Michael Ray: Hydrating Thailand | Ep #30

In this episode of The Exponential Show, host Mayank Singh sits down with Michael Ray, Co-Founder & CEO of WILDER Hydration, for a wide-ranging conversation on building modern consumer brands, community-led growth, and the evolving fitness and wellness landscape in Thailand.Michael shares the thinking behind launching WILDER, what makes it resonate with today’s health-conscious consumers, and why community, partnerships, and real-world activations play such a critical role in brand building. The discussion also explores distribution, content, startup realities in Thailand, and what lies ahead as WILDER continues to grow.This episode will resonate with founders, operators, brand builders, and anyone interested in the intersection of sports, fitness, wellness, and entrepreneurship in Southeast Asia.IntroductionMichael’s origin story and the journey behind WILDERWhat problem WILDER solves and why the product resonates todayCommunity-led growth: WILDER Training Club, events, and activationsDistribution & reach: what has worked and what hasn’tFitness & wellness trends shaping Thailand todayThe startup ecosystem in Thailand: opportunities and challengesLooking ahead to 2026: goals and milestones for WILDERClosing reflectionsThis episode is sponsored by Swish.Swish operates sports rental facilities across multiple locations in Bangkok, with a strong focus on basketball and community-driven sports experiences. Beyond court rentals, Swish runs Swish Academy for basketball training, hosts pick-up games, leagues, and events, and actively collaborates on partnership activations across sports, fitness, and wellness.Swish is playing a meaningful role in building active, connected communities through sport in Bangkok.A special thank you to Syd Sanchez, founder of Swish, who personally hand-delivered Swish merch for both the guest and the host — a gesture that perfectly reflects the community-first ethos behind what Swish is building.