia, we're trying to stay consistent in the quality of our journalism. Behind every premium story is a lot of grinding work that readers never see before an article goes live.

If you have any comments or feedback, please email us at editors@techinasia.com.

Thu Huong Le, managing editor


EDITOR'S PICKS

1️⃣ The playbook behind Fireside Ventures' biggest consumer bets

Fireside Ventures has built an impressive consumer portfolio in India, including Mamaearth, which went public in 2023 and delivered an 18x return for the VC. In this interview, founder and managing partner Kanwaljit Singh shares how the firm operates behind the scenes.

Its investment process is disciplined. Rather than spoiling founders with big checks upfront, Fireside often starts with a small initial investment to validate product-market fit before committing much larger amounts.

Singh also explains how the firm's support doesn't stop at capital. Fireside has a team of specialists who work alongside portfolio companies to help them grow.

2️⃣ Uncovering the elusive Chinese tech founders dominating SEA

We've added 21 new founders to this list, reflecting the growing influence of this cohort across Southeast Asia.

One of the biggest breakout AI startups in recent months is PixVerse, which became the region's first AI unicorn in March. PixVerse was co-founded by two Chinese founders, and many are now watching to see whether it could achieve a blockbuster acquisition similar to Manus.

The data also shows that Singapore hosts most of the 63 companies on this list, reflecting the city-state's reputation as an AI hub for companies building products for a global customer base.

3️⃣ The one Grab digital bank that's actually profitable

Our Insights writer explains why Superbank is the only profitable digital bank in Grab's ecosystem despite being the smallest. Indonesia's large underbanked population has helped, but replicating that success elsewhere in the region will be difficult.

In Singapore and Malaysia, respectively, GXS and GXBank need to give customers a better reason to keep their deposits beyond attractive interest rates, a challenge Grab has yet to solve despite spending a large sum of money.


SHORT CUTS

1️⃣ EFishery ex-CEO's sentence cut to six years on appeal

I'm not sure this can be considered a good outcome for eFishery's former CEO, whose name is now associated with one of the biggest scandals in Southeast Asia's tech scene. The fallout has been widely reported, but the reckoning is far from over.

For one, agritech startups are facing much greater scrutiny from investors when raising capital. On the flip side, that may ultimately strengthen the sector by forcing founders to focus on governance, transparency, and sustainable fundamentals from the outset.

2️⃣ Lazada founder's AI-first wealth startup raises $13.7m

It's interesting to see Max Bittner, whom we've featured many times as the co-founder of Lazada, doing something completely different this time around.

Who can blame him? These days, almost every ambitious founder wants to build something in AI. Even without revealing many details, his new startup has already raised a sizable round. It also shows how wealth management is emerging as another major application for AI, alongside coding and enterprise software.


QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"I think AI may exceed some of human intelligence in roughly 5 years. There really won't be anything that AI can't do better than humans apart from being human perhaps." - Elon Musk

Elon Musk said this in a recent interview with The Economist editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes. The magazine later ran a cover story titled "Should You Be Afraid of Elon Musk?" The answer is probably yes, in many ways.

In the interview, Musk also proposed a peer-review system in which AI model creators would evaluate one another's models, including those built by rivals he has publicly clashed with, such as Sam Altman.


INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE AGENTIC ERA

In conversation with the co-founder of Supabase

What happens when your primary user is no longer a developer but an AI agent? Supabase faced this reality head-on as AI-generated databases surged by 600% in a single year, forcing the company to totally rebuild its core platform architecture.

Join Paul Copplestone, CEO and co-founder of Supabase, at Tech in Asia Conference as he reveals exactly what broke, what was rebuilt, and how infrastructure must evolve when machines become the primary creators of software.

From the security risks of agent-written code to the shifting economics of machine-speed usage, this conversation aims to provide a tactical road map for anyone building in an AI-native world. Move beyond the hype and learn what it takes to support the next era of business.

Get your tickets at a 60% discount here.


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