What happens when a founder thinks long-term in a trend-chasing industry?

I sat down with Kelvin Subowo, the founder and CEO of DailyCo—Indonesia’s fastest-growing multi-brand F&B company. We talked about his journey from launching a single rice box brand to building a business that serves millions of meals every month. He shared how acquisitions, not hype, drive sustainable growth, and why he always keeps the original founders involved. This one’s all about consistency, strategy, and feeding a nation—literally.

IN THIS EPISODE
(00:00) – What makes a founder truly worth backing?
(00:45) – Is acquisition the smartest way to scale F&B?
(02:00) – Are you building for the long term—or a trend?
(03:45) – Why most restaurants don’t last beyond two years
(05:15) – Daily comfort food or flashy menus—what really sells?
(06:00) – The share of belly strategy you’ve never heard of
(07:30) – Why food and beverage are totally different beasts
(10:45) – What Indonesia’s food future looks like—through cloud kitchens
(12:30) – The secret sauce behind DailyCo’s survival
(14:30) – Offline margins vs online commissions—what’s the real deal?
(15:15) – Why restaurants need soul—and founders bring it
(18:15) – This is what founder-first acquisition really looks like
(20:45) – How a war accidentally led to a new business
(24:45) – How DailyCo ended up catering for Vertex’s big events
(26:15) – 100,000 meals a day—now what?
(28:30) – Why no brand has 5,000 outlets in Indonesia
(34:00) – How to sell regional food across a country that doesn’t know it exists

Kelvin Subowo
Kelvin Subowo is the Co-Founder & CEO at DailyCo. He attended Universitas Tarumanagara (Untar) in 2011.

The Daily Company (DailyCo) is Indonesia’s fastest-growing multi-brand F&B operator, delivering high-quality, scalable, and innovative dining solutions for individuals, businesses, and institutions. The company’s portfolio includes famous brands such as Dailybox, Antarasa, Breadlife, Lu'miere, Ayam Blenger PSP, HiGeorge!, Tempong PNS, and others. From quick-service meals to large-scale catering and enterprise F&B management, DailyCo makes delicious food accessible and effortless for Indonesian families.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelvin-subowo-035b64114/

Rahul Thayyalamkandy
Director of Comms & Community, Vertex Ventures SEA & India

Rahul Thayyalamkandy joined the SEA/India team as the Director of Communication & Community in 2024 and is based in Singapore.
Before joining Vertex, Rahul served as a Product Manager at BLOCK71, an incubator and joint venture of NUS Enterprise and Singtel Innov8, where he developed scalable services for portfolio startups and designed mentorship programs. He also gained experience as a Summer Associate at Cocoon Capital, working with the Managing Partner on investment deals.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulthayyalamkandy/

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Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India is a pioneer in investing in tech start-ups in this region and has helped to build a number of unicorns. In this podcast, we seek to share and uncover the Hard Truth - raw, unfiltered insights and venture capital knowledge from across Southeast Asia and India. Tune in to learn from leading founders, innovators, venture capitalists, and industry experts in the region and gain industry insights from those in the know.

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