Cheryl Lau from “Edit History” Podcast and Jeremy Au discussed:

1. Law & PHD Dropout: Cheryl reflected on leaving law school in Hong Kong in 2018 despite earning a scholarship due to self-awareness gained during internships and to focus on a research degree instead. She later had to choose to drop out of her Hong Kong PhD during the pandemic in order to join her now-husband in Singapore. She shared her mixed emotions about leaving academia and choosing love. Although her parents initially disapproved, they came to respect her independence and ability to take responsibility for her choices.

2. Side Hustle to Thought Leadership Podcaster: Cheryl described her podcast’s transformation from “The Side Hustle Club” to “The Thought Leadership Club” and now “Edit History.” This latest iteration critiques and reflects on past works, showcasing personal and professional growth. Cheryl, as a solopreneur, manages every aspect of production, emphasizing storytelling and thought-provoking content. She highlighted the importance of meaningful long-form content, which she finds more resonant than short-form media in today’s AI-driven landscape.

3. Asian Childhood Beliefs vs. Personal Growth: Growing up in Canada as the child of Asian immigrants, Cheryl internalized the value of hard work but later questioned whether diligence alone ensured success. Leaving law school was a pivotal moment, prompting her to focus on aligning her career with her strengths. Cheryl also overcame insecurities about her appearance and public speaking by committing to daily Instagram video stories, building confidence and refining her ability to connect with others. These experiences now shape her work as a coach and content creator, helping others build meaningful bodies of work.

Additionally, Cheryl shared her thoughts on balancing short-form and long-form content, her childhood aspiration to edit textbooks and how the pandemic profoundly shaped her career transitions and personal life.

===

Cheryl Lau is a podcaster who helps entrepreneurs and creators around the globe build a substantial and compelling body of work that matters. Cheryl believes that your impact isn’t defined by your audience size, your business revenue, or whether you have a LinkedIn Top Voice badge. Instead, it is measured through whether you’ve built something that matters to you and your people. This is precisely what your body of work does.

Her podcast is the Thought Leader Club (previously called Side Hustle Club). The podcast was shortlisted for the 2024 Asia Podcast Awards (by Radioinfo Asia) in the “Best Money and Business Podcast” category and won the 2023 Golden Crane Award (by the Asian American Podcasters Association) in the “Best Entrepreneur/Solopreneur Podcast” category.

Cheryl has quit graduate school twice - Law school in 2018 and PhD in 2022. Both times, it felt like she went from being the Asian parent’s dream child to their biggest disappointment overnight. But since starting to build a body of work in 2019, Cheryl has created new business and career opportunities that not only make her proud… But it also makes her parents proud.

Today, Cheryl’s work empowers entrepreneurs and creators to stay committed to pursuing what they truly believe in and always take full responsibility for their decisions and actions - And it all starts with building a body of work that matters.

===

Watch, listen or read the full insight at www.bravesea.com/blog/

law-dropout-to-podcaster-coach

Nonton, dengar atau baca wawasan lengkapnya di www.bravesea.com/blog/

law-dropout-to-podcaster-coach

观看、收听或阅读全文，请访问 www.bravesea.com/blog/

law-dropout-to-podcaster-coach

Xem, nghe hoặc đọc toàn bộ thông tin chi tiết tại www.bravesea.com/blog/

law-dropout-to-podcaster-coach

Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com

Tony Pang, founder of IME International Mandarin Education, and Jeremy Au discussed:

1. Veteran EdTech Founder Journey: Tony shared his evolution from a Boston University graduate to a seasoned entrepreneur. After working at Toshiba in Japan during its economic peak, he returned to Hong Kong in the 1990s to launch eSchool, a corporate e-learning platform during the dot-com boom. Despite the bubble burst, he bought back his shares and sold the company to a larger firm. In 2005, he sold his Mandarin training company—the largest in Hong Kong—to The Washington Post. Tony also broke new ground in 2001 by collaborating with Disney to design the world’s first Disneyfied mobile phone, rebuilding hardware and software from scratch. This experience highlighted his focus on innovation, calculated risks, and leveraging partnerships for success.

2. Rise of Chinese Language Learning: Tony explored the growing demand for Mandarin as a second language, driven by China’s global influence, particularly in ASEAN countries. He contrasted Eastern cultures’ preference for assessment-driven learning with the West’s more relaxed approach. Through IME, Tony uses edtech to make HSK assessments accessible, affordable, and engaging globally, addressing challenges like fragmented demand and the Ministry of Education’s reliance on outdated models. He noted that improving accessibility can unlock significant latent demand, even in regions where Mandarin is not traditionally popular.

3. Risk vs. Resilience: Tony emphasized the importance of calculated risks and identifying a unique competitive edge. He shared lessons from his Disney mobile phone project, showing how entrepreneurs can thrive against larger competitors by focusing on niche markets and innovative solutions. He encouraged resilience through perseverance, leveraging resources, and aligning strategies with long-term goals.

Jeremy and Tony also touched on the role of luck in entrepreneurial success, generational shifts toward multilingualism and geographic trends in Mandarin language adoption.

===

Tony Pang, based in Hong Kong and founder of International Mandarin Education (IME), is an accomplished entrepreneur with a proven track record in education and e-learning. With over 20 years of expertise in Mandarin education, he specializes in information systems and assessment. His strong connections with the Ministry of Education of China (MOE) underscore his pivotal role at the intersection of education and technology.

===

Watch, listen or read the full insight at www.bravesea.com/blog/

chinese-language-learning-boom

Nonton, dengar atau baca wawasan lengkapnya di www.bravesea.com/blog/

chinese-language-learning-boom

观看、收听或阅读全文，请访问 www.bravesea.com/blog/

chinese-language-learning-boom

Xem, nghe hoặc đọc toàn bộ thông tin chi tiết tại www.bravesea.com/blog/

chinese-language-learning-boom

Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com

WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea

Spotify

English: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TnqkaWpTT181lMA8xNu0T

Bahasa Indonesia: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Vs8t6qPo0eFb4o6zOmiVZ

Chinese: https://open.spotify.com/show/20AGbzHhzFDWyRTbHTVDJR

Vietnamese: https://open.spotify.com/show/0yqd3Jj0I19NhN0h8lWrK1

YouTube

English: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyAu?sub_confirmation=1

Apple Podcast

English: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/brave-southeast-asia-tech-singapore-indonesia-vietnam/id1506890464

Learn more about Nika.eco! Reach out to info@nika.eco if you are a geospatial data scientist or climate researcher who is interested to partner on a pilot or research opportunities

Clement Pang, cofounder of Lirvana Labs and Jeremy Au explored:

1. Google Engineer to $400M Exit

Clement detailed his journey from a computer science graduate at Rice University in 2004 to starting at Google during its IPO phase and later GLMX in 2007 to build a financial trading platform as a founding engineer. In 2012, he co-founded Wayfront, an observability SaaS company that filled a gap in system monitoring. Early customers included Workday, Yammer, and Lyft, and the platform eventually scaled to serve companies like Reddit and DoorDash. Wayfront’s acquisition by VMware in 2017 for $400 million provided Clement with invaluable lessons about scaling cross-functional teams and handling millions of data points per second. He emphasized minimizing dependency on external factors, a lesson learned from GLMX’s reliance on interest rates, and aligning teams with a clear vision—a skill he honed while managing 2,000 engineers at VMware.

2. “Diamond Age” Education AI: Drawing inspiration from Neil Stephenson’s The Diamond Age, Clement envisions AI as a tool to democratize education and approximate human tutors. In 2021, Clement co-founded Livano Labs with his sister to transform early childhood education using generative AI. Their app, Yeti Confetti Kids, launched in 2022, targets children aged 3 to 9, teaching math, English, and social-emotional skills. AI designs personalized learning experiences instead of relying on pre-set algorithms. Feedback loops enabled the AI to improve its outputs by analyzing real-world usage data. He emphasized curriculum alignment for classroom settings, where AI must adhere to structured learning goals.

3. Gen Z Future: Clement reflected on how tools like ChatGPT are changing interpersonal communication, particularly for Gen Z. He drew parallels to the introduction of calculators in education, noting how technological tools shift norms and practices. He discussed AI’s role as a sounding board for personal and professional problem-solving, encouraging users to engage critically with its outputs while leveraging its strengths.

They also discussed lessons from Clement’s experiences managing cross-functional teams during Wayfront’s rapid growth, how decreasing costs are enabling scalable applications like Yeti Confetti Kids, and the role of AI in enhancing collaboration and decision-making.

===

Clement Pang is a serial entrepreneur (400MM in exits) and current co-founder and co-CEO of Lirvana Labs, a startup that created an AI Learning Companion to teach children the critical literacy and reasoning skills that change lives and destinies. With over 17 years of experience in software engineering, architecture, and leadership, Clement is passionate about building purposeful products that leverage the power of AI and data to solve real-world problems and improve human well-being.

===

Watch, listen or read the full insight at www.bravesea.com/blog/

google-engineer-to-400M-exit

Nonton, dengar atau baca wawasan lengkapnya di www.bravesea.com/blog/

google-engineer-to-400M-exit

观看、收听或阅读全文，请访问 www.bravesea.com/blog/

google-engineer-to-400M-exit

Xem, nghe hoặc đọc toàn bộ thông tin chi tiết tại www.bravesea.com/blog/

google-engineer-to-400M-exit

Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com

WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea

Spotify

English: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TnqkaWpTT181lMA8xNu0T

Bahasa Indonesia: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Vs8t6qPo0eFb4o6zOmiVZ

Chinese: https://open.spotify.com/show/20AGbzHhzFDWyRTbHTVDJR

Vietnamese: https://open.spotify.com/show/0yqd3Jj0I19NhN0h8lWrK1

YouTube

English: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyAu?sub_confirmation=1