Ep 97: From vaccine research to Head of Strategic Projects in Asia

What was covered

The most personal interview in the archive. Jeremy retraces his life from wanting to be a vaccine researcher, through early loss and military service, to Berkeley, Conjunct Consulting, Harvard, CozyKin and a humane approach to venture capital at Monk’s Hill.

Key points

• He first wanted to be a vaccine researcher but found lab work wasn’t a fit
• A classmate he was close to died suddenly when he was 16, and he grieved for years
• Military service gave him structure and a route to study for the SAT and reach UC Berkeley
• At Berkeley he joined the Berkeley Group, a selective pro bono consulting group
• Returned to Singapore and co-founded Conjunct Consulting in 2011, building it to be financially sustainable despite widespread scepticism
• At Harvard he set goals: meet someone new every day, build as a CEO, and join something that reflected his values
• A mental-health interest led to CozyKin, which pivoted towards childcare after depression proved hard to monetise
• At Monk’s Hill he wanted to be a more humane VC, and sees Southeast Asian tech maturing, which is part of why he started BRAVE

Outline

• 3:42Helping others
• 5:11Wanting to be a vaccine researcher
• 7:00Losing his first love
• 11:23How the army helped him cope
• 14:25Life at Berkeley
• 18:44Founding his first startup
• 20:43Overcoming scepticism
• 22:57Finding people who share the same cause
• 26:07Completing his MBA at Harvard
• 32:31Co-founding a second startup in mental health
• 39:26Returning to Singapore and joining Monk’s Hill
• 44:30Head of Strategic Projects
• 47:03Founders who have stood out
• 49:03The Southeast Asian startup scene