Bernard Chong: Acquittal of False Drug Smuggling Allegations, Childhood with World Balance and Building Philipines' eSports Community with AP.Bren - E360

Bernard Chong, Founder of professional esports organization AP.Bren, and Jeremy Au talked about three main topics: 1. Childhood with World Balance: Bernard talked about his childhood experiences learning the family business, World Balance, the biggest local shoe brand in the Philippines. He learned from his parents about the importance of hard work, clear decision-making, and the importance of stepping back when necessary. He also explained how this foundational training later led to his future entrepreneurial ventures including an animation studio, the local coffee brand franchise Tim Horton’s, the platform business Easy Franchise, and now setting up businesses in the US. 2. Acquittal of False Drug Smuggling Allegations: Bernard recounted his 3-year struggle to prove his innocence after being falsely accused of smuggling $34M of methamphetamine. He shared how he had angel invested in FortuneYield, a cargo company, and how the culprit Wealth Lotus had misled the legal system to believe that FortuneYield had been the consignee. He described the emotional turmoil faced by his family, particularly his children, who faced ridicule and doubt due to the public nature of the accusations. He had to stay silent and have faith in the legal system while the investigation proceeded until he finally received the news that the court had acquitted him and revoked the arrest warrant. 3. Building the Philippines eSports Community: Bernard discussed how his love for gaming and the potential he saw when he ​​observed communities forming around games like DOTA and Street Fighter led him to found the eSports team AP.Bren. He believes in the necessity of patience in allowing time for communities to grow organically. He also highlighted that youth can learn life lessons through professional gaming such as leadership, team management, planning, and resource management. Bernard also touched on investing in different industries, building overseas, and his passion for teaching which led him to set up an education foundation. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/bernard-chong Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TnqkaWpTT181lMA8xNu0T YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyAu Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/brave-southeast-asia-tech-singapore-indonesia-vietnam/id1506890464 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZC5jby9icmF2ZWR5bmFtaWNz TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea Learn more about Acme Technology here: https://www.tryacme.com