INSEAD Emerging Markets Podcast
Conversations with leading emerging markets movers and shakers on their personal journeys and insights into the countries in which they operate.
From Blank Canvas to 38 Million Visitors: Mohamed Al Zaabi on Building Yas Island
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Mohamed Al Zaabi is the Group CEO of Miral Group, the force behind one of the world’s most dramatic tourism transformations - turning an artificial island in Abu Dhabi into a global destination drawing tens of millions of visitors.
Under his leadership since the mid-2010s, Miral has overseen the creation, operation and evolution of immersive attractions, resorts, sports venues and digital experiences that have re-imagined what a destination can be in the 21st century.
Al Zaabi shares how he shaped strategy, consumer insight, global partnerships and execution to con...
From US Dominance to Global Dispersion: Nick Rohatyn on the New EM Cycle
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Nick Rohatyn is the founder and CEO of The Rohatyn Group, and one of the architects of emerging markets as a modern asset class. Having built JP Morgan’s emerging markets business from an eight-person desk into a 600-person global platform, Nick has spent more than four decades investing across cycles, crises, and continents. In this return episode, he reflects on why emerging markets may finally be entering a new phase after more than a decade of underperformance, and why dispersion, not beta, will define returns going forward.
In this episode we co...
Why Ukraine May Be the Most Mispriced Market in the World with Bruce Talley
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Bruce Talley is an American entrepreneur and frontier market strategist who has spent decades operating in opaque, rapidly changing environments from Russia’s Black Sea coast to Brazil and now Ukraine. He built the largest destination services company at the Sochi Olympics, navigated direct FSB scrutiny, and today is helping global investors access deeply discounted Ukrainian residential markets through the Ukraine Prime Property Fund. In this episode, Bruce shares hard earned lessons on operating in post Soviet systems, spotting opportunity in chaos, and why he believes Ukraine is one of the most compelling markets of...
Building and Exiting Startups in the Gulf with Victor Abou Rahal
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Victor Abou Rahal is a veteran digital transformation and tech leader in the GCC, with more than 25 years helping traditional industries go digital. He is now CEO of Narovate, a Saudi based startup focused on digital water solutions, after leading Boxit For Me through a successful exit and building the digital arm at ADNOC Distribution. In this conversation, Victor shares what he has learned about leadership, exits, and entrepreneurship across oil and gas, logistics, and now water in one of the fastest changing regions in the world.
In this episode we cover:<...
The rise of Tier 2 and Tier 3 India - Kevin Carter, EMQQ
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Kevin Carter is the founder of EMQQ Global and a leading voice in emerging markets investing. In his first appearance, he broke down the investment case for digital consumption in emerging markets. In this follow-up episode, Kevin returns fresh from a month-long trip to India, where he went beyond the usual business hubs to explore tier 2 and tier 3 cities, the infrastructure transformation, and why India might be the most compelling EM story of the next two decades.
In this episode we cover:
(00:01:30) What Kevin saw firsthand in Uttar Pradesh...Startup to unicorn within 2 years in Uzbekistan - Djasur Djumaev and Nikolay Seleznev, Uzum
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Djasur Djumaev, Founder and CEO, and Nikolay Seleznev, Co-founder and Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer of Uzum, Uzbekistan’s first tech unicorn, joined us for this episode. Uzum became a unicorn in just two years, and now serves as the country’s leading e-commerce and fintech ecosystem. In this episode, they share how they built a household name in a largely offline market, their strategy for leapfrogging infrastructure gaps, and why Uzbekistan is one of the most exciting frontier markets today.
In this episode we cover:
(00:01:11) Why...Growing a search fund acquisition to IPO in Brazil - Jan Riehle, B4A
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Jan Riehle is the CEO of B4A, a leading Brazilian beauty marketplace with over 700,000 active users. An INSEAD ’09D, Jan began his career in M&A and private equity in Switzerland before joining Springstar, a German-Swiss venture builder, to manage their Brazil operations.
In this episode we cover:
How he acquired and merged two struggling beauty companies (Glambox and Men’s Market) into what is now B4A (00:00:24; 00:05:28) His approach to restructuring and achieving breakeven in just four months by integrating company cultures and cutting fixed costs (00:11:39; 00:12:21) How B4A grew 10...GCC Leadership Series: Amr Habis - The Cultural and Economic Transformation of Saudi Arabia under Vision 2030
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In this episode, I speak with Amr Habis, a transformational leader with expertise in engineering, project management, and business strategy, who has played a key role in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. With experience spanning organizations like Aramco, OEM Group, and the Saudi National Guard, Amr provides deep insights into Saudi’s economic shift, infrastructure boom, and cultural transformation.
We discuss:
Amr’s career journey – from engineering and construction to oil & gas and eventually entrepreneurship, and how he finds fulfillment in const...GCC Leadership Series: Waleed AlBanawi – Lessons on Resilience, Impact, and Innovation
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In this episode, we are joined by Waleed AlBanawi, an INSEAD 05D, Executive Chairman & CEO of Banvest Group, and former chairman of Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) MENA. Waleed has deep experience in traditional industries, venture capital, and regional economic transformation.
We discuss:
His father’s entrepreneurial journey – pioneering industrial business in Saudi Arabia before the oil boom, securing funding when banks wouldn’t lend to industry, and overcoming regulatory and workforce challenges.Lessons in resilience – how early exposure to adversity through boarding school, competit...INSEAD GCC Leadership Series: Zaid Mosawy on Delivering the 2022 World Cup
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Zaid Mosawy, an INSEAD 10D, joined us to discuss his experience as a key figure behind the delivery of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
We explore how his background in civil engineering, experience with the London Olympics, and INSEAD MBA positioned him to lead one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in the region’s history.
Zaid shares lessons from a decade of planning and executing the World Cup—from cultural diplomacy and labor reforms to navigating geopolitical crises and creating lasting legacy programs.
We also look ahead t...
East Africa's Leading Used Car Marketplace with Kaoru Kaganoi, Peach Tech
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In this episode of the INSEAD Emerging Markets Podcast, Nick Lall speaks with Kaoru Kaganoi, INSEAD MBA '16J and founder of Peach Tech, East Africa’s leading used car marketplace. From growing up in Paris as the son of a Japanese professor of French philosophy to intense stints at McKinsey in Tokyo and Nairobi, Kaoru shares his global journey through social impact work in Bangladesh, Tuvalu, and Palestine, culminating in launching a high-growth startup in Kenya.
He opens up about:
How his early cross-cultural experiences shaped hi...Blockchain/Working Capital Solutions for Emerging Markets – Altesh Baijoo, Founder of Insaaph Capital & Director at Flow48
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In this episode of the INSEAD Emerging Markets Podcast, host Nick Lall is joined by Altesh Baijoo, a dynamic entrepreneur at the intersection of finance, technology, and global markets. As Founder of Insaaph Capital and Director at Flow48, Altesh is helping reshape financial access across the developing world—unlocking investment opportunities through blockchain-enabled platforms and bridging SME funding gaps through tech-driven working capital solutions.
Altesh shares his journey from the corporate world to entrepreneurship, including his early intrapreneurial experiences in FMCG, his deep dive into fractionalized finance, and his growing conviction that eme...
Emerging Market VC with Yana Yasevich, Alter Global
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In this episode, we were joined by Yana Yasevich, Partner & Head of Platform at Alter Global, an early-stage VC firm focused on emerging markets worldwide.
Since 2020, Alter has made more than 70 investments in entrepreneurs based out of São Paulo, Jakarta, Dhaka, Lagos, Buenos Aires, Manila, Mexico City, and more, supporting high-character founders building not just companies, but their communities and economies.
We discuss:
Yana’s entrepreneurial journey – how launching a slee...Sustainable forestry in Africa - Darren Lapp, New Forests Company
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In this episode, we were joined by Darren Lapp, CEO of the New Forests Company, a sustainable forestry and timber products business operating in Uganda and Tanzania. Darren shares his journey from growing up in a forestry town in Canada to leading a major forestry enterprise in sub-Saharan Africa.
We discuss:
Darren’s career path – how he transitioned from biology and soil science to forestry, influenced by early work experiences and international exposure.The challenges of forestry in Africa – balancing environmental sustainability, community engagement, and economic viability.Sust...Athletic + career excellence and VC in the Balkans - Pedja Predin, Fifth Quarter Ventures
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Pedja is an INSEAD 14J and GP at Fifth Quarter Ventures, the first VC firm solely focused on Southeastern Europe. Pedja was on the Serbian National Water Polo team, and post-INSEAD scaled Gelato (a print-on-demand startup) into a unicorn my leading its expansion into emerging markets like India, China, and Russia.
In this episode we discuss the types of founders Pedja likes to invest in, traits he looks for in investors and partners, how to build brands in emerging markets as a foreigner and much more.
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Building Latin America's largest fintech - Livia Chanes, CEO Nubank Brazil
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Nubank (NYSE: NU) is Latin America's largest fintech company and the world's largest neobank with over 100 million users and a valuation of over $70 billion.
Livia is an INSEAD 09D and prior to Nubank directed tech and business analytics at Itau Unibanco (Latin America's largest bank) and was a Partner at McKinsey.
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Is India the next China? with Kevin Carter, EMQQ Global
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Kevin Carter, founder and chief investment officer of EMQQ Global, joined us to disucss his journey in the investment world, initiated by his transformative reading of "A Random Walk Down Wall Street," which led to him working alongside economist Burton Malkiel of Princeton University in creating multiple stock market innovations like fractional investing and personal indexing, and his ultimate focus on China and other emerging markets.
Carter shares insights on the digital consumer revolution in these markets and his thoughts on India's potential today compared with that of China's 20 years ago.
Adventure capitalist quantitative investing - Asha Mehta, Global Delta Capital
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In this episode of the INSEAD Emerging Markets Podcast, we speak with Asha Mehta, Managing Partner at Global Delta Capital, about her impactful career in finance, focusing on emerging and frontier markets through a lens of sustainability and responsible investing.
Asha founded Global Delta Capital after working as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs and Lead Portfolio Manager and Director of Responsible Investing at Acadian Asset Management. Asha has been recognized as a "brilliant quant" by Forbes Magazine and ranked as one of the top 10 women in asset management by Money Management E...
Global citizenship with Andrew Henderson, Nomad Capitalist
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Andrew Henderson is the Founder and CEO of Nomad Capitalist, the world's leading offshore consulting firm dedicated to helping clients make informed decisions on the best countries to invest, start a business and live in.
Andrew has helped over 2,000 UHNW individuals go offshore and his YouTube channel has over 750,000 subscribers.
Nomad Capitalist Live, Nomad Capitalist's annual event, will be held in Kuala Lumpur this September 25th through 28th.
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Nearshoring to Mexico - Jorge Gonzalez Henrichsen, The Nearshore Company
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In this episode, Jorge Gonzalez Henrichsen joins us to share his unique path from investment banking and an MBA at NYU Stern to acquiring and then running company at the forefront of the nearshoring movement. He dives deep into both the geopolitical and macroeconomic ramifications of nearshoring and the nitty gritty of what it takes to search for, buy, and then run a cross-border business.
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Transforming brands and lives across cultures - Emily Chang, CEO McCann WorldGroup China
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In this episode of the INSEAD Emerging Markets Podcast, we were joined by Emily Chang, a powerhouse in the world of international marketing and business strategy.
Currently CEO of VML West (and CEO of McCann Worldgroup in China at the time of recording), Emily's storied career spans influential roles at global giants like Starbucks, Apple, and Procter & Gamble, culminating in her profound impact on brand building and customer experience across continents.
Beyond her corporate achievements, Emily shares her personal journey of caring for orphaned children, echoing the themes of her...
$8.5B emerging market asset management - Nick Rohatyn, The Rohatyn Group
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Nicolas Rohatyn serves as Chief Executive Officer of The Rohatyn Group. TRG is a team of 190+ emerging market specialists in 18 countries dedicated to pursuing investment opportunities in these economies by focusing on areas of structural inefficiency and special opportunity.
The firm has over $8 billion in assets under management and splits its investments between public markets, private markets and forestry and agriculture.
Prior to founding TRG in 2002, Mr. Rohatyn spent 19-years at J.P. Morgan, including 5 years as a member of J.P. Morgan’s executive management team, holding a variety of...
Making UHNW hospitality thrive through COVID and beyond - Yeshi Phuntso, Àni Private Resorts
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In this episode, we spoke with Yeshi Phuntso, CEO of Àni Private Resorts about how his strategic focus on community engagement and employee empowerment has created a thriving brand.
Àni is the world’s first private resort collection offering exclusive retreats in the most beautiful and far-flung corners of the earth, ÀNI Private Resorts draws its name from the Swahili word 'andjani', which aptly means the ‘journey ahead’. This refers not only to the time shared by ÀNI guests at each resort as part of life’s journey, but also to the future offere...
Climate Tech Innovation with Jamil Wyne, founder of Climate Tech Bootcamp
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Jamil Wyne is an INSEAD 18J and advisor, investor, professor and author focusing on climate, entrepreneurship, technology and economic development around the world, including a strong concentration on climate change. Worked with World Bank, IFC, UN, Clean Energy Venture Group, Catalyst Investment Management, Schmidt Futures, Wamda, and Ashoka. INSEAD MBA, Johns Hopkins SAIS MA. Writing/research has been published/cited in SSIR, TechCrunch, World Bank, UN, Wharton, McKinsey, and Brookings publications. Based in Washington, DC.
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Mass transit as a last mile logistics solution for SE Asian cities - Onno Pfeiffer, co-founder of Diolko
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Onno Pfeiffer is an INSEAD GEMBA 19 and is the co-founder of Diolko.
Diolko's sustainable last mile delivery solution leverages underutilized city infrastructure to improve quality of life for everyone by reducing both greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion.
Subscribe and follow the INSEAD Emerging Markets Podcast on Spotify, Apple, or Google.
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Regenerative Agriculture in Pakistan with Taimur Malik of Drawdown Farm
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Taimur Malik, Co-Founder and Ideator of Drawdown Farm joined us to speak about regenerative agriculture's role in addressing the world's polycrises and the amazing results he's had so far on his farm in the Thar Desert of Pakistan.
Prior to founding Drawdown Farm, Taimur was an Analyst at Citibank, Chief Executive at Moiz Textiles, and co-founded TM Black, a fair trade men's custom shirting company, in which he negotiated deals with the best textile mills in the world for fabric selections, including Canclini in Italy, and ultimately sold the business to a g...
VC in India with Brendan Rogers of 2am VC (formerly Wag!'s co-founder)
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Brendan Rogers is the Co-Founder of 2am VC, an early-stage India Fund. Previously, Brendan co-founded Wag! (NASDAQ) PET, the largest pet platform in the US.
Before Wag!, Brendan co-founded a social discovery service to meet new people, which grew to over 50 million users in over 10 countries, and was acquired by IAC in 2014.
In this podcast, Brendan joined Nick Lall to discuss the burgeoning startup environment in India, best practices for building a personal brand, and his personal journey in launching 2am VC.
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Fair FX transfers for emerging market currencies with Mike Robertson and Adrian Brown, founders of AbbeyCross
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AbbeyCross is a business-to-business FX trading and compliance marketplace for emerging market (EM) currencies. Available to banks and payment providers, it brings deeper EM currency liquidity, previously unavailable price transparency and market data to a fragmented EM payment industry.
With AbbeyCross, banking participants are able to secure and strengthen their EM payments offerings through one simple integration with multiple liquidity and settlement providers, while these same providers have easier access to new EM payment flows.
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Fi...
From consulting in China to founding a CFO automation startup in Mexico with Javier Cunat, co-founder of Diligo
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Javier Cunat is a TIEMBA 2014 and COO/Director of Diligo, which offers advisory and CFO services for startups in Spain and Mexico. In this episode we explore his 14 years in China and subsequent move to found a startup in Mexico.
Subscribe and follow the INSEAD Emerging Markets Podcast on Spotify, Apple, or Google.
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Founder of Asia's largest proptech company, creator of 3 unicorns, Georg Chmiel
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Georg Chmiel is an INSEAD 96D and the Co-Founder / Chair of Juwai-IQI Holdings, the largest proptech group in South East Asia with more than 30,000 sales agents. He is also responsible for creating 3 unicorns. His previous experience includes Executive Chairman of iCarAsia (ASX:ICQ), the number 1 online automotive marketplace for SE Asia. He was also Managing Director / CEO of the iProperty Group (ASX:IPP) until its sale to REA Group in the biggest online takeover in SE Asia at that point in time. He has also served as the...
Innovating Latin American food and ag sectors with Emilie Abrams of Yield Lab
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Emilie Abrams is an INSEAD 21J and Principal at The Yield Lab Mexico.
The Yield Lab is a VC fund formed in 2014 to address a lack of capital and support for early stage agriculture technology companies. It invests in seed stage to growth stage agtech companies, providing international business connections and the resources of the entire Yield Lab international network across Asia, Europe, and North and South America.
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Crypto's applications in Emerging Markets with Lloyd Brown, Head of Emerging Markets at Easy Crypto
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Easy Crypto is New Zealand's largest cryptocurrency retailer transacting over $1b in sales, and has now expanded to Australia and South Africa as well.
Lloyd Brown is Head of Emerging Markets at Easy Crypto and has decades of business experience on the African continent.
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Sustainable business opportunities in Southeast Asia with Lisa Genasci (ADM Capital) and Marc Schmidt (BCG)
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In this episode, Lisa Genasci and Marc Schmidt joined Vincent Tordo to speak about sustainable business opportunities in Southeast Asia
Lisa is a Managing Director - Sustainable Finance with ADM Capital where she leads the firm’s ESG Committee and sits on the Investment Advisory Committee.
Marc is a Managing Director and Partner at BCG and is the Southeast Asia Lead for Social Impact, Environment and Climate.
To explore more...
From starting a clothing store to raising $500M PE funds in Africa with Antoine Delaporte
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Antoine Delaporte is an INSEAD alumnus who after working as a Manager at Bain in London and Paris launched 3 clothing businesses in Madagascar, which he grew to 2500 employees. He then sold the these businesses and entered the world of PE, starting Adenia Partners 20 years ago. He has raised 5 funds for Adenia, the latest being a 500m fund.
In this episode he talks about the scale of impact one can have in Africa in changing the world vs other locations, and the VC-like returns you can achieve by investing in traditional businesses on t...
VC in Southeast Asia with Sanjay Zimmerman of White Star Capital
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White Star Capital is a global multi-stage venture capital investment firm with offices in New York, London, Montreal, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Singapore. They focus on Series A and beyond, helping their portfolio scale internationally. Investments of theirs include Flash Coffee, Dollar Shave Club, Sleek, Freshly, and Pop Meals.
Visit White Star at whitestarcapital.com and join our emerging markets community on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13949631/ .
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Investing in Bali with Matthieu Chauveau of Tropic Invest
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Matthieu is an INSEAD 19D who has launched 4 businesses in Bali since graduating. We talked about his business plans, fundraising successes and commitments to sustainability and inclusive development.
Visit Tropic Invest at tropicinvest.com and join our emerging markets community on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13949631/ .
Subscribe and follow the INSEAD Emerging Markets Podcast on Spotify, Apple, or Google.
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What will healthcare look like post COVID? With Sejal Mistry and Chris L Hardesty
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Sejal Mistry, Regional Director of Southeast Asia at ACCESS Health International , and Chris L. Hardesty, Partner at Pureland Venture and Director of the Health and Life Sciences practice at KPMG joined Suhina Singh for a conversation on what healthcare in emerging markets will look like following the CoVID-19 pandemic.
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Emerging Market Search Funds with Andrew Locke, co-founder of Ambit Partners
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Ambit Partners is a search fund investor that enabling entrepreneurship through acquisition across traditional and developing markets, including Africa, South America and Asia.
In this episode, Ambit co-founder and Partner, Andrew Locke, discusses the impact and business potential for search funds in emerging markets and what he looks for in entrepreneurs that he invests in.
Visit Ambit Partners at www.ambit.partners and join our emerging markets community on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13949631/ .
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Building 1 million businesses by 2030 - Vikram Bharati, founder of Draper Startup House for Entrepreneurs
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Vikram Bharati is the founder of the Draper Startup House, which is on a mission to invest in ONE MILLION entrepreneurs by the end of 2030.
Draper Startup Houses are business innovation hubs with a backpacking environment and access to venture capital for global entrepreneurs. Their current locations include Singapore, Bangalore, Estonia, Yangon, Manila, Lisbon, Chiang Mai, Bali and Austin, Texas.
Visit Draper Startup House at draperstartuphouse.com and join our emerging markets community on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13949631/ .
Subscribe and follow the INSEAD Emerging Markets...
Creating a unicorn by serving rural APAC with satellite internet- Christian Patouraux, founder of Kacific
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Christian Patouraux, the CEO and founder of Kacific, a satellite internet startup that has raised $300M+ and serves some of the most remote markets in emerging APAC such as Bhutan, Papua New Guinea and Tuvalu, joined us for our first episode.
Visit Kacific at kacific.com and join our emerging markets community on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13949631/ .
Find us on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and Youtube.
