Curiosity comes first.
Discover the people behind the most innovative ideas, brands and technologies in Singapore and explore the resources that shaped them.
INTERVIEWS
Personal lessons and moments of impact
Anna Gong
“I networked the hell out of my career, which started in college. I was always taught your life is what you make of it. No one will come and hand you a free lunch. I worked hard at managing and influencing my own destiny.”
Vinnie Lauria
“Quitting IBM without having any other job offers at hand was one of the best life decisions I made. Putting myself into a corner where I didn’t have anything to fall back on made me more of a fighter.”
Alex Khan
“I am not afraid to move sideways in my career. In some cases, you need to go backwards in order to go forwards. It is important to make the decision that suits you and not the decision that people expect you to make.”
Roshni Mahtani
“One of my biggest mistakes was not paying attention to corporate culture when I was building my company.”
Aliza Knox
“One of the most intriguing decisions I made was leaving the Boston Consulting Group after having been a partner for a number of years. Curiosity got the better of me.”
Mohan Belani
“You’ve got to learn how to un-learn and re-learn again. Things are changing very fast, you can choose to complain about it or you find a way how to get involved.”
Klemen Drole
“The most important decision in my career was to take on tasks where I knew I was out of my depth. To highlight areas where I will need help, to reveal my weak spots, to identify the right people that can help and then work with them to deliver.”
Joanna Catalano
“I don’t think there’s ever just one important decision. It’s life. You’re always making decisions along the way and most are important. Some you make more wisely than the others, but you learn from each. I view everything through that lens.”
Olivier Burlot
“We’ve got a revolution out there. Media is facing so many challenges. So my ambition is to build a balanced sustainable business that would be successful long-term.”
Carol Chen
“The most important decision in my career was to either start or stop a business. I’ve been through four startups and each one led me to a new city and adventure.”
Anna Bory
“The most significant decision was to get out of my comfort zone and move abroad at the age of 17.”
Carmen Benitez
“My worst work mistake is not being comfortable raising capital. While I’ve raised over a million in capital, I haven’t done it through the typical venture capitalists.”
THE MOST IMPORTANT CAREER DECISIONS
Made by the Great Owls
Anna Gong
Vinnie Lauria
Alex Khan
Roshni Mahtani
Aliza Knox
Mohan Belani
Klemen Drole
Joanna Catalano
Olivier Burlot
Carol Chen
Anna Bory
Carmen Benitez
Steve Kalifowitz
Greg Satell
WATCH
TED Talks and videos that inspire the Great Owls
Soul Biographies
A profound series of short films that might change the way in which you see yourself and all people.
Recommended by Joanna Catalano, CEO iProspect APAC
Grit as a key predictor of success
Psychologist Angela Lee Duckworth explains how grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Recommended by Alex Kahn, Managing Director, AOL Asia & ANZ
Radical Candor
Author Kim Scott explains how to be a good boss through her vital new approach to effective management.
Recommended by Aliza Knox, COO Unlockd
MAKERS
A storytelling platform for the trailblazing women of today and tomorrow.
Recommended by Alex Khan, Managing Director AOL Asia & ANZ
A groundbreaking tour of the mind
Daniel Kahneman, the renowned psychologist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, recommends we all do some “Thinking, Fast and Slow”.
Recommended by Aliza Knox, COO Unlockd
A manual on creating a culture of disciplined creativity
Ed Catmull, President of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, believes a manager’s job is to make it safe for others to take risks.
Recommended by Mohan Belani, Founder E27
You’ve never seen data presented like this
Statistics guru Hans Rosling debunks myths about the so-called “developing world”.
Recommended by Klemen Drole, CIO Lazada
My Stroke of Insight
Harvard-trained brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor’s personal journey.
Recommended by Joanna Catalano, CEO iProspect APAC
Mindset by Carol Dweck
World-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck urges to use the power of mindset to foster outstanding accomplishments.
Recommended by Joanna Catalano, CEO iProspect APAC
READ
Books that influenced the Great Owls
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Recommended by Carmen Benitez, Founder and Managing Director Fetch Plus
Hard truths to keep Singapore going by Lee Kuan Yew
Recommended by Roshni Mahtani, Founder and CEO of Tickled Media | Female Founders Network | Executive Producer
Setting the Table by Danny Meyer
Recommended by Steve Kalifowitz, Director of Brand Strategy at Twitter, Japan and Asia Pacific
LEARN
Blogs and websites the Great Owls follow
The School of Life
A website devoted to developing emotional intelligence.
Recommended by Joanna Catalano, CEO iProspect APAC
Who Recommends It
Joanna Catalano, CEO iProspect APAC
Reason to bookmark
The School of Life is devoted to developing emotional intelligence.
The School of Life addresses such issues as how to find fulfilling work, how to master the art of relationships, how to understand one’s past, how to achieve calm, and how better to understand and, where necessary change, the world.
The Information
A new tech media website provides deeply-reported articles about the technology industry.
Recommended by Mohan Belani, Founder E27
Who Recommends It
Mohan Belani, Founder E27
Reason To Bookmark
A new tech media website founded by former Wall Street journalist Jessica E. Lessin provides deeply-reported articles about the technology industry.
LISTEN
Podcasts that keep the Great Owls thinking
Analyse Asia with Bernard Leong
The media platform that dissects the intersection between business & technology in Asia.
Recommended by Aliza Knox, COO Unlockd
A16Z
Podcast by legendary startup investors Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz.
Recommended by Mohan Belani, Founder E27
LEARN
Blogs and websites the Great Owls follow
The School of Life
A website devoted to developing emotional intelligence.
Recommended by Joanna Catalano, CEO iProspect APAC
Who Recommends It
Joanna Catalano, CEO iProspect APAC
Reason to bookmark
The School of Life is devoted to developing emotional intelligence.
The School of Life addresses such issues as how to find fulfilling work, how to master the art of relationships, how to understand one’s past, how to achieve calm, and how better to understand and, where necessary change, the world.
The Information
A new tech media website provides deeply-reported articles about the technology industry.
Recommended by Mohan Belani, Founder E27
Who Recommends It
Mohan Belani, Founder E27
Reason To Bookmark
A new tech media website founded by former Wall Street journalist Jessica E. Lessin provides deeply-reported articles about the technology industry.
A16Z.com
Blog and newsletter by legendary startup investors Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz.
Recommended by Mohan Belani, Founder E27
Who Recommends It
Mohan Belani, Founder E27
Reason To Bookmark
Blog by legendary startup investors Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. Their firm,Andreessen Horowitz, provides entrepreneurs with access to expertise and insights in innovation, executive and technical talent, market intelligence, policy and regulatory affairs, business development, and marketing and brand-building.
Marc co-created the highly influential Mosaic Internet browser and co-founded Netscape, which later sold to AOL for $4.2 billion. Prior to a16z, Ben and Marc were co-founders of Opsware, which was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 2007 for $1.6 billion.
Joi Ito
Joi Ito is the Director of MIT Media Lab. In this blog, Jo shares his learnings about the future of art, science, design and engineering.
Recommended by Mohan Belani, Founder E27
Who Recommends It
Mohan Belani, Founder E27
Reason To Bookmark
Joi Ito is the Director of MIT Media Lab. In this blog, Jo shares his learnings about the future of art, science, design and engineering.
Edith Yeung
Personal blog from a leading VC focused on mobile trends, virtual reality and consumer internet startups.
Recommended by Aliza Knox, COO Unlockd
Who Recommends It
Aliza Knox, COO Unlockd
Reason To Bookmark
Edith Yeung is the General Partner at 500 Mobile Collective Microfund primarily focusing on investing in mobile, VR, AR, IOT and consumer internet startups. She also founded RightVentures – seed stage investment firm focusing on mobile and consumer internet companies.
Stratechery
A blog about technology with a focus on business and strategy by Ben Thompson.
Recommended by Mohan Belani, Founder E27
Who Recommends It
Mohan Belani, Founder E27
Reason To Bookmark
A blog about technology with a focus on business and strategy by Ben Thompson.
Seth Godin
Influential thinker writes about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, quitting, leadership and most of all, changing everything.
Recommended by Anna Bory, GM, Marketing at Audi
Who Recommends It
Anna Bory, General Manager, Marketing at Audi, Singapore
Reason To Bookmark
Seth Godin is a thought leader in the marketing and business world. He is the author of 18 books that have been bestsellers around the world and have been translated into more than 35 languages. He writes about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, quitting, leadership and most of all, changing everything. His newest book, What To Do When It’s Your Turn, is already a bestseller.
Longreads
An eclectic mix of nonfiction and fiction stories from the best storytellers on the web.
Recommended by Joanna Catalano, CEO iProspect APAC
Who Recommends It
Joanna Catalano, CEO iProspect APAC
Reason to bookmark
An eclectic mix of nonfiction and fiction stories from the best storytellers on the web.
Featured stories
Gates Notes
In this blog, Bill Gates shares what he learns from the extraordinary people he connects with and gives reviews of his favourite books.
Recommended by Mohan Belani, Founder E27
Who Recommends It
Mohan Belani, Founder E27
Reason to bookmark
In this blog, Bill Gates shares what he learns from the extraordinary people he connects with and gives reviews for his favourite books.
Brain Pickings
Personal blog covering art, science, psychology, design, philosophy, history, politics, anthropology, and how these disciplines illuminate one another.
Recommended by Steve Kalifowitz, Director of Brand Strategy at Twitter, APAC
Who Recommends It
Steve Kalifowitz, Director of Brand Strategy at Twitter, Japan, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa
Reason to bookmark
Brain Pickings is a blog by Maria Popova covering art, science, psychology, design, philosophy, history, politics, anthropology, and how these disciplines illuminate one another, directly or indirectly.
LISTEN
Podcasts that keep the Great Owls thinking
Analyse Asia with Bernard Leong
The media platform that dissects the intersection between business & technology in Asia.
Recommended by Aliza Knox, COO Unlockd
A16Z
Podcast by legendary startup investors Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz.
Recommended by Mohan Belani, Founder E27
The Investor’s field guide by Patrick O’Shaughnessy
An ongoing investigation into stocks, markets, investing strategies, and ways of thinking.
Recommended by Steve Kalifowitz, Director of Brand Strategy at Twitter APAC
Tim Ferris
A fascinating deconstruction of world-class performers.
Recommended by Mohan Belani, Founder E27
The Knowledge Project by Shane Parrish
Podcast about mental models and actionable strategies that help you make better decisions.
Recommended by Steve Kalifowitz, Director of Brand Strategy at Twitter, Japan and Asia-Pacific
Customer development for startups by Steve Blank
A great guide for building and scaling startups.
Recommended by Greg Satell, Innovation Author
Exponent
A tech and society podcast hosted by Ben Thompson and James Allworth.
Recommended by Steve Kalifowitz, Director of Brand Strategy at Twitter, Japan and Asia-Pacific
This American Life
A weekly public radio show recommended as the best storytelling in the world.
Recommended by Carmen Benitez, Founder and Managing Director Fetch Plus and Steve Kalifowitz, Director of Brand Strategy at Twitter, Japan and Asia-Pacific
Watch
TED Talks and videos that inspire the Great Owls
Read
Books that influenced the Great Owls