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Yi Kau
People-Centric, Data-Driven Leadership - Investor & Mentor
Yi Ming Kau is a seasoned professional with a diverse background in engineering, finance, and military operations.
With a strong belief in the transformative power of technology to benefit society, Yi Ming has founded two startups in marketing analytics and education.
During his tenure at Grab, he made significant strides in establishing Grab's rental fleet as the largest and most efficient ride-hailing fleet in Singapore.
Additionally, Yi Ming spearheaded digital transformation within the traditional asset-heavy industry, emphasizing innovation, data-driven decision-making, and a people-centric approach.
His skill set as a multi-disciplinarian enables him to thrive in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environments.
Yi Ming is passionate about business growth, talent development, and mentoring, reflecting his commitment to giving back to the community.
His educational background includes a Master's degree and a Bachelor's degree in Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Throughout his career, Yi Ming has held various key positions such as Head of GrabRentals, Commercial Manager, CEO, and Founder of Amoeba Software Studio, among others.
He has a rich history of contributing his expertise to organizations like ARISE Consulting, Canvass Research and Analytics, MAS, and the Ministry of Defence of Singapore.
Yi Ming Kau is open to engaging in discussions on business challenges, growth strategies, and talent management, inviting individuals to connect with him for insightful conversations.
Highlights
8 years ago this week, Grab rolled out its first car, and this was the team that was put together and tasked to scale it up.
We were a mishmash of individuals, most past 40, plucked from different backgrounds, tasked to start a fleet from scratch. Our largest competitor were thousands of cars ahead of us and run by a younger, more energetic team. The odds were stacked against us.
But what we lacked we made up in other areas - we had lots of respect for each other, we put the team before ourselves, we were willing to learn and listen, not just to each other but also our customers. More importantly, we were driven by a single unifying goal - to be the gold standard of private hire vehicle rentals.
I had the great fortune of being part of this amazing team and learnt so much from them. 8 years on we still catch up over a meal. How often can you say you had the best team in the industry? Grateful for that opportunity and for their patience with me too.
Dylan Chua Alfred C. Fanny Fanny
#venturebuilding #leadership #teamwork
This is a very interesting investment. While East Ventures is generally known to be sector agnostic and have a broad and diversified portfolio, investing in a seemingly non-tech and low-multiple sector is not a very VC-like behavior.
Perhaps there is more to Har Har Chicken than just a food and retail play. The team is a strong one though, with the right elements of experience to bring this to scale. If we can have the likes of KFC or NeNe Chicken, why can't we have our own?
But more importantly, this is another data point that VCs are trading high-risk growth for more stability and profitability. Given the need for VCs to play within the Power Law and generate returns within the fund cycle, Har Har Chicken needs to scale at least a 100x over the next few years to be worthy to sit in East Ventures' US$550m fund dedicated to Indonesia and South-east Asia.
#venturebuilding #venturecapital
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