#126: Bringing Wall Street’s AI Trading Brain to Main Street with Veyra’s Peter Ashton
Peter Ashton is the Founder and CEO of Veyra, a trading technology company focused on redefining the future of financial intelligence and portfolio management through advanced predictive analytics, algorithmic systems, and next-generation financial software. A former Division I and professional football player, Peter has evolved into a visionary entrepreneur and investor operating at the intersection […]
#125: From Tsinghua to Wall Street, Building a Six-Layer AI Investment Thesis with Quartus Capital’s Afzal Tarar
Afzal M. Tarar, Chairman and Managing Partner of Quartus Capital Partners, joins us to share his extraordinary journey from studying AI at Tsinghua University in the 1980s to becoming a pioneer in AI-focused growth equity investing. We dive into Quartus’s unique six-layer AI investment framework that separnfrastructure plays from vertical AI solutions in healthcare, logistics, […]
#124: Crypto’s Maturity and the Rise of Private Equity with Maelstrom’s Akshat Vaidya & Adam Schlegel
Akshat Vaidya – Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Maelstrom Akshat Vaidya is the Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Maelstrom , the family office founded by BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes. In this role, Akshat leads Maelstrom’s investment strategy across its multiple verticals, including venture investments, liquid markets, and private equity deals. He oversees the recently launched Maelstrom […]
#123: Sandbox to Scale The MENA Fintech Playbook with Sonia Gokhale
Sonia Gokhale, Co-Founder and General Partner at VentureSouq , breaks down how founders can build and scale fintech across the Gulf. We unpack why Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the first markets to crack, how government sandboxes and clear licensing paths reduce friction, and why B2B fintech often delivers the strongest unit economics. Sonia […]
#122: The Future of Sales: How AI and Human Relationships Will Redefine Customer Acquisition with SalesAI’s Devin Johnson
Devin Johnson is a tech entrepreneur and AI innovator who has built multiple high‑growth SaaS companies by combining an obsessive focus on relationships with cutting‑edge automation. His entrepreneurial journey began at 16, when a series of family hardships — a father involved in drugs, a sister battling brain cancer and the death of a close […]
#121: How a SaaS Marketplace Is Redefining Plastic Waste Recovery with PCX’s Sebastian DiGrande
Sebastian DiGrande is the Chief Executive Officer of Plastic Credit Exchange (PCX) , where he leads the company’s mission to eliminate plastic waste through a technology-driven, market-based platform. Under his leadership, PCX is building a verified marketplace that connects corporations with plastic recovery and recycling partners worldwide, creating measurable, scalable environmental impact. Before joining PCX, […]
#119: The Next Frontier of Fintech & Localized AI with Kadan Capital’s Felix Frenzel
Felix Frenzel is the Founding Partner of Kadan Capital , a Singapore-headquartered early-stage venture capital firm backing category-defining startups across Southeast Asia and beyond. At Kadan, he focuses on high-impact companies in fintech and artificial intelligence , targeting ventures with strong early traction and potential for rapid scale. Before co-founding Kadan Capital, Felix built his […]
#118: Breaking Barriers in Embedded Finance and Emerging Markets with Saison Capital’s Qin En Looi
In Episode #118 of Geeks of the Valley , we sat down with Qin En Looi , Partner at Saison Capital. Backed by Credit Saison (Tokyo-listed, ~US$30B AUM), Saison has 100+ direct investments and 15+ fund investments across Asia and LATAM. We unpack why operator experience produces better investor how Qin En’s time scaling Glints […]
#117: Navigating APAC & U.S. Crypto Frontiers with CMT Digital’s Doug Hsu
Doug Su is an investor at CMT Digital in Asia — a global electronic trading and investment firm specializing in blockchain and digital assets. Founded in 2017, CMT Digital was among the earliest firms to launch a dedicated crypto fund and has since backed more than 150 crypto-native protocols and blockchain ventures worldwide. Doug brings […]
#116: Scaling Human-Centric Brands Through Private Equity with Monogram Capital’s Jared Stein
Jared Stein is a seasoned private equity investor with deep expertise in scaling high-growth, human-centric consumer brands. Since co-founding Monogram Capital in 2014, he has overseen the firm’s strategy and management, while originating, due diligence process and structuring investments that have turned emerging companies into category leaders. He has led Monogram’s investment in Chewy.com and […]
