Wisdom

TL;DR: In the 6 years since JFDI started, the global startup ecosystem has evolved and accelerators including JFDI must evolve with it. Meng Wong has won a fellowship at Harvard Law School to spin out a new startup called Legalese from JFDI. Back in Singapore, JFDI has completed its last bootcamp and is now exploring…

Having a good business model and conducting market validation will save a lot of time from corrections, says Andy Heng of JFDI Discover startup VCIO. 1. Tell us about your startup and team – who are you, and what are you aiming to do? We are Team VCIO, comprising of a one-man ex-Business Development Manager founder in…

Augmented intelligence sees computers helping humans to make better decisions. That will be an opportunity for startups in coming decades as deep-learning apps roll out to mCommerce market, predicts JFDI Guest Mentor Dr. Lawrence Lau. Augmented intelligence, while still heavily dependent on narrow artificial assistance, becomes an expert in its own right if you aggregate…

Luke Skywalker didn’t just roll out of bed one morning and defeat the Emperor. First he faced the deaths of his aunt and uncle. Then he encountered Obi-Wan Kenobi. He trained with Yoda. He battled Darth Vader. Finally he confronted the Emperor. Well, entrepreneurship works the same way. A startup’s journey toward becoming a public…

Redmart Chief Information Officer Jon Sugihara shared insights in fundraising with the JFDI 2015A Accelerate batch. “First, you need to understand the VC from their point of view,” says Sugihara. “They want a couple of home runs.” These were the things he learned from raising and talking to many venture capitalists through the years, writes Crystal…

“Failure” happens every day in every startup but Siddika Jaffer of The Halal Dining Club believes that embracing the learning that comes with it is the best way to fix a business model, writes Cui-Lyn Huang 1. How did you hear about JFDI Discover? I was told about JFDI from a friend of mine who…

Though he’s experienced and determined, Shoppes I/O founder Dean Marc still finds guidance from friends and mentors invaluable, writes Cui-Lyn Huang. 1. First off, how did you hear about JFDI Discover? Initially we had applied to JFDI’s Accelerate 2015B batch, a little ahead of time. We were subsequently endorsed by Huang Chi-Kai, JFDI’s program manager, to partake in the…

The value of an accelerator program like JFDI Accelerate comes from its mentors. Their advice counts because they’ve been on the front line themselves. As an entrepreneur and investor in the Southeast Asia Region, Michael Lints has been actively looking for startups solving real problems in the region, writes David Ongchoco Golden Gate Ventures Venture Partner…

The value of an accelerator program like JFDI Accelerate comes from its mentors. Their advice counts because they’ve been on the front line themselves. A serial entrepreneur, Jon Sugihara has co-founded 5 startups and has sold his companies both in the US and Asia, writes David Ongchoco RedMart Chief Product Officer Jon Sugihara gave a…

The value of an accelerator program like JFDI Accelerate comes from its mentors. Their advice counts because they’ve been on the front line themselves. Frontier Ventures Vice President Pavel Alimov has been in the finance and investing industry for more than 10 years and has invested in several market leading internet companies , writes David Ongchoco In…