Hosts:

Michael Smith Jr. https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/

Razko Kotler https://www.linkedin.com/in/razko282/

Guest:

Craig Bristol Dixon https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigbristoldixon/

Episode Overview

In this episode, Michael and Raz welcome Craig Bristol Dixon, Co-Founder and General Partner of Accelerating Asia Ventures. Craig shares his journey from a finance career at Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, and Merrill Lynch to becoming a leading figure in Southeast Asia’s startup ecosystem. He discusses founding Zumata, a B2B travel tech company later acquired by Rakuten, and his pivotal role at muru-D, Telstra’s accelerator program.

Craig provides unique insights into the ASEAN startup scene, including the challenges of scaling startups, the evolution of Singapore’s startup infrastructure, and why B2B models often outperform B2C in the region. He also dives into the emerging potential of the Bangladeshi startup ecosystem and shares practical advice for founders, plus his personal wellness and productivity habits.

Links

Accelerating Asia Ventures: https://acceleratingasia.com

Zumata: https://zumata.com (Historical)

muru-D: https://muru-d.com

Noah Opinion Substack: https://www.noahpinion.blog

Econ102: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/econ-102-with-noah-smith-and-erik-torenberg/id1696419056

Enterprise Singapore: https://www.enterprisesg.gov.sg