Episodios

  • Hard Truths from Indonesia’s Startup Scene (ep 64)

    Hard Truths from Indonesia’s Startup Scene (ep 64)
    Jan 13 2026
    Martyn Terpilowski shares a candid, finance-driven perspective on Indonesia’s startup ecosystem, venture capital culture, and the structural challenges facing innovation in emerging markets. Drawing on his background in hedge funds and years of operating a bootstrapped B2B company, he explains why many venture-backed businesses failed to build sustainable revenue models.The conversation explores why market size alone does not guarantee success, how unrealistic return expectations distort investment behavior, and why meritocracy and long-term thinking are essential for building resilient companies. Martyn also reflects on why Singapore has become a more attractive base for global expansion, the importance of regulatory trust, and the role of foreign investment in accelerating real innovation.📖 What You’ll Learn in This EpisodeWhy revenue quality matters more than growthThe limits of TAM-driven investment logicHow retention proves real product valueWhy meritocracy drives stronger companiesThe role of regulation in investor trustWhy Singapore attracts global capitalHow unrealistic VC expectations hurt foundersThe importance of long-term executionWhy innovation needs real incentivesHow market structure shapes outcomes🔔 Listen and SubscribeYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeneralistsPodcastSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2apfGY403NGr1EyTNkJfG4Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/the-generalists👤 HostsMichael Smith Jr.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/Raz Kotler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razkotler/👤 GuestMartyn Terpilowski: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martyn-terpilowski-66aba850/🔗 Resources and Links Mentioned📚 Concepts and ResearchVenture Capital: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venture_capitalTotal Addressable Market: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_addressable_marketMeritocracy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MeritocracyForeign Direct Investment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_direct_investment🏢 Companies and ProductsBhumi Varta Technology: https://bvarta.comWeWork: https://www.wework.comHitachi: https://www.hitachi.comNTT: https://group.ntt/enGoldman Sachs: https://www.goldmansachs.com👥 People and ProfilesAdam Neumann: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Neumann🌏 Additional ReadingIndonesia Economy Overview (World Bank):https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/indonesia
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    56 m
  • Forget Product Market Fit (ep 63)

    Forget Product Market Fit (ep 63)
    Jan 4 2026

    Meiran Galis (Scytale) breaks down the essential B2B SaaS metrics every founder needs to track. Learn how founder-led sales and SOC 2 compliance drive startup growth from 0 to 1.

    Meiran explains how founder-led selling, trust-building, and relentless learning shaped the company’s early years, and why the first phase of a startup is less about perfect strategy and more about judgment, grit, and moving fast despite uncertainty. He reflects on product-market fit vs. problem-market fit, SaaS metrics like churn and NRR, and the trade-offs between SMB and enterprise go-to-market paths.

    The conversation also dives into hiring mistakes, culture, solo-founder psychology, segmentation in outbound sales, and why founders must operate as generalists — doing legal reviews, negotiations, product, partnerships, and customer conversations long before teams exist. Looking ahead, Meiran shares his views on AI as the next major infrastructure wave, and Scytale’s role in trust, security, and compliance in an AI-driven world.

    📖 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

    • Why early-stage startups operate in “survival mode” and why every deal matters
    • Problem-market fit vs product-market fit — and why founders should solve pain before building scale
    • How founders can build trust without a product by asking the right questions
    • Why churn, retention, CAC, and NRR shape SaaS sustainability
    • The trade-offs between SMB vs enterprise go-to-market paths
    • How segmentation, culture, and timing affect outbound sales success
    • Lessons from early hiring mistakes and what to look for in first employees
    • The reality of being a solo founder and making decisions without consensus
    • Why founders must become generalists across sales, product, legal, and partnerships
    • How AI is reshaping compliance, trust, and infrastructure at a global scale

    🔔 Listen and Subscribe

    • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeneralistsPodcast
    • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2apfGY403NGr1EyTNkJfG4
    • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/the-generalists

    👤 Host

    • Raz Kotler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razkotler/

    👤 Guest

    • Meiran Galis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meiran/


    🔗 Resources and Links Mentioned

    • Scytale (Company): https://scytale.ai
    • SOC 2 System and Organization Controls: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_and_Organization_Controls
    • Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governance,_risk_management,_and_compliance
    • Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer_acquisition_cost
    • Net Revenue Retention (NRR): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_revenue_retention

    #AIRevolution#SaaS#entrepreneurship
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    51 m
  • Year-End Reality Check: Show & Startup (ep 62)

    Year-End Reality Check: Show & Startup (ep 62)
    Dec 31 2025

    This Year End episode looks back at how The Generalists grew through consistency, experimentation, and momentum across the year. Michael and Raz reflect on building the show, learning from live events and community, and how creative discipline turns into muscle memory when you keep shipping.

    The conversation also explores Raz’s nine month startup journey and the decision to step back when timing and alignment were not right. They discuss learning through experience, identity as a builder, and how to think about what comes next when a path is not linear.

    Final episode for the year and we will return in January with Season 3!

    📖 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

    • How The Generalists grew through consistency and experimentation
    • Why momentum matters more than perfect planning
    • What Raz learned from nine months building a startup
    • How to process setbacks without losing identity as a builder
    • Why careers and founder journeys are rarely linear
    • How timing, alignment, and self reflection shape the next step

    🔔 Subscribe for more strategy, career insights & founder reflections

    • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeneralistsPodcast
    • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2apfGY403NGr1EyTNkJfG4?si=a25c777a19854616
    • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/the-generalists

    👥 Hosts

    • Michael Smith Jr.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/
    • Raz Kotler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razkotler/
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    48 m
  • The Hardiness Effect | How to Build Psychological Toughness (ep 61)

    The Hardiness Effect | How to Build Psychological Toughness (ep 61)
    Dec 26 2025
    From flying military rescue helicopters in life-or-death missions to advising leadership teams inside global corporations, Dr. Paul Taylor explains why accountability, meaning, and psychological hardiness matter more than ever in modern work and life. Paul contrasts the peer-to-peer accountability found in small, high-trust military teams with what happens as organizations scale — where responsibility diffuses, standards slip, and people quietly “get away with it.”He introduces Dunbar’s Number (~130 people) to explain why trust, purpose, and clarity begin to erode as teams grow, and why the solution isn’t more process or hierarchy, but reconnecting daily work to mission, behavior, and shared standards of performance.The conversation goes deeper into hardiness vs resilience, hormesis, stress physiology, leadership under adversity, parenting for capability instead of comfort, and why exposure to challenge — rather than protection from it — builds confidence, health, and agency.📖 What You’ll LearnWhy peer accountability beats top-down control in high-performance teamsHow accountability erodes as companies scale and how to prevent itWhat Dunbar’s Number explains about trust, purpose, and complexityWhy startups lose alignment as they grow and how mission gets dilutedThe difference between hardiness vs resilience (and why it matters)How stress perception rewires physiology - challenge vs threat responseWhy debriefs and learning from failure are essential in elite teamsHow parents unintentionally weaken resilience and what to do instead• Practical frameworks for meaning, purpose, behavior, and leadership under stress🔔 Listen and SubscribeYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeneralistsPodcastSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2apfGY403NGr1EyTNkJfG4?si=a25c777a19854616Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/the-generalists👥 HostsMichael Smith Jr.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/• Raz Kotler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razkotler/👤 GuestDr. Paul Taylor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drpauljtaylor/🔗 Resources and Links Mentioned🧠 Concepts and ResearchDunbar’s Number: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar%27s_numberOrganizational Silos: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizational_siloHarvard Business Review Accountability and Teams: https://hbr.org/📚 Books by Dr. Paul TaylorDeath by Comfort: https://www.drpauljtaylor.com/death-by-comfortThe Hardiness Effect: https://www.drpauljtaylor.com/the-hardiness-effect🎧 PodcastThe Hardiness Podcast: https://www.drpauljtaylor.com/podcast📚 Additional ReadingCourage Under Fire James Stockdale: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courage_Under_Fire_(Stockdale)The Daily Stoic Ryan Holiday: https://dailystoic.com/
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    49 m
  • Why Asia Is Becoming the Next Digital Content Hub (Ep 60)

    Why Asia Is Becoming the Next Digital Content Hub (Ep 60)
    Dec 17 2025

    From print journalism and radio to global sports media, digital platforms, and venture strategy, Unmish Parthasarathi has spent three decades operating at the intersection of storytelling, technology, and commerce. In this episode of The Generalists, he explains how cross-disciplinary careers are built in practice, why the most effective leaders today are deep generalists, and how Asia is emerging as a key center for new content and digital business models.

    Unmish introduces his Content × Code × Capital framework, showing why innovation happens in the overlap between disciplines rather than within silos. He shares the career moment that forced him to define his true craft, why he left traditional television at its peak, and how that decision led to early work in short-form digital video at the International Cricket Council. The conversation spans sport, media, gaming, education, and technology, while also touching on leadership, empathy, cultural nuance, and the life philosophy that continues to guide his decisions.

    📖 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

    • The Content × Code × Capital framework and why innovation happens at intersections
    • What it means to be a deep generalist in fast-changing industries
    • The career question that forced Unmish to define his true craft
    • Why storytelling is both an emotional capability and a business skill
    • How sport, gaming, media, and education share common structural patterns
    • The economics of short-form video before social platforms existed
    • Why Asia is becoming the center of gravity for new digital and content models
    • How cultural nuance shapes platforms, products, and monetization strategies
    • Lessons from building careers across London, New York, Johannesburg, Dubai, and Singapore
    • Why judgment, character, and luck matter more than credentials alone

    🔔 Subscribe for more strategy, career insights & global operator stories

    • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeneralistsPodcast
    • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2apfGY403NGr1EyTNkJfG4?si=a25c777a19854616
    • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/the-generalists

    👥 Hosts

    • Michael Smith Jr.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp
    • Raz Kotler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razkotler/

    👤 Guest

    • Unmish PARTHASARATHI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/unmish/

    🔗 Resources & Links Mentioned🚀 Companies & Platforms

    • ESPN Star Sports: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESPN_Star_Sports
    • Fox Sports: https://www.foxsports.com
    • News Corp: https://newscorp.com
    • The Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com
    • The Sun: https://www.thesun.co.uk
    • The Times (UK): https://www.thetimes.co.uk
    • The Australian: https://www.theaustralian.com.au
    • International Cricket Council (ICC): https://www.icc-cricket.com
    • IMG: https://img.com
    • Celebrity Cricket League (CCL): https://www.celebritycricketleague.in
    • Sports Works (India): https://www.sportsworks.in
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com
    • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com
    • Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv
    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com
    • Twitter (X): https://twitter.com
    • Kajabi: https://kajabi.com
    • Coursera: https://www.coursera.org
    • M1: https://www.m1.com.sg
    • StarHub: https://www.starhub.com
    • Singtel: https://www.singtel.com
    • Emirates: https://www.emirates.com
    • SMU Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship: https://iie.smu.edu.sg
    • Singapore Institute of Directors (SID): https://www.sid.org.sg
    • INSEAD: https://www.insead.edu
    • University of Cambridge: https://www.cam.ac.uk

    📚 Books & Documentaries

    • Moneyball (Michael Lewis): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393324818
    • Andy Murray: Resurfacing (Amazon Prime): https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Andy-Murray-Resurfacing
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    47 m
  • 🎙️#59 Why Legacy Game Studios Are About to Be Disrupted by AI

    🎙️#59 Why Legacy Game Studios Are About to Be Disrupted by AI
    Dec 10 2025
    From the frontlines of modern game development, Mighty Bear Games CEO Simon Davis shares a blunt reality: the traditional way of building games is collapsing — and AI-native studios are already pulling ahead. In Episode 59 of The Generalists, Simon breaks down how his team canceled Unity, rebuilt their entire pipeline, and now generates 90–95% of their code, images, animations, and audio with AI.He explains how artists with no coding background now ship fully playable mini-games in days, how Mighty Bear’s internal agentic system called Nexus blends open-source models with custom workflows, and why AI transformation keeps failing inside large enterprises while small, aligned teams accelerate. Simon also dives into why Telegram may be the next major gaming platform, how Singapore’s culture of experimentation gives his studio an edge, and why generalists — not specialists — will thrive in the next decade of game creation.It’s a rare, inside look at what an AI-native game studio actually looks like today, and why the next wave of global gaming companies won’t be built with yesterday’s tools.📖 What You’ll Learn in This EpisodeWhy Unity no longer fits an AI-accelerated development workflowHow 90–95% of Mighty Bear’s code, art, audio & animation is now AI-generatedHow Nexus integrates Stable Diffusion variants, Claude Code & custom agentsHow artists now build complete mini-games without writing codeWhy AI transformation fails in large enterprises but succeeds in small teamsWhy generalists outperform specialists inside AI-native companiesWhy Singapore outpaces Europe in AI adoptionWhy Telegram is becoming the next major gaming distribution channelHow to build a capital-efficient AI-native game studio from Southeast Asia🔔 Subscribe for more founder stories, startup wisdom & AI insightsYouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeneralistsPodcast⁠Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/2apfGY403NGr1EyTNkJfG4?si=a25c777a19854616⁠Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/the-generalists⁠👥 HostsMichael Smith Jr.: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/⁠Raz Kotler: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/razkotler/⁠👤 GuestSimon Davis ⁠:https://www.linkedin.com/in/simondavis/⁠🔗 Resources & Links Mentioned🚀 Companies & PlatformsMighty Bear Games: ⁠https://mightybeargames.com⁠Unity: ⁠https://unity.com⁠Stable Diffusion (open-source): ⁠https://stability.ai⁠FAL (Inference Tooling): ⁠https://fal.ai⁠Telegram: ⁠https://telegram.org⁠📚 Books MentionedChip War-Chris Miller⁠: https://www.amazon.com/Chip-War-Fight-Worlds-Critical/dp/1476717975⁠I, Claudius-Robert Graves⁠: https://www.amazon.com/I-Claudius-Robert-Graves/dp/067972477X
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    45 m
  • 🎙️ #58 From Analyze Asia to Reinventing ERP: Bernard Leong’s Double Life

    🎙️ #58 From Analyze Asia to Reinventing ERP: Bernard Leong’s Double Life
    Dec 6 2025
    From years inside the world of enterprise systems, Bernard Leong has reached a sharp conclusion: the core of every ERP is finance and it’s the part most broken. In Episode 58 of The Generalists, Bernard breaks down why he’s focusing Dorje.ai entirely on finance automation before even touching the ledger and why generative AI is making it possible to rethink ERP architecture from the ground up.He explains how he spent years building workflows outside traditional ERPs like SAP, Oracle, and NetSuite, and why a passing comment from a VC, “never pitch me an ERP” , became the spark for a contrarian opportunity. Bernard goes deep into AI-driven workflows, agent architectures, event-driven ledgers, enterprise readiness, kill-switch design, and why counter-positioning matters when taking on incumbents.📖 What You’ll Learn in This EpisodeWhy finance is the true heart of every ERP systemWhy ERP implementations fail across SAP, Oracle, NetSuite & DynamicsHow generative AI and AI agents enable customizable financial workflowsHow event-driven ledger architecture could replace today’s ERP foundationsHow counter-positioning helps startups compete with incumbentsWhy Dorje.ai uses a pay-as-you-go model deployed fully on the customer’s cloudHow enterprise data privacy, kill-switch controls & audit trails must workWhy problem-market fit matters more than product-market fit in early enterprise SaaSHow to build capital-efficient B2B in Southeast AsiaWhat 495 episodes of Analyze Asia taught Bernard about storytellingWhy podcasting is a non-zero-sum game and how discovery really worksHow AI can eliminate grunt work and accelerate creativityBernard’s personal mental & physical routines for sustainable performance🔔 Subscribe for more founder stories, startup wisdom & entrepreneurial insights.YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeneralistsPodcastSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2apfGY403NGr1EyTNkJfG4?si=a25c777a19854616Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/the-generalists👥 HostsMichael Smith Jr.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/Raz Kotler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razkotler👤 GuestBernard Leong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernardleong/🔗 Resources & Links Mentioned🚀 Companies & PlatformsDorje.ai: https://dorje.aiSAP: https://www.sap.comOracle: https://www.oracle.comNetSuite: https://www.netsuite.comMicrosoft Dynamics: https://dynamics.microsoft.comAWS: https://aws.amazon.comGoogle Cloud: https://cloud.google.comAzure — https://azure.microsoft.comDatabricks:https://www.databricks.comSnowflake: https://www.snowflake.comDatadog: https://www.datadoghq.comMongoDB: https://www.mongodb.comRead.ai: https://www.read.aiOtter.ai: https://otter.aiFathom: https://fathom.videoGlean: https://www.glean.comXero: https://www.xero.comQuickBooks: https://quickbooks.intuit.comCohere: https://cohere.com📚 Books MentionedHow Not to Invest (Barry Ritholtz): https://www.amazon.com/How-Not-Invest-Mistakes-Investors/dp/164782788XA Conflict of Visions (Thomas Sowell): https://www.amazon.com/Conflict-Visions-Ideological-Origins-Political/dp/0465002056The Half-Life of Facts (Samuel Arbesman): https://www.amazon.com/Half-Life-Facts-Everything-Information-Constantly/dp/1591844933SAP: Inside the Machine (Andrew Park): https://www.amazon.com/SAP-Inside-Machine-Andrew-Park/dp/0471753976📚 Concepts & Frameworks7 Powers (Hamilton Helmer): https://7powers.comEvent-Driven Architecture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Event-driven_architectureAgentic AI / Reflection Pattern: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_agentCounter-Positioning (7 Powers): https://7powers.comProblem-Market Fit vs Product-Market Fit: https://review.firstround.com/the-new-pmfit-frameworkKill-Switch & Audit-Trail Design Patterns: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audit_trail
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    56 m
  • 🎙️ #57 Is Southeast Asia Finally Investable? AI, SGX & Grab+Gojek & 2026

    🎙️ #57 Is Southeast Asia Finally Investable? AI, SGX & Grab+Gojek & 2026
    Nov 29 2025
    A high-signal, no-filter roundtable with• Hian Goh (OpenSpace Capital)• Alex Dwek (COO, Nas.io)• Michael Smith Jr. (The Generalists)• Raz Kotler (The Generalists)Southeast Asia just had a rare real win — the Hepmil acquisition — and this episode breaks down why it matters, why early backers actually made money, and how this exit finally gives founders a real benchmark in the creator & media ecosystem. From there, the table dives into AI, sovereign compute, Grab+Gojek merger dynamics, the future of SGX, ASEAN as an investable region, and why 2026 may be the most interesting year yet for Southeast Asia.This is the full uncut November roundtable — strategy, insights, debates, predictions, and the occasional spicy jab.📖 What You’ll Learn in This EpisodeWhy the Hepmil acquisition is a meaningful benchmark for Southeast AsiaThe VC behind Hepmil and why his connections matteredReal revenue, real EBITDA, and the fundamentals that drove the dealEarly-stage outcomes: houses, windfalls… and realistic 20× returnsWhy Publicis was the natural acquirer (“fingerprints all over it”)The MCN model & why it died in the U.S. but still works in AsiaHow influencer networks succeed (or fail) across the regionWhy this exit helps agency and creator founders pitch with confidenceThe truth behind “overnight success” stories and multi-pivot journeysThe real state of AI: compute demand, sovereign AI, specialized modelsWhether we’re in an AI bubble and what the big tech earnings revealGrab+Gojek merger logic, regulation, and what consolidation would meanHow ASEAN can produce the next wave of $10B+ companiesSGX’s dual-listing mechanism with NASDAQ and what it unlocksHow India’s IPO boom influences SEA founder psychologyWhat the table is excited about heading into 2026👥 The Table Hian Goh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiangoh/Alex Dwek: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexdwek/Michael Smith Jr.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/Raz Kotler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razkotler/🔗 Links & MentionsHepmil: https://www.hepmil.comPublicis Groupe: https://www.publicisgroupe.comQuest Ventures: https://www.questventures.comTBWA: https://tbwa.comAsian Food Channel: https://www.asianfoodchannel.comMCN (Multi-Channel Network): https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2737059Nas.io: https://nas.ioGrab https://www.grab.comGojek: https://www.gojek.com🔔 Subscribe for more founder stories, startup wisdom & entrepreneurial insights.YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeneralistsPodcastSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2apfGY403NGr1EyTNkJfG4?si=a25c777a19854616Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/the-generalists
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    54 m
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