University of Adelaide

Cross-border Business Builder/Catalyst  -  CEO Kommunity Ventures

Singapore

ASYX

Director

communitykəˈmjuːnɪtinounthe condition of sharing or having certain attitudes and interests in common.Kommunity is a bond shared between our team and our portfolio companies. Our shared understanding of good faith, strong ethical compass, commitment to seek cooperative solutions means that our companies stand to benefit from synergies with each other. We believe this is a force multiplier that creates businesses, and projects which are far greater than the sum of their parts.We are on the lookout for businesses and founders who change the world for the better:  advance humanity, prioritise sustainable impact and leverage technology. This means solving the root causes of big problems: social stratification, power imbalances and information asymmetry, with fair transactions as the basis of open and just marketplaces for global participation. We work with investors who believe in the strategic deployment of capital to maximise impact and solve complex challenges.  Our mission is to connect: people with big ideas finding solutions to the world’s big problems, to the people with the resources and will to improve the world for all its inhabitants

Kommunity Ventures

Chief Executive Officer

I joined iCandy Interactive as part of Inzen's acquisition and was responsible for strategic partnerships, investments, as well as acquisitions.

iCandy Interactive Limited (ASX:ICI)

Chief Operating Officer (Strategy and Partnerships)

Started Inzen with 4 other former core GAMBIT team members (Zander, Jia Ling, Roland, Chin Hong).Our vision was to connect cultures through games and partially succeeded in doing so before the M&A with iCandy Interactive.I was the CEO and was the Chairman of the Board of Directors pre-acquisition.M&A:Led discussions for Inzen's M&A with iCandy Interactive Limited (ASX:ICI) and successfully finalized the transaction in April 2017. Product:1. Dark Dot (our third game) was:a. the first Singapore-developed game to be receive the Editors' Choice award on Google Play.b. the winner of the excellence in innovation award at the inaugural International Mobile Game Awards Southeast AsiaBusiness Pipeline:1. Secured strategic contributions from Incubate Fund (Japan), Global Mobile Game Confederation (China), Baidu (China), Hatcher (Singapore) to build a pipeline of games and studios between China and Southeast Asia.2. Initiated discussions with governments in Indonesia and Malaysia to develop a cross-region incubation program that would equip companies with market intel as well as publishing opportunities.

Inzen Studio

Co-founder and CEO

GAMBIT was a S$50m initiative between the Singapore Government and MIT that focused on 3 things:1. Funding research at Universities2. Running a pre-incubation program to groom industry-ready game development teams.3. Further developing products from 1. and 2. and launching them in the market.Chor Guan (the Executive Director) approached me to join in late 2009.My role was to:1. Work with stakeholders to plan and pitch the vision for the next 5 years of the lab.2. Refine the internal development process towards a more market-driven approach.3. Oversee overall production output from the development studio.4. Connect the local and international investment communities with opportunities within the games industry through our activities.This role also opened my eyes to the full lifecycle of games, from early stage tech, through to early market commercialization.1. Guided internal teams towards successful game launches (Dark Dot, becoming the no. 1 app in 50 different countries around the world)2. Worked with stakeholders across MIT and Singapore Government to prepare the blueprint for the lab's subsequent continuity within Singapore University of Technology and Design.3. GAMBIT's results:   - 233 papers published  - 57 game prototypes developed  - 269 professionals trained (who then went on to work with companies like Ubisoft, Gumi etc)

GAMBIT [Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab]

Head of Operations

I was approached by Howard Califano, the Executive Director, to evaluate their inaugural batch of Explorer Grants that would link interesting University Project Teams with S$50k in funding.I then advised the Lovebyte team through their early cycles.

Smart Innovation Centre

Catalyst

Hampus (Founder) approached me to head up the business and commercial strategy for Nabi. Having spent hours on Toribash, it was an offer I couldn't refuse.Some Highlights:1. Grew our userbase via youtube and community event campaigns - 30,000 to 600,000 users2. Grew retention, by introducing beginner-friendly forums, groups and tutorial bots3. Grew revenue, by increasing the number, variety of in-game items and linking them with community events. (300% revenue growth)4. Managed economic policy with community team, to facilitate over 4,000,000 inter-player trades.Community Management and Ops:a) Started and operated community teamsb) Worked with community teams on features to build light features that would enhance the game's experienceStrategy:a) Worked on partnerships with partners (Nintendo) and other platforms(Billing etc)b) Led financing discussions with potential strategic partners across Europe and Southeast AsiaIndustry Contribution:a) Worked with Media Develpment Authority to mentor newer developers as part of their industry programs

Nabi Studios (www.toribash.com)

Director, Strategy & Biz Dev

I chanced upon this role when I was searching for a move back to Singapore. It was an opportunity to be at the heart of a growing industry at the time. I felt that I'd have the chance to apply the skills that I'd gained through growing Kukan, while developing a macro perspective of the industry.My highlight here was the formation of INVIGORATE, a program that linked development funding with mentoring and publishing opportunities. We ran 2 cycles; one for PC and one for mobile, working with key publishers such as Nexon, EA Mobile, Big Fish Games and Playfirst.-----Worked with teams to formulate strategic plansa) Analysed industry movements.b) Segmented the industry.c) Positioned the industry in relation to other countries.d) Examined the fundamentals required to succeed in the industry.And eventually got to execute these plans by administering assistance to companies through:a) organizing development and business workshops.b) directly funding projects through grants and co-investments.c) establishing publishing and mentoring programs that connected local companies with larger international industry players.I was also involved in:a) educating the private investment community (angels, venture capitalists) on business models, expectations and subsequently investment opportunities within the space.

Media Development Authority, Singapore

Senior Management Executive (Animation & Games)

I met the founders of Kukan at a networking event with the IT Council. They were building a mobile company with both game and tech capabilities and I thought.. COOL, I'd like to try this out.We eventually grew into a 15-person studio providing development services to clients like THQ Wireless (UK), EA Mobile (US), Yahoo (Aus) and ABC (Aus).----I got to cut my teeth working on both mobile games and apps:a) Work with artists and story writers to produce game pitches.b) Recruit artists and developers if projects were greenlit.c) Manage project budgets vs resources.a) Work with creative director on app pitches to large media companies.b) Conceptualize possible apps and usage scenarios.c) Write partner proposals for Location-based service app solutions-----I gained an understanding of what it meant to operate and grow a game business.a) Analysing and positioning yourself for the upside of business cycles - we had caught an upside wave in the mobile market and that enabled us to learn quickly with short project cycles.b) You need to establish a practice to build a team - this hit us when we started growing quickly and we had to adapt.. quite painfully!c) Solid business execution requires capacity planning - this also hit us when we grew quickly.

Kukan Studio

Marketing, Biz Dev and Project Management

My mentor got me a gig doing strategy research for the Government. It was an interesting job that opened my eyes to what goes on behind the scenes in industry planning and Government support.-----a) Talked to CEOs about their company strategy.b) Asked them who their clients were and why they did what they did.c) Came up with a map that would show where each company saw itself in relation to its industry.. both within Adelaide and within Australia-----a) I was exposed to a wide variety of views and strategies; from CEOs of large companies to leaders in small 2 to 3-man startups.b) I was also able too see how different people communicated at industry round-tables. It was a real eye-opener.c) An understanding of the importance of the concept of positioning.

SolutionCity Adelaide

Brand Consultant

I served here during my National Service, lots of great life lessons!-----I learnt many things; the importance of planning, how to respond calmly and adapt quickly when situations escalate, and most significantly, that missions are accomplished by teams, not individuals.And a big shout-out to my buddy who kept going through most of it.

Gerald Tock

Gerald Tock