This week, 60/40 sits down with Endowus co-founders Gregory Van and Samuel Rhee — the duo behind one of Asia’s fastest-growing wealthtech platforms. We unpack their latest $70M fundraise, how they built a conflict-free investing model in a region dominated by commissions, why they stayed laser-focused on Singapore and Hong Kong, and how they survived the tech winter without mass layoffs.
Greg and Sam also get candid about their co-founder dynamic, risk appetites, early failures, and yes — who really loses their cool in a meeting. Plus, a lightning round of “Superlatives” that you won’t want to miss.
Timestamps
00:00: Intro
01:50: The $70M raise and why fundraising still sucks
03:48: Singapore first, Hong Kong second, and the B2B opportunity
09:42: Fundraising in a bad VC market & reverse inquiries
14:31: The founding story: CPF shock, Grab learnings, and pensions
17:41: Why most Asian robos failed — and why Endowus is different
21:06: Trailer fees, misaligned incentives, and systemic industry flaws
32:54: Bootstrapping, employees buying shares, and ESOP culture
36:27: Co-founder dynamics: complementary skills & Monday meetings
46:32: The hardest moment: navigating tech winter without layoffs
52:01: AI as a tool, not a strategy — how Endowus sees the future
56:18: Do they think about exits? The partnership ethos
58:51: The Superlatives game + closing comments
Give us feedback or nominate topics & speakers at 6040podcast@techinasia.com.
60/40 is a bi-weekly podcast co-hosted by Prashanth Ranganathan, Peter Bithos, Aleksey Mironenko, and Maria Li. Special thanks to our guests, Gregory Van and Samuel Rhee from Endowus.
A podcast by Tech in Asia, a member of The Business Times.