In this episode of The Generalists, hosts Michael Smith Jr. and Razko Kotler welcome Paul Haji, VP APAC Cybersecurity Services at Bitdefender and co-founder & former CEO of Horangi, to discuss:

• • Building and scaling a cloud security startup in the APAC region
• • Navigating an eight-year journey to acquisition by Bitdefender
• • Leveraging AI and vast endpoint data for next-generation cyber defense

• Hosts:

• Michael Smith Jr.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/

• Razko Kotler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razko282/

• Guest:

• Paul Haji – VP APAC Cybersecurity Services (Bitdefender; ex-Horangi): https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-hadjy-316a026/

• Resources & Links:

  • Horangi: https://www.horangi.com/
  • Bitdefender: https://www.bitdefender.com/Palantir: https://www.palantir.com/
  • Landman (TV series on Paramount+): https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/landman/
  • Yellowstone (TV series on Paramount+): https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/yellowstone/
  • Sicario (film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3397884/
  • Billions (TV series): https://www.sho.com/billions
  • Succession (TV series): https://www.hbo.com/succession
  • The Hard Thing About Hard Things – Ben Horowitz: https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Thing-About-Things-Building/dp/0062273205
  • The Psychology of Money – Morgan Housel: https://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Money-Timeless-lessons-happiness/dp/0857197681

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In this special solo episode of The Generalists, hosts Michael Smith Jr. and Razko Kotler celebrate one year of podcasting and share the lessons learned from building their show as a product.

You’ll discover:

• How content creation challenges led to unexpected rewards
• The role of analytics and listener feedback in driving growth
• Tips for maintaining work-life balance and finding a natural on-air flow

Hosts:

Michael Smith Jr.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/

Razko Kotler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razko282/

Resources & Links:

• Poddster: https://singapore.poddster.com
• Studio Direction: http://www.studiodirection.com
• Hot Ones (First We Feast): https://www.youtube.com/c/FirstWeFeas
• DaVinci Resolve: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve
• ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com/
• YouTube Studio: https://studio.youtube.com/

In this episode we sit down with Hian Goh—founder of Openspace Ventures (US $800 M AUM) and one of Southeast Asia’s most influential early-stage VCs. A former Salomon Smith Barney tech-banker who built and sold the Asian Food Channel, Hian now backs companies such as Gojek, Love Bonito, MAKA Motors and Lucence. We unpack his hunt for a “post-NVIDIA” hardware champion, how he bridges A*STAR research to market, and why a home-built pizza oven teaches him more about founders than term sheets ever could.

Hosts:

Michael Smith Jr: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Razko Kotler: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/razko282/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest:

Hian Goh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiangoh/

Links Mentioned:

• Openspace Ventures: https://openspace.vc
• Asian Food Channel: https://www.asianfoodchannel.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiancancook
• Plunge: https://theplunge.club/
• A*STAR: https://www.a-star.edu.sg/

Books & Media Mentioned:

• Zero to One by Peter Thiel & Blake Masters: https://www.amazon.com/Zero-One-Notes-Startups-Future/dp/0804139296/
• Monocle: https://monocle.com/magazine/
• Blinkist (short-form book summaries): https://www.blinkist.com/
• Vito Iacopelli YouTube (Pizza craft): https://www.youtube.com/@vitoiacopelli