Crazy Smart Asia lifts the lid on the unexpected stories behind some of Asia’s boldest disruptors. Every week we talk with a young leader about the crazy-smart approaches they’re taking to achieve success and tackle some of the biggest issues facing Asia today.
“People were shocked when I told them that there was a time during Covid, before we founded Green Rebel, where we had a cash reserve that could last us only a week,” says Green Rebel and Burgreens co-founder and CEO Helga Angelina Tjahjadi, on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Gen.T’s Chong Seow Wei, the double plant-based business entrepreneur shares how she went from pandemic nightmare to Starbucks mega-deal, why she went social-media viral for the wrong reasons and her plans to build the business into a global franchise.
"The first generation builds the family business, second generation consolidates it, third one destroys it," says Nepalese business mogul and philanthropist Binod Chaudhary on Crazy Smart Asia. With his son and successor Nirvana, he spoke to Tatler Asia president Tamara Lamunière about navigating relationships as a business family, how to have those awkward succession planning chats and trusting your intuition.
"I washed my face with a bar of soap," says Charlotte Cho, the founder of K-beauty marketplace Soko Glam and skincare brand Then I Met You, on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Gen.T's Chong Seow Wei, the OG K-beauty entrepreneur explains how to centre your work in the Korean art of "Jeong", the VC trap founders must beware of and secrets from inside the beauty industry.
“In F&B, we love to torture ourselves. But with the pain comes the joy of serving people, seeing people smile while eating their food,” says Chin Ren Yi, the co-founder of MyBurgerLab, a popular burger chain in Malaysia known for its local flavours and charcoal buns, on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Gen.T’s Chong Seow Wei, the entrepreneur shares his insights for longevity in his industry, overcoming co-founder split struggles and why focusing on being happy is his number one priority.
"Maybe your concept of entrepreneurship doesn't have to be those of Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk," says Louise Mabulo, the founder of The Cacao Project, a restorative agroforestry initiative, on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Gen. T's Chong Seow Wei, the entrepreneur, farmer and chef shares how she went from Masterchef Junior to TED Talk speaker to bringing pride back to farming in Asia.
