The Exponential Show

Episode 33 of The Exponential Show  features a conversation between host Mayank Singh and Ankit Upadhyay , Founder and General Partner at A2D Ventures , Co-Founder and CEO of VentureGrid , and Co-Founder of Venture Spark . In this discussion, Ankit shares his journey from Silicon Valley to Southeast Asia and explains why he believes the region is still in the early stages of building a thriving startup ecosystem. Drawing on his experience as an operator, investor, and ecosyst

Episode 32 of The Exponential Show , supported by Plethora IT , took us inside one of the most intellectually rich gatherings of the year — The Game Changer: Outlook 2026 & Beyond  . Held on 3rd and 4th February at Nai Lert Park in Bangkok, this milestone two-day event brought together global and regional business leaders ahead of the World Bank and IMF Annual Meeting 2026, which Bangkok will host in October. From geopolitics and AI to family businesses, capital markets, digi

In Episode 31 of The Exponential Show , host Mayank Singh  sits down with Pratt Hetrakul , Chief Strategy Officer at Movefast , for a deep and thoughtful conversation on marketing measurement, media effectiveness, and decision making in an increasingly complex and AI-driven landscape. This episode was recorded at True Digital Park , Thailand’s most comprehensive soft-landing platform  for international individuals and businesses. True Digital Park brings together workspace, c

Episode 30 of The Exponential Show  marks our first episode of 2026, and it kicks off with a wide-ranging conversation on entrepreneurship, product building, and community-led growth. Host Mayank Singh sits down with Michael Ray , Co-Founder and CEO of WILDER Hydration , to unpack the journey behind building a modern hydration brand in Thailand and the broader fitness and wellness landscape in Southeast Asia. From lifelong entrepreneurship to launching a consumer brand in a c

Sponsored by Naivedyum — home-made fusion, vegan and vegetarian food made with fresh ingredients and aromatic spices, cooked with love, care, passion, and pride. In episode 29 of the Exponential Show, host Mayank Singh spoke with Surasit Sachdev , CEO of Hungry Hub, one of the original members of the Thai food tech startup ecosystem. Surasit, who goes by Sit, shared his journey from a career in finance to founding and scaling Hungry Hub, a company that is focused on being a

Sponsored by Plethora IT — combining strategy, execution, and technology to help businesses scale sustainably. As Thailand looks ahead to 2026, business leaders and founders are navigating a landscape shaped by global uncertainty, structural constraints, and long term opportunity. In Episode 28 of The Exponential Show , host Mayank Singh speaks with Prinn Panitchpakdi , Chief Executive Officer of Four Seasons Advisory, to unpack where Thailand stands today and what lies ahea

A special thank you to Space Bangkok for sponsoring this episode, and to Jenn Weidman , whose leadership in supporting meaningful entrepreneurship (including through the WE-Can women’s entrepreneurship program) has helped empower founders across Thailand. In Episode 27 of The Exponential Show , host Mayank Singh speaks with Louise Blein  and Amarine Erbs , co-founders of Yours , a fast-growing platform reshaping how people in Thailand buy and sell pre-loved items. What begin

Sponsored by NoMorr - premium plant-based gelato crafted with love. In Episode 26 of The Exponential Show , host Mayank Singh speaks with Kari Harteva , Partner at August Leadership , about what truly drives high performance in organizations. Kari brings a rare mix of perspectives: he has led multiple business transformations as a Managing Director across industries, and now helps clients identify, develop, and place leadership talent through executive search and leadership a

Sponsored by Asia Beverages , creators of healthier, non-alcoholic drinks designed to help people live their best lives — focused on wellness, balance, and mindful living. In Episode 25 of The Exponential Show , host Mayank Singh sits down with Harprem Doowa , Co-Founder and CEO of Eazy Digital , to unpack a journey that spans Thailand’s earliest e-commerce wave, a fast-scaling insurtech exit, and a fresh venture now focused on modernizing how insurance agents and brokers se

Sponsored by Chew Green — Thailand’s healthy and sustainable snack brand founded by Thanyathorn (Pear) Chatlaong . In Episode 24 of The Exponential Show , host Mayank Singh  sits down with Tareef Jafferi (Founder & CEO)  and Taarif Jafferi (Chief Business Officer)  of Happily.ai —a people-tech platform blending behavioral science, AI, and people analytics  to help organizations build happier, higher-performing workplace cultures. Before the conversation begins, Mayank gives

In Episode 23 of The Exponential Show , host Mayank Singh speaks with Marty Knox , Founder and CEO of Chardo Animation , about the changing world of animation, the impact of AI on creative work, and why the next era of studios may look more like creator ecosystems than traditional production houses. Marty’s story is part global career journey, part business reinvention, and part creative mission. From learning animation at the most hands-on level to running a 250-person studi

In Episode 22 of The Exponential Show , host Mayank Singh sat down with Patama Tipyavat , affectionately known to her students as Kru Palm, founder of Little Palms Art Studio . The conversation explored early education, creativity, parenting, and entrepreneurship, all through a simple yet powerful lens: for young children, the process matters far more than the product. From Full-Time Parent to Creative Educator Little Palms Art Studio grew out of Kru Palm’s life as a full-tim

For many founders, the most meaningful businesses begin with a deeply personal problem. For Mrinal and Manisha, co-founders of HappyLyfe, that problem started at home with their dog. While trying to improve their pet’s health, they began questioning the products they used every day. It was not just about food, but also cleaning products, detergents, and household items that quietly affect both people and animals. That curiosity turned into research, which quickly revealed a l

In Episode 20 of The Exponential Show , host Mayank Singh sits down with Sirintra Jittrawong , Managing Director at MicroFiber Industries , for a deeply practical conversation on B2B marketing. Drawing from a career that spans global B2C brands and highly technical B2B industries, Sirintra shares lessons that challenge many assumptions about how B2B marketing really works today. From insulation and construction materials to chemicals and industrial solutions, this episode off

What does it really take to build in a mature, highly fragmented industry—while the core product (cars!) is being disrupted for the first time in decades? In this episode, Pradeep Pandey opens up about leaving a 19-year corporate career, why “used” beats “new” in Southeast Asia, and the hard-won mindset that keeps founders in the fight: stay in the game . From Nissan & Kaidee to founder: two paths that crossed Pradeep’s journey is a blend of deep auto experience (RMA Group,

When your work is helping others through their hardest moments, what sustains you ? That question sits at the heart of Jenn Weidman’s journey. A peacebuilder by training (with roots in cultural and applied anthropology), Jenn is the CEO of Space Bangkok , where she and her team design facilitation, leadership, and trauma-informed programs that help people get “unstuck”—as individuals, teams, and entire organizations. From peacebuilding to Space Bangkok Jenn’s pivot wasn’t a

If you’ve split a bill via QR at places like Bartel’s and thought, “Wow, that was painless,” you’ve met Papaya —even if you didn’t know it. In this conversation, Papaya’s co-founder Kush Sodhia  unpacks how a “conventional” career turned into founder grit, why aligning incentives beats selling hardware, and what it really takes to raise money and expand across Southeast Asia. From banker/consultant to builder with purpose Kush’s path reads classic on paper—finance in Boston

From librarian to global strategist (and back to stories) Dave McCaughan didn’t plot a career in advertising—he wandered into it. An Aussie from Sydney’s western suburbs, he spent a decade in public libraries, earned degrees in library and political science, backpacked the world, and then—by accident—joined McCann in Sydney. What began as desk research became qualitative/quantitative research, then strategic planning just as the discipline was spreading from the UK. McCaugha

Paul Meyer s’ journey is anything but linear. He trained as a documentary filmmaker in the U.S., but quickly pivoted into corporate films, working with major Bay Area tech companies like Apple and IBM. His assignments brought him to Asia, where he fell in love with the region. Over three decades, Paul started and scaled multiple ventures across Southeast Asia—from building an internet company that grew to 650 people and a NASDAQ listing, to running one of the largest mobile g

Dr. Tobias Endress wears two complementary hats in Thailand’s innovation scene: faculty at the School of Management at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and Chapter Director of Startup Grind Bangkok. In this conversation, he shares how education, community, and global connectivity can work together to level-up Thailand’s startup ecosystem—while reminding aspiring founders that momentum beats mystique. Key takeaways Education should cultivate a startup mindset, not jus