Technology and startups
A route into Asia, a first pilot, and a straight answer on what to do next.
You have a product and a plan. What you need is someone who knows how this region really buys, can open the right door, and will tell you when the plan will not work.
On this page
What it means for you
Find out fast, for less
Test a market or a buyer before you commit a team to it.
A plan that stands up
Strategy, numbers and materials that survive an investor’s questions.
Doors opened
Experienced help reaching the people who decide in this region.
What owners usually ask for
- “We want to enter Asia and don’t know where to start.” Which market first, who actually buys, what to charge and which partner to work with.
- “We need a first pilot or reference customer.” A realistic target list and help getting a proof of concept agreed.
- “Our investor deck isn’t landing.” A review of what investors will catch first: structure, traction, team, and a vision the product can support.
- “Are we selling to the right people?” A small outreach pilot and an ideal customer profile, so you find out early.
- “We need to work out what to build next.” An outside read on the roadmap, and what to test before spending more.
Go-to-market sprints
Find out whether it sells here, before you commit a team.
A short, fixed-scope push into a new market. I have run this for a startup expanding into Asia-Pacific during a pre-seed raise.
What a sprint covers
- Target market, ideal customer and positioning
- Pricing and route to market
- Lead generation and AI-supported sales procedures
- A small outreach pilot, and an event or expo plan where it fits
- Compliance and investor-readiness checks
- Input to the product roadmap
What you finish with
- A market plan your team can act on
- A tested list and tested messages
- Early evidence of who responds and who does not
- A working toolkit to carry it on
- A straight view on whether to go further, change course or stop
Startup strategy and planning
The thinking and the plan, from someone who has built ventures too.
- Strategy and business plan — what to do first, what to ignore, and why
- Pricing and the numbers — a model with assumptions you can defend
- Fundraising readiness — the deck, the story and a data room investors can navigate
- Partners and channels — who to work with in each market, and on what terms
- Product and build decisions — build or buy, and what to test before spending more
- A senior sounding board — by the project, or a few days a month
Where I have done this
The experience behind it
Market entry across Asia
Go-to-market, pricing and partner work for UK, Spanish, Swedish and Norwegian technology companies with operators across the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. For one Nordic cloud software company, I researched the Singapore opportunity and set up the deal, and the pilot progressed to commercial rollout.
Opening doors
A proof of concept with a major airline secured within a month for a Hong Kong startup, including airport filming access. A telecoms operator’s agreement to buy and deploy a technology platform. A cross-border tie-up between the Philippines and Hong Kong that went on to live interactive shows.
Pilots and go-to-market sprints
A successful people-counting pilot in Hong Kong for a UK developer, from site access to equipment and project management. And an APAC expansion sprint for a startup: strategy, ideal customer profile, AI-supported procedures, an outreach pilot and a roadmap. The pilot pointed to B2B rather than B2C, which was worth finding out early.
Building it myself
Twenty-eight startups advised, several ventures of my own, and DealMind™, an AI negotiation product I conceived, designed and built. It is live and at an early stage, so I know how that feels from the inside too.
Being straight about it. Not everything launches. Several strategies I have written were never taken forward, or the founders went another way, and a pilot is not a rollout. I keep those apart, and I will tell you early if I think yours will not fly.
Planning your next move in Asia?
Tell me where you are and what you are trying to do. It is usually quick to tell whether I can help.