What's one life goal you have that's yet to be achieved?

One day I’d like to build my own A-frame cabin that sits alongside a mountain stream or has an incredible view (both would be spectacular). I love the quaint and cozy feel associated with these homes and they’ve sparked my interest since I was in high school. I am currently in the planning phase which essentially means I have a dedicated Pinterest board to help craft my A-frame vision.

Describe a time someone took a bet on you when they didn't have to?

The first person that came to mind is Ryan Russell. Ryan owns a marketing agency here in Chattanooga and is a former professor of mine. After our third class of the semester, I took a leap of faith and decided to email him to see if he could meet me for coffee. Little did I know that, after that coffee meet,  he would give me the chance to work for his agency and play an integral role towards the organization’s true purpose - serving others well.

Ryan opened the doors to various career opportunities, encouraged me to push past my limits, and helped me realize some of the strengths I bring to the table. And, without realizing it, he also taught me the importance of demonstrating humility and authenticity throughout my professional career.

What is the one technology you wish existed today?‍

Jet packs for civilian use. The freedom of flying with air in your face sounds absolutely invigorating. Travel time would be shortened thus optimizing time spent with the people in your destination. Another huge benefit would be the incredible views. Also, then I could be a Mandalorian.

If you could only pick one book to live with for the rest of your life, what would it be? Why?‍

A book of never-ending Would You Rather questions. It is intriguing to me to hear and better understand other people’s perspectives especially when they are different than my own. If we all had the same answers, life would be dull. Diversity, conflicting and differing opinions are opportunities for sharpening and seeing perspectives beyond one’s innate patterns of thinking.

What's one opportunity area in supply chain or mobility that most excites you?

The convergence of supply chain and fintech.  I strongly believe that the movement of boxes and money are conjoined twins; as boxes move in one direction, money flows in the opposite direction.  There are many lessons to be learned from the emergence of fintech over the last 10 years and how they can be applied to supply chain.  As startups increase visibility, transparency and provence around supply chain, there will be huge opportunities for smarter trade finance with greater granularity at a shipment level.

Who is the most influential person in your life?

Among the most influential people I’ve had the good fortune to be introduced to was David Cohen, one of the founders of Techstars. Long before accelerators were popular, David helped me launch the first accelerator programme outside of the US. More importantly he taught me the value of #givefirst. With his generosity of spirit and desire to help entrepreneurs, David Cohen along with Brad Feld, David Brown and Jared Polis inexorably changed both my life and those of the entrepreneurs who participated in the accelerator programmes and venture funds I subsequently ran. Little did David know that by his generous example of #givefirst, he was setting the foundations for Techstars’ overseas expansion: as fate would have it, three years later I helped open Techstars London, their first international programme.

What is the one technology you wish existed today?

There’s a Sanskrit quote that roughly translates to “The journey is more beautiful than the destination.” While that’s important to revisit and remember as leaders and problem solvers, I’m less convinced as a road warrior and family man. 

I can’t wait for teleportation to become a reality. I will be able to see faraway people in the flesh but can return home to my family and sleep in my own bed. On that note, distribution of freight would truly become a problem of moving atoms and last mile delivery will be about teleporting parcels to a garage vs a living room. 

Who is the most influential person in your life?

My great-grandmother has to be the single most influential person in my life. Widowed at a young age with two children, she put herself and her two sons through college in an environment that was unfriendly to single mothers. She passed away about 10 years ago with a variety of accolades: Sanskrit scholar, math teacher, expert seamstress, and more. However, the most notable achievement and one she likely never considered herself was angel investor. Until today, you’ll hear merchants, artists, and others from her community share their stories about her commercial smarts and support as they were trying to get off the ground.

Her tenacity, intelligence, work ethic, and ferocity is something I look to the model.

What do you believe the single most important trait in a startup CEO is?

I think the most important trait a startup CEO would have is vision. The CEO has to set the vision for their company. They must get investors, employees, customers, and vendors to buy-in to that vision. A CEO has to see the invisible.  They have to be crystal clear on what exactly success looks like and inspire others to believe in the startup.

Who is the most influential person in your life?

The most influential person in my life is my wife. We got married right out of college. We took a chance early starting our 3rd party logistics company and she has been fully committed to my entire entrepreneurial career. We even used to go to truck stops on the weekends and talk to truck drivers to learn where they needed help on their backhauls. Heck, we would even get in the back of their cabs. She holds our marriage to a high bar and is one of the hardest workers that I know. She personifies the quote, "The way you do anything is the way you do everything." I love her and am lucky to be married to her.

What do you believe your unfair strength is?

I believe my unfair strength is a keen awareness of my own weaknesses and limitations.  I've benefited greatly in my career by partnering with folks who may share my core values but, more importantly, complement my (many) blindspots.  As an investor, I look for these same type complementary qualities in the teams we invest in.

Detail your most important daily habit/ritual?‍

I love preparing breakfast for my daughters, even if some mornings it ends up being a rushed bowl of Cheerios.  My wife certainly pulls most of the day-to-day parental responsibilities but starting out the day as a Dad is a deeply grounding and satisfying ritual (and it seems to correlate with a successful day in every other facet of my life).

What is the one technology you wish existed today?

I wish there to be a technology that could deliver my favorite dishes from my hometown in Medan, Indonesia, to my current bedroom in Kansas in no more than 15-minutes.

Who is the most influential person in your life?

My father, is the most influential person in my life. He came to the US in the 1980s for college with nothing but two suitcases and some cash in his pocket. After graduation, he started his career in the US as a stockbroker while launching a machinery trading business for the Southeast Asian market on the side. At that time, my grandfather was running a tire manufacturing company with 600 employees. However, in 1992, my grandfather tragically passed away, leaving the company without a CEO. As the oldest child of 8, my dad left his career in the US and returned to Indonesia to run the company without a blink of an eye. Under his leadership, he grew its profit by 20% y/y for the next seven years and led it to a successful acquisition. He became the backbone of the entire family, supporting his seven younger siblings through overseas college and never asking for anything in return. His courage, leadership, and generosity are things I look up to and strive to model.

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What's one opportunity area in supply chain or mobility that most excites you?

I am incredibly excited for the autonomous vehicle revolution, as well as general innovation in public transportation software in order to potentially mitigate traffic. I really hate traffic.

Detail your most important daily habit/ritual

I run every day. I used to do track so running is kind of like my form of meditation. It both serves as a break as well as a good habit for my physical health.

What's one life goal you have that's yet to be achieved?

One day I’d like to support Panamanian entrepreneurs as a VC to create an avenue for job and wealth creation, as well as technological and societal progress. I believe Panama's geographic location, international presence, and growing economy could lead to a melting pot of great technology startups that can have broader impact on the Latin American market.    

Who is the most influential person in your life?

My father is the most influential person in my life. He assumed the burden of taking on his father's role to guide his two younger brothers and save the family business from bankruptcy during Venezuela's concerning socio-political environment. He devoted his life to build a better future for his family and gained the respect from everyone he interacted with – employees, competitors, the local community, government officials, and his family. Despite building a successful agro-industrial business and reaching a comfortable lifestyle, his execution-focused personality and tenacity fueled one of the most bold but successful trades I've witnessed by anticipating Venezuela's socio-economic crash. He found the nearest and most attractive market and moved his family to Panama while investing his entire savings on building a new state-of-the-art business. He lifted everyone around him fighting against xenophobia and an oligopoly to eventually become one of the most successful agricultural groups leading innovation and economic development for the country.

Describe a time someone took a bet on you when they didn't have to

I’d have to thank Indra Wiralaksmana, my first country manager at Ninja Van. It took brass to pick a bule (Indonesian term for a Westerner) with broken Bahasa to join the VP suite of what would become Southeast Asia’s fastest growing logistics startup. I can only hope I did justice to that faith he placed in me by molding the next generation of Ninja leaders to be equally bold.

What's one opportunity area in supply chain or mobility that most excites you?

I’m excited for a future where we no longer think of autonomous vehicles as cars. In my past life at Ninja Van, we pioneered tech-based solutions to overcome limited credit card penetration and low consumer trust, becoming Indonesia’s first courier to provide cash-on-delivery coverage for the entire country. Having seen tech's ability to democratize market access through logistics sparked my interest in autonomous vehicle development and its potential to connect end users not just to products but also services like healthcare. Envisioning a future where mobile doctors’ offices can easily reach the elderly, disabled, and those underserved by mass transit, I believe we are not far away from medical checkups taking place in one’s driveway.

What's one life goal you have that's yet to be achieved?

I want to visit every continent. I think experiencing cultures that are different from what you grew up around is an important part of personal growth. I have a few more to go!

What is the one technology you wish existed today?‍

I wish quantum computing existed in a way that is more prevalent than it is today. One of the most exciting things about technology is that it can give you a new language to solve and understand problems that previously seemed impossible. Quantum computing will give us that ability to solve computational problems that seem impossible today. This will transform everything from pharmaceuticals to cybersecurity and meteorology to manufacturing. I am excited to see the new technologies that quantum computing will bring in the coming years!

Coming soon!

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What is the one technology you wish existed today?

Practically, given my insomnia, a switch I could flip to go to sleep on demand. However, if we are swinging for the fences here, I think the real-world equivalent of Ready Player One’s Oasis would do the best at bundling all of my wishes into one. The metaverse is the closest thing to end-game technology for ending suffering and maximizing well-being that I can conceive of.

What's one life goal you have that's yet to be achieved?

I want to interview Patrick Collison, just to have a good conversation. Also, invest in his next startup.

Detail your most important daily habit/ritual

My most important daily ritual happens in the morning. I am an early riser because the only weatherman I trust is Al Roker and he comes on the Today Show at 7 am. Before 7 am, I have to make a pot of Folgers Classic Roast coffee while listening to NPR’s Up First podcast. After the coffee is made, I journal in a hardcover, dotted Leuchtturm 1917 notebook. I am not a very good writer naturally, so I try and do it every day to improve.  In my journal, I write about what I am thankful for, my long term goals, and what I want to accomplish that day. I see it as more of a list of opportunities than a to-do list. During this time, I try to stay off my phone as long as possible to start my day being proactive rather than reactive.

If you could only pick one book to live with for the rest of your life, what would it be? Why?‍

I would choose The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions). When I was little, I thought it was the coolest book on my parent’s bookshelf.  The book is 832 pages long and is almost 2 inches thick. I am very short and if I had this book to sit on during important events I think I would look much more presentable. This book contains all five novels of  Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s series. The description of the book at Barnes & Noble states that the book is “Decorative, durable, and collectible”, so obviously this would be a stellar item to live with for the rest of my life. Besides the physical nature of the book, it's content has given me advice that I live by today. For example, it tells its readers to always bring a towel due to the nature of its vast utility. Genius.

Coming soon!

What do you believe your unfair strength is?‍

My ability to genuinely connect with almost anyone. Coming from a background of unique and diverse experiences has enabled me to form relationships with various individuals from all walks of life no matter the differences we may have. Rooted in this unique ability is a factor of respect for another person's viewpoints, perspectives, and life journeys.

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What's one life goal you have that's yet to be achieved?

‍One goal I have yet to achieve is to meet a sitting US president. Having met President Jimmy Carter at a young age in Americus, GA, I made it my mission to meet at least one sitting president in my lifetime. Politics aside, meeting one of the most influential figures across the world is an opportunity I think most people would seize.