Author Archives: tianglim

I started my journey in startups & tech more than 10 years ago. The year was 2009, but the world was still reeling from the effects of the 2008 global financial crisis. It didn’t matter to the bunch of us who were in Silicon Valley as part of the NUS Overseas Programme (NOC) though; weContinue reading “Introducing Forge Ventures”

I was recently asked what my current thinking is in finding great startups in a socially distanced environment by someone new to the venture industry. It’s a topic that I’ve been doing some thinking about. In a nutshell, different entry points (angel, seed, venture, growth, re IPO etc) stages implies different strategies, which further impliesContinue reading “Surface area”

Previous iteration here (2017) and here (2015). Always prioritise your family and important relationships over everything else. Never underestimate your ability to augment your immediate reality. If you want something, go get it. If you want something to happen, make it happen. Never take yourself too seriously. Be kind, which is different from being nice.Continue reading “30 Things (2020)”

“Good work, done well, for the right reasons.” There is no playbook in the face of unprecedented times. This implies that conventional wisdom need not apply forward, and one shouldn’t be bogged down by dogma. “Pace yourself now; come 2021 (or when the crisis is resolved & when the economy returns), you need to sprint.”Continue reading “Reflections in Times of Crisis”

There are a lot of debate and discourse today, as a reaction to the state of the work today brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The global society as a whole has been under tremendous stress today; fault lines which had been simmering underneath the veil of a 10 year market bull run now appearContinue reading “Respond, Recover, Reimagine.”

This interesting bit of venture history appeared in a recent Pro Rata newsletter: Fourteen years ago, venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins raised $200 million for a fund dedicated to “worldwide pandemic preparedness and global health, with a focus on surveillance and detection, diagnostics, vaccines and drugs. Why it matters: Several companies from that portfolio areContinue reading “Timing matters”

I’ve been asked many times through the years what the ideal founding team size is. Arbitrarily, the common answer seems to be 2-3 people. After being an angel investor as well as a venture investor for the past 5 years, I’ve come to realise that the real question should be, what is the ideal teamContinue reading “Founding Team Size”

Went for a good run today and managed to finished an excellent interview with John Maxwell by Shane Parrish on The Knowledge Project. (Link to podcast here.) John is a leadership expert; he developed the 5 levels of leadership framework and is a best selling author. You should check out his work here. There areContinue reading “Growth vs Goals”

In venture, it’s not often coming across a team with a high degree of raw talent and passion, solving some of the most ambitious problems in Southeast Asia. I’ve been incredibly grateful to be able to join Harshet and Tommy on the ride since leading SeedPlus’s investment into Qoala last year when it was justContinue reading “Inspired Moments”

This is my first Fathers Day being a Dad. It’s been an amazing journey. I learned a lot, about the people around me, and about myself too. The experience has taught me so much, and I am better for it. One of the key lessons though, I think, is the parallels between parenting and stewardship.Continue reading “Happy Fathers Day (Year 0)”