Christopher Quek

But I just wanted to give a little bit of background and up to today, now I'm a full-fledged venture capitalist. I don't do my incubator business anymore, but I'm very deeply involved with entrepreneurs, you know, trying to grow their companies, whether is it a venture capital kind of business or whether it's a traditional business. I'm getting involved in quite a number of that.

But I just wanted to give a little bit of background and up to today, now I'm a full-fledged venture capitalist. I don't do my incubator business anymore, but I'm very deeply involved with entrepreneurs, you know, trying to grow their companies, whether is it a venture capital kind of business or whether it's a traditional business. I'm getting involved in quite a number of that.

Yeah, Vince, I think just now when you were just mentioning and asking me about that, suddenly there was this whole flash of memories that just came back to me. So yes, you're right. So one of the privileges of being part of a family business is that you tend to get involved in two ways. Number one, you get to experience and see the business for yourself.

Yeah, Vince, I think just now when you were just mentioning and asking me about that, suddenly there was this whole flash of memories that just came back to me. So yes, you're right. So one of the privileges of being part of a family business is that you tend to get involved in two ways. Number one, you get to experience and see the business for yourself.

In the past, my father was not involved only just in Southeast Asia, not only just in China, but also in Europe, and specifically Russia. And I was very young that time, I think I was about 11 years old, that is about 35 years ago, when I went into communist Russia.

In the past, my father was not involved only just in Southeast Asia, not only just in China, but also in Europe, and specifically Russia. And I was very young that time, I think I was about 11 years old, that is about 35 years ago, when I went into communist Russia.

And it was just, Russia was just going through a very interesting economic boom at that point, where we took for granted McDonald's, KFC, and all these restaurants were just a dime a dozen across in countries where we live in. But when you talk about Russia, KFC, the first KFC outlet, it was mad. And during those years, you could easily earn 5 to 8 US million net profit per outlet.

And it was just, Russia was just going through a very interesting economic boom at that point, where we took for granted McDonald's, KFC, and all these restaurants were just a dime a dozen across in countries where we live in. But when you talk about Russia, KFC, the first KFC outlet, it was mad. And during those years, you could easily earn 5 to 8 US million net profit per outlet.

It's because Russians were just so excited. And I guess that also sparked the whole interest about not just looking at food for food. My father was a very interesting man. He would take me out to restaurants. He would sit me down and he would tell me, how much money do you think they make in a month? And he forced me to start calculating out the revenues.

It's because Russians were just so excited. And I guess that also sparked the whole interest about not just looking at food for food. My father was a very interesting man. He would take me out to restaurants. He would sit me down and he would tell me, how much money do you think they make in a month? And he forced me to start calculating out the revenues.

He would start telling me, what do you think is the expenses behind this? And I had to start learning a profit and loss statement just by that very visible conversation itself. And I think that is only just one element. I was very fortunate to tell the audience that I'm a product of my mentors in my life. So the number two and number three mentors were also very successful businessmen.

He would start telling me, what do you think is the expenses behind this? And I had to start learning a profit and loss statement just by that very visible conversation itself. And I think that is only just one element. I was very fortunate to tell the audience that I'm a product of my mentors in my life. So the number two and number three mentors were also very successful businessmen.

One was my father's best friend. who was a strategist, and I had opportunities to take car rides with him, and he would actually explain how does he do his strategy, and how do you actually look at expanding a particular business. He started his very own family business doing agri-chemical fertilizers, and he grew it into a public-listed company.

One was my father's best friend. who was a strategist, and I had opportunities to take car rides with him, and he would actually explain how does he do his strategy, and how do you actually look at expanding a particular business. He started his very own family business doing agri-chemical fertilizers, and he grew it into a public-listed company.

There was a lot of very interesting nuggets of information I got out of it, And I also had another very great mentor. He has passed on now, but someone that I respected a lot was when I was in Malaysia, he was my best friend's father.

There was a lot of very interesting nuggets of information I got out of it, And I also had another very great mentor. He has passed on now, but someone that I respected a lot was when I was in Malaysia, he was my best friend's father.

And my best friend's father was just the encouraging man who taught me so much about how do you look at rejection, particularly because when you are an entrepreneur, you have to do a lot of sales. He was really encouraging and he told me how do I overcome that rejection, feelings, and to just keep moving on.

And my best friend's father was just the encouraging man who taught me so much about how do you look at rejection, particularly because when you are an entrepreneur, you have to do a lot of sales. He was really encouraging and he told me how do I overcome that rejection, feelings, and to just keep moving on.

I think it's one of the very interesting takeaways that I was very blessed from young to my early 20s that I had this privilege of having very strong mentors in my life who came in and they taught me the entrepreneurial stuff that got my mind thinking and that actually ignited my spirit because they were so passionate about what they did that I caught on to that fire as well.

I think it's one of the very interesting takeaways that I was very blessed from young to my early 20s that I had this privilege of having very strong mentors in my life who came in and they taught me the entrepreneurial stuff that got my mind thinking and that actually ignited my spirit because they were so passionate about what they did that I caught on to that fire as well.