ELSA, Corp

General Manager of SEA Cluster and Taiwan

General Manager SEA Cluster

ELSA (English Language Speech Assistant), the world's smartest A.I. assistant for pronunciation training and accent reduction. Our vision is to enable the 1.5 billion language learners around the world to speak English fluently and with the confidence to unlock new opportunities in their lives.

We're hiring, join us! https://vn.elsaspeak.com/en/career/

General Manager Vietnam

Track Revolution

Specialist is organizing private events promoting  motorsport driving experiences in a fast, fun and safe environment across Singapore and Malaysia.

Co-Founder

Dutycast 

Strategic Advisor

UpYouth | TechYouth Incubator

Startup Mentor

Junior Achievement Singapore 

Student Mentor

Advisory Singapore

OkieLa

OkieLa is a Venture-Capital-backed, ecommerce marketplace and logistics startup that connects buyers and sellers across Vietnam.

Drove user and merchant acquisition and GMV growth for a two-sided marketplace. Managed P/L and set up standard operating procedures for operational, legal, finance and HR matters for 95 full-time staff

Director of Growth and Operations

Domo, Inc.

EXIT: IPO on NASDAQ in 2018.

Hired pre-IPO as employee #4 in Southeast Asia with responsibility for marketing and business development.

Company has raised funding from investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Benchmark, Fidelity, Founders Fund, GGV Capital, Greylock Partners, IVP, Jeff Bezos, Salesforce Ventures and TPG.

SEA Enterprise Demand Generation and APAC Digital Lead

Wells Fargo

Landscape analysis and go-to-market strategic project planning for Wells Fargo Student Segment as part of MBA capstone project.

Management Consultant

N KID GROUP | tiNiPlanet Media

Developed and drove growth of core technology assets and new business verticals.
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N Kid Group is a Vietnam-based lifestyle platform for children with over 90 play centers (tiNiWorld) and more than 70 toy retail locations. Exclusive distributor for brands such as Hasbro, Viking alongside N Kid’s private label (tiNiToys). tiNiPlanet Media served as the digital technology and media division of N Kid Group.

Director of Innovation and Business Development

Experiment. Fail. Learn. Repeat.

Professional problem-solver who has spent over 16 years immersed in Asia's burgeoning digital space. Adaptable, innovative and fearless in creating business solutions across EdTech, O2O, Mobile, eCommerce, Marketplace, Logistics, B2B SaaS and Digital Transformation. Passionate about driving growth as a marketing and business development specialist, having helped organizations grow revenue and raise over US$240m. An empathetic and insightful leader as well as team player, well-poised by nature and well-positioned by choice to navigate an increasingly West-meets-East world. 

Immigration Status: Singapore Permanent Resident

“I lost 37 kilos (~82 lbs), cut 12% body fat, went from the back of the grid to the midfield in racing, and bought a fledgling business and turned it profitable – all in 12 months. Here’s what I actually learned.”

The header is about as cliché of a LinkedIn post as I could write BUT before you roll your eyes, let me share what actually made the difference (hint: it’s not #AI, #hacks, or #shortcuts or any other product or service people sell here these days).

Twelve months ago, my life looked very different:
- Overweight and unfit.
- Starting races at the back of the grid.
- Dreaming of business ownership, but stuck in "someday."

Today:
- 37 kilos lighter, 12% less body fat (and dropping).
- Consistently racing in the midfield (and climbing).
- Owner of a once-fledgling business, now profitable (and growing).

Same person. Same 24 hours. Different decisions.

In the age of AI, everyone is hunting for a shortcut. We're bombarded with promises of instant success and automated solutions. I hate to break it to you, but even now, the fundamentals haven't changed: success still comes down to these three timeless factors:

1. Patience: Respect the lag.
The scale didn't move for weeks. Lap times didn't drop overnight. The business didn't magically turn around. There's always a delay between doing the right things and seeing the payoff. Most people quit in that gap. I learned to trust the process, not just the immediate outcome.

2. Hard Work: Make your new identity non-negotiable.
I stopped saying "I'm trying" and started saying: "I'm an athlete. I'm a racer. I'm a business owner." Then I asked: What does that person do today? And I did exactly that, whether I felt like it or not. Early mornings, extra laps, late nights with spreadsheets. Unsexy, consistent effort.

3. Perseverance: Don't negotiate with your goals.
There were setbacks: weight spikes, slower times, endless search for businesses to buy or start. Cash getting tight. The turning point wasn't when things started working, but when I decided: I'm not negotiating my goals anymore, only my strategy. If the plan wasn't working, I changed the plan, not the destination.

The actual realization? I didn't lack ability. I lacked the FAITH in my ability to be patient, work hard, and to persevere against all odds and sustain it over time.

Once those three aligned, everything else followed: my body, my racing, our business – and most importantly, how I see myself.

If you're at the "back of the grid" in any area of your life right now, remember:
- You don't need perfect conditions or plan. 
- You don't need to wait for the right moment.
- You need: Patience, Hard Work, and Perseverance.

Twelve months from now, your life can look completely different. Would love to hear your stories of growth these past 12 months!

#Transformation #PersonalGrowth #Entrepreneurship #Racing #FitnessJourney #HardWork #Patience #Perseverance #NoShortcuts #BusinessGrowth #Motivation #Leadership #Mindset #AI #SuccessMindset

Michael N.

Professional problem-solver who has spent over 13 years immersed in Asia's burgeoning digital space. Adaptable, innovative and fearless in creating business solutions across EdTech, O2O, Mobile, eCommerce, Marketplace, Logistics, B2B SaaS and Digital Transformation. Passionate about driving growth as a marketing and business development specialist, having helped organizations grow revenue and raise over US$240m. An empathetic and insightful leader as well as team player, well-poised by nature and well-positioned by choice to navigate an increasingly West-meets-East world. 

Immigration Status: Singapore Permanent Resident

Month one in the books and we’re in the black!

After decades of building and scaling businesses for other people, we’ve finally turned that experience inward and started building our own. All those late nights, hard lessons, and “I’d do this differently if it were my company” moments are now fuel for something that’s truly ours.

Are we lucky? For sure.
But most of that “luck” is made, not found.

It comes from having real clarity on our vision.
From making disciplined financial decisions from day one.
From seeing opportunity where others see risk or walk right past it.
Bootstraping debt free: no investors, no cap table, no partners, no detracting voices (except the ones inside our heads), 💯 ours.

That’s what sets this journey apart.

Starting profitable in month one is a milestone we’re incredibly proud of. Our next target is clear: achieve full payback in under 12 months… and from there, the sky’s the limit.

More than the numbers, it’s the feeling:
The feeling of turning vision into invoices.
The feeling of proving our own playbook.
The feeling of ownership, responsibility, and possibility all at once.

Month one down. Many more to build. 🚀

Onwards. Forwards. Let’s go!!!

#Entrepreneurship #StartupLife #SmallBusiness #Profitability #BusinessGrowth #FirstMonth #InTheBlack #Vision #MadeOurOwnLuck #NewBeginnings

Yesterday, I had the privilege of speaking at the UCLA-NUS Executive MBA Fireside Chat & Networking session on “Leading Through Hyper-Growth, Reinvention & High-Performance.”

The value of an MBA is often measured in hard numbers and ROI. That was certainly true for me, the program has delivered very tangible returns.

But when I look back, the real value I received lives in the softer metrics:
- The confidence to step into unfamiliar arenas and lead.
- The ease of working with seasoned, high-calibre professional peers.
- A trusted network I can lean on at any stage of my career or life.

I’m especially grateful for the chance to share my journey alongside my classmate and Management Practicum partner, Isaac Bess. It was refreshing to be able to speak more openly and candidly than I might in other settings, a reflection of the safety, trust and support within this community.

Thank you to everyone who joined the conversation and contributed your questions and perspectives.

Thank you to Emir Hrnjić and Nicole Tee for the platform and the opportunity to for the Intake 15 folks to get back together! An even bigger thanks to our organizer and MC Desiree Lai! (PS will make sure I rock the NUS socks next time!)

For those who’ve done an MBA or other intensive program: beyond the spreadsheets and salary bumps, what’s been the most valuable non-financial takeaway from your journey?

#MBA #ExecutiveMBA #UCLANUSEMBA #Leadership #CareerGrowth #LifelongLearning #ProfessionalDevelopment #Networking #AlumniCommunity

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