Today’s guest is Denise Sandquist, the founder of Fika, a female-focused AI social & dating app in Asia. Born in Vietnam and adopted to Sweden, Denise is truly a global citizen, speaking 6 languages and having lived in multiple countries.
Episode Themes
- Fresh of a $1.6m raise, we chat about why Denise came back to Vietnam to start Fika
- Advice for Vietnamese adoptees looking to find their biological parents
- Why Fika is more than just a dating app
- Female leadership in Vietnam
- Opportunities for overseas Vietnamese looking to come back to Vietnam.
Find out more about Fika here: https://keepfika.com/
Timestamps & topics:
Introduction
- 0:00 – episode introduction
- 2:16 – Denise’s introduction, life journey, finding her biological mother, starting Fika
- 6:47 – experiences growing up in Sweden as a Vietnamese adoptee
- 11:25 – advice for Vietnamese adoptees looking to find their biological parents in Vietnam
On Fika
- 14:00 – what is Fika? Not just a dating app? On Gen Zs being connected and increasing loneliness.
- 18:20 – focus on user safety in Asia, manually verifying profiles, AI & data, future plans
- 27:30 – how did Fika get traction in a crowded dating app market?
- 29:45 – was Fika self-funded / bootstrapped? Did you have any doubts throughout?
- 33:45 – the COVID situation in Vietnam. Has it had impact on Fika / dating?
- 37:20 – Denise’s fund-raising journey
Fun Questions
- 42:20 – Denise’s career journey / did she always want to be an entrepreneur?
- 45:30 – Denise’s thoughts on female leaders in Vietnam and empowering women
- 54:00 – Dating in Sweden vs Vietnam
- 56:00 – How does Denise manage her stress? Thoughts on work-life balance
- 59:30 – has Denise found anyone on Fika yet?
- 1:01:16 – advice and opportunities for Việt Kiều looking to come back to Vietnam. What is holding them back? What advantages do they have?
- 1:06:53 – advice for young people that are feeling lost in life. On taking risks in life.
- 1:11:00 – where to follow Denise & how to connect.
