Post-AI "Good Jobs", SGX & IDX Capital Market Challenges & USA VC vs. Southeast Asia Fund Performance with Shiyan Koh - E431

Shiyan Koh, Managing Partner of  Hustle Fund, and ​​Jeremy Au talked about three main themes: 1. USA VC vs. Southeast Asia Fund Performance: Bain’s 2023 private equity report shows that Southeast Asia's VC returns have been lower over the past decade, with median LP distributions of 0.4X for Southeast Asia, China 0.6X, Europe 0.7X, USA 1X and India 1.3X. Shiyan attributed this due to the oversupply of capital - despite an order of magnitude increase in venture capital into Southeast Asia, this influx has not led to a proportional increase in scalable, successful companies, thus leading to inflated valuations and reduced returns​​. 2. SGX & IDX Capital Market Challenges: Jeremy and Shiyan examined the hurdles faced by Southeast Asian companies in accessing capital markets. Jeremy noted the low liquidity on local exchanges, with turnover rates at 32% in Singapore, 19% in Indonesia, and 73% in the Philippines, compared to the New York Stock Exchange's 103%​​. Shiyan emphasized that local regulatory constraints, such as the Singapore Stock Exchange’s requirement for profitability (to protect retail investors), deter many tech startups, prompting them to seek international listings, particularly in the US, where they can list at higher valuations despite ongoing losses​​. They also discussed the role of capital controls in limiting retail investors' access to offshore equities in China and India, driving demand for domestic listings​​. 3. Post-AI "Good Jobs": Jeremy and Shiyan examined the impact of AI on Southeast Asia's labor markets, focusing on how integrating AI with lower-cost labor could create a competitive advantage against purely AI-driven models in the US​​. Shiyan suggested that developing AI-native companies could drive innovation in service sectors like call centers and business process outsourcing (BPO). They also touched on the concept of the “iron rice bowl”—a metaphor for job security and stability in traditional sectors, such as government-related roles, which might be less affected by AI​​. They noted that while AI could make some roles obsolete, particularly those involving repetitive tasks, it might also open new opportunities by automating routine aspects of jobs, thus enhancing overall productivity. Jeremy and Shiyan also talked about the importance of mid-sized companies for talent recycling, AI’s role in the creative fields, and how global economic trends impact founder fundraising in the region. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/post-ai-good-jobs Nonton, dengar atau baca wawasan lengkapnya di https://www.bravesea.com/blog/post-ai-good-jobs-id 观看、收听或阅读全文，请访问 https://www.bravesea.com/blog/post-ai-good-jobs-cn Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Reach out to [email protected] to learn more about Heymax