Where Expertise Finds Its Voice

In the final episode of The Exponential Show for 2025, host Mayank Singh sits down with Surasit Sachdev, Founder & CEO of Hungry Hub, to unpack the journey of building and scaling one of Thailand’s leading dining marketplaces. From early motivations to market expansion, this conversation explores the realities of building a two-sided platform in Southeast Asia, navigating cross-border growth, and staying close to both restaurant partners and diners. 00:00 – Episode Intro 02:32 – Origin story and what led to Hungry Hub 11:23 – Solving for restaurants and diners at the same time 23:02 – Key pivots and evolving market dynamics 31:43 – Catering to international travelers coming into Thailand 37:03 – Expanding to Singapore and Malaysia - lessons from new markets 43:19 – Lessons for the next generation of Thai founders 48:33 – What’s next for Hungry Hub in 2026 and beyond 58:32 – Reflections to close out 2025 and looking ahead at 2026 🙏 Episode Sponsor This episode is sponsored by Naivedyum — home-made fusion, vegan and vegetarian food made with fresh ingredients and aromatic spices, cooked with love, care, passion, and pride.

This episode features Prinn Panitchpakdi, Chief Executive Officer at Four Seasons Advisory and a seasoned leader across finance, investments, policy advisory, and capital markets, in conversation with our host Mayank Singh. With decades of experience spanning financial advisory, government-linked initiatives, capital markets, and startup advisory, Prinn brings a rare, ground-level perspective on how Thailand’s business and investment landscape is evolving — and what founders, investors, and operators should be paying attention to as we move toward 2026 and beyond. In this wide-ranging conversation, we explore Prinn’s professional journey, Thailand’s opportunities and structural challenges, the realities of raising capital locally, and the role networking and policy play in long-term business success. 🎧 What we cover in this episode 0:00 – Introduction Setting the context for the conversation with Prinn Panitchpakdi 1:08 – Prinn’s career journey Key milestones across finance, advisory, policy, and leadership roles 5:37 – Thailand’s business landscape heading into 2026 Emerging opportunities, risks, and structural challenges for businesses and startups 20:13 – The role of government policy in shaping growth How policy decisions influence capital flows, industries, and investor confidence 38:44 – Raising capital in Thailand What founders often get wrong, and how to approach fundraising more strategically 47:11 – Personal branding and networking for leaders Why visibility, trust, and long-term relationships matter more than ever 53:18 – Lessons for founders and business leaders Advice for SMEs, startups, and executives building in Thailand today 58:07 – Closing reflections and final takeaways 🤝 Episode Sponsor This episode is sponsored by Plethora IT. Plethora IT partners with startups and SMEs to navigate their marketing, branding, and digital growth journeys — combining strategy, execution, and technology to help businesses scale sustainably. Learn more about Plethora IT here: 👉 https://www.plethorait.com/ If you’re a founder, investor, or business leader building in Thailand — or considering Southeast Asia as your next growth market — this episode offers grounded insights from someone who has worked across policy, capital, and execution at every level. 👉 Subscribe to The Exponential Show for more conversations with founders, investors, and leaders shaping the region’s startup and business ecosystem.

In Episode 27 of The Exponential Show, host Mayank Singh sits down with Louise Blein and Amarine Erbs, co-founders of Yours — a fast-growing platform reshaping how Thailand buys and sells pre-loved items. Yours is not just a marketplace. It’s a movement toward circular living, more mindful consumption, and community-powered sustainability. In this conversation, Louise and Amarine break down what it takes to build trust in the pre-loved space, how they’re growing a loyal community, and why educating consumers and stakeholders is key to driving long-term change. This episode is packed with insights for: ✔️ Early-stage founders ✔️ Sustainability and circular-economy advocates ✔️ Marketplace builders ✔️ Anyone curious about Thailand’s startup landscape A special thank you to Space Bangkok for sponsoring this episode, and to Jenn Weidman, whose leadership in supporting meaningful entrepreneurship (including through the WE-Can women’s entrepreneurship program) has helped empower founders across Thailand. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 02:16 – Louise & Amarine’s journey and the problem their tackling with Yours 08:06 – Why circular-economy education is important 10:59 – Building a community-first marketplace 12:56 – Weaving trust into the business model 16:40 – The evolving culture of buying and selling pre-loved items 22:16 – Product categories that succeed on Yours and the biggest growth opportunities 25:40 – Thais vs expats: cultural impact on buyer behavior 28:46 – Their marketing approach: what works, what doesn’t 34:15 – Navigating Thailand’s startup environment 39:01 – What’s next for Yours 📌 About Yours Yours is a centralized platform for buying and selling pre-loved items in Thailand, with a mission to make sustainable consumption easy, accessible, and community-driven. Learn more: https://www.yours-th.com/

This episode features Kari Harteva, partner at August Leadership, in conversation with our host, Mayank Singh. Kari draws from his incredible wealth of experience to shed light on: 0:00 - Intro 1:45 - Kari's journey in corporate and business leadership 5:44 - Leadership: why organizational success starts at the very top 11:18 - Teams: identifying and managing A, B, and C players 19:00 - Mentoring & coaching leaders 24:30 - Personal branding and thought leadership 28:22 - Understanding the Thai business landscape 33:03 - Advice for leaders and managers This episode is sponsored by NoMorr - premium plant-based gelato crafted with love 🫶🏻. Dairy-free, no added sugar, and low calorie - perfect for guilt-free indulgence. Grab yours today: linktr.ee/nomorr.gelato

In this episode of The Exponential Show, host Mayank Singh sits down with Harprem Doowa, Co-Founder & CEO of Eazy Digital — a fast-growing insurtech company modernizing how insurance businesses operate. A serial entrepreneur and one of Thailand’s most recognized startup leaders, Harprem shares his journey through the country’s evolving tech ecosystem, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and how he’s using data and AI to simplify the complex world of insurance distribution. 🎬 What you’ll discover in this episode: 0:00 – Introduction 02:03 – Harprem’s life as a serial entrepreneur 06:58 – Observations on Thailand’s startup ecosystem 13:05 – Solving insurance industry problems with Eazy Digital 20:32 – The role of AI in transforming insurtech 27:27 – Emerging opportunities in insurance technology 31:36 – The importance of personal branding for founders 34:29 – Key lessons learned along the entrepreneurial journey 41:28 – What’s next for Eazy Digital 💬 Whether you're an entrepreneur, tech founder, or investor curious about Southeast Asia’s startup landscape, this episode is filled with honest reflections and practical insights from someone who’s been through the grind of building multiple businesses from the ground up. 🥤 Episode Sponsor — Asia Beverages Asia Beverages creates healthier, non-alcoholic drinks designed to help people live their best lives — focused on wellness, balance, and mindful living. Explore their portfolio, including AYA, AYA Pop and Söshul, at ⁠asiabeverages.co⁠. #TheExponentialShow #EazyDigital #HarpremDoowa #Insurtech #Entrepreneurship #AI #StartupStories #ThailandStartups #AsiaBeverages #Leadership #Innovation

In this episode of The Exponential Show, host Mayank Singh sits down with Tareef Jafferi (Founder & CEO) and Taarif Jafferi (Chief Business Officer) of Happily.ai — a platform blending behavioral science, AI, and people analytics to build happier, higher-performing workplace cultures. From their early career paths to building one of Thailand’s most recognized people-tech startups, this episode dives deep into the intersection of leadership, empathy, and innovation in modern organizations. 🎬 What you’ll discover in this episode: [00:00] – Intro [01:55] – Reef and Tim’s career paths and how they converged into Happily.ai [06:44] – What it really means to create happier workplaces [11:43] – AI in the workplace: balancing technology with empathy [20:17] – The role of rewards and gamification in driving engagement and behavioral change [27:54] – Working with family and building a company culture grounded in trust [31:51] – Insights on Thailand’s startup and business ecosystem [39:35] – Lessons learned from building Happily.ai [46:17] – What’s next for Happily.ai 💡 Whether you’re an entrepreneur, HR leader, or simply curious about the future of work, this episode offers valuable insights on how AI and empathy can coexist to drive meaningful organizational change. 🌐 Learn more: Happily.ai 🥗 Episode Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by @chewgreen — Thailand’s healthy and sustainable snack brand founded by Thanyathorn (Pear) Chatlaong, a former guest on The Exponential Show. #TheExponentialShow #HappilyAI #Leadership #FutureOfWork #Entrepreneurship #EmployeeEngagement #PeopleAnalytics #WorkCulture #AI #ThailandStartups #ChewGreen