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Why The Silicon Valley Startup Model Fails in SEA

Kevin Brockland, Managing Partner, Indelible Ventures

14-Jul-25 11:00

Why The Silicon Valley Startup Model Fails in SEA

There's a familiar story in the startup world: a founder follows a "proven" playbook from Silicon Valley, only to see it fail in another market. But is the problem the market or "copy-pasting" the SV strategy itself?

Kevin Brockland, Managing Partner at Indelible Ventures, joins us to deconstruct this costly trap. He argues that blindly applying the "growth at all costs" model in Southeast Asia's fragmented market is a recipe for failure and that founders must build purpose-fit strategies based on realistic exit pathways, which, for this region, are M&A and trade sales, not IPOs.

We discuss:

  • Why the "copy-paste" Silicon Valley playbook often fails in SEA.

  • A critique of the "growth at all costs" model and network effects.

  • Why M&A, not IPO, is the most realistic exit for most SEA startups.

  • The challenges of market fragmentation in the region.

  • How to build a "purpose-fit" strategy that is capital efficient.

    For founders, VCs, and ecosystem builders in Southeast Asia, this is a reality check on building sustainable, valuable companies in our unique market.

Produced by: Roshan Kanesan, Carol Wong

Presented by: Roshan Kanesan


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Categories:  investmentswellnessCorporatesSME

Tags:  venture capitalstartup ecosystemsoutheast asiabusiness strategymergers and acquisitions





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