Rishab Patwari is the CEO and co-founder of Hivebotics, a Singapore-based robotics startup that has secured over 1,000 LOIs worth an estimated USD$70 million with USD$500K in pre-orders for their autonomous toilet-cleaning robots—revolutionizing the commercial cleaning industry.

Listen on the go:
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/TC_8ikxPtds
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/73OY2tusErrnZEbwCvUP5d?si=p3P4rpoZS5-DNIMsMXAEaQ
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/usd%2470m-committed-before-launch-a-guide-to-robotics/id1781364637?i=1000684575100

In our conversation, we dive into:
🤖 The large opportunity of robotics and how Rishab found product-market fit
🤖 Securing LOIs and funding—why early validation is crucial for hardware startups
🤖 Building teams and advisors—when to hire, when to outsource, and how to manage them
🤖 Navigating Singapore’s tough hardware startup ecosystem—the real costs, challenges, and pivots
🤖 Achieving PMF in robotics—why functional demos, iteration, and customer feedback matter
🤖 Cash management, debt, and grants—balancing survival versus growth
🤖 Personal growth and founder mindset—staying resilient amid daily “failures” and rejections
🤖 Much more!

Connect deeper:
Substack: https://sowandscale.substack.com/
WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CM0YQhhFZF0BfdtmAwTFKb
Eric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erictisme/
Rishab on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishab-patwari/
Hivebotics: https://hivebotics.tech/

Quick Fire Round

Books:
- Start with Why by Simon Sinek – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7108725-start-with-why
- Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26156469-never-split-the-difference
- Culture Map by Erin Meyer – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22085568-the-culture-map

Movie:
The Founder (2016) – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4276820/

Sharon Lim is the Chairwoman (and former CEO) of Browzwear, a global 3D fashion technology company with 180 employees spread across APAC, the US, Europe, and the Middle East. Under her leadership, Browzwear has generated tens of millions in revenue, driven by a unique focus on “pulse” metrics and a culture of rest. Sharon has also founded a venture-building arm—investing in ESG businesses and pioneering AI innovation through Fashion AI Hub. In our conversation, we discuss:

• How she pivoted from B2C to B2B (and from near-bankruptcy to sustainability)
• Why she champions “pulse” metrics over revenue (and what that actually looks like)
• The importance of rest in a venture-backed, fast-scaling environment
• How Sharon embraces failure as part of personal and business growth
• Her approach to building a strong leadership team and handing over the reins
• Lessons learned on enterprise sales, open ecosystems, and sustainable growth
• Much more!

Subscribe to my Substack: https://sowandscale.substack.com/
Join the community on WhatsApp: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqblBveTdnYk8xZ0dEV2d5TmxUMnN6LS12SW9VQXxBQ3Jtc0trd3pkWG5kdzFwS1Z0OWZUYm1HRUJqWVFac0RJaF9nTTFGYXBmWHFmaHdmOXZLajZIcVUtZmNwbVN6UV9qQ1p0ei1uM0F5bDRyNTBzNEpZaEZ3a1lTYTRqcGN5aTlQVFo3eUQ0X0pHMWxkQk1iSUdQSQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fchat.whatsapp.com%2FCM0YQhhFZF0BfdtmAwTFKb&v=k2sBlu_v8pQ
Eric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erictisme/
Sharon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonlimyp/

Quick fire round:

Books:
1. How will you measure your life by Clayton M. Christensen: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13425570-how-will-you-measure-your-life
2. The Board and the CEO by Peter Greer: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35946208-the-board-and-the-ceo
3. Bible: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5883777-the-holy-bible

Movie:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2872518/

Listen on:

• Youtube: https://youtu.be/ILkenL_AS1A
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3wE8800oYIEnxlIqlnBSZs?si=he2Mxkp5Ske7_zeeGQsbGg
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-failure-and-rest-built-an-8-figure-3d/id1781364637?i=1000682725275

Joel is the Cofounder and CEO of Protos Labs, Southeast Asia’s cyber-insurance and risk management startup. This is an episode on resilience, innovation, and faith, as he scaled Protos Labs from an idea to a Pre-Series A $3M-funded company in one of the region’s complex industries. In this episode, Joel shares how he:
- Navigated having only $5,000 in the bank while raising $3M to scale
- Quit his job based on faith to start companies when he had the most commitments in his life
- Built a proprietary cybersecurity framework inspired by a dream
- Combined faith and business to make business decisions
- Crafted a thriving company culture and won the NTUC Most Progressive Employer Award
- Positioned Protos Labs as a leader in Asia's growing cyber-insurance market

Join the community on Whatsapp: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqblBveTdnYk8xZ0dEV2d5TmxUMnN6LS12SW9VQXxBQ3Jtc0trd3pkWG5kdzFwS1Z0OWZUYm1HRUJqWVFac0RJaF9nTTFGYXBmWHFmaHdmOXZLajZIcVUtZmNwbVN6UV9qQ1p0ei1uM0F5bDRyNTBzNEpZaEZ3a1lTYTRqcGN5aTlQVFo3eUQ0X0pHMWxkQk1iSUdQSQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fchat.whatsapp.com%2FCM0YQhhFZF0BfdtmAwTFKb&v=k2sBlu_v8pQ
Follow Joel on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-l-8b390249/?originalSubdomain=sg
Protos Labs: https://www.protoslabs.sg/
Connect on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erictisme/


Shownotes:

21 Laws of Leadership by John C Maxwell: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/815716.The_21_Irrefutable_Laws_of_Leadership

00:00 Introduction and Guest Background
02:10 Joel's Entrepreneurial Journey before startups
03:11 Deep Dive into Cybersecurity
05:35 Protos Labs: Mission and Growth
07:29 Origins of Protos
24:47 Hearing God's Call in Life
25:20 Building a Founding Team for Protos
26:52 Is the hate for strategy consultants warranted?
37:25 Creating a Positive Company Culture
43:50 Scaling Up and Fundraising Insights
48:00 Early Challenges and Government Contracts
49:46 Financial Struggles and Miraculous Funding
58:25 Balancing Faith and Wealth in Business
01:07:35 Christian Entrepreneurship and Success
01:14:26 YC's Request For Startup on Fintechs - Beginners' Mindset vs Experience in Cybersecurity
01:16:14 Innovative Approaches to Scaling and Productizing
01:17:37 Which threat is bigger - global or local competitors?
01:25:02 Balancing Personal and Professional Life
01:36:49 Reflections and Rapid Fire Round
01:42:06 Rapid fire round