E-Ling Lim
Co-Founder & CEO, Wavesparks. On 1 show, 1 appearance. The Shows tab opens the full record on each.
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Ee Ling Lim is the co-founder and CEO of Wavesparks, an entrepreneurship platform nurturing youth founders across Asia. She previously co-founded the edtech startup Smarter Me and led APAC business development at 500 Startups.
1shows
1appearances
18statements
2resolved
1supported
0contradicted
50%fully supported
Everything E-Ling Lim said on any show that made the record, most notable first. Each card names its show and opens the statement there.
Lim: Accelerator Fees Filter Out Chronic Program Hoppers in Asia
“It's also a way for us to actually distinguish between startups who are really interested and committed to the program, Rather than really just joining programs after programs, and quite honestly, there's a lot of startups who do that in this part of the world…”
Lim: Asian Founders Solve Market-Specific Problems Rather Than Copying US Models
“The problems that you see in Indonesia, the problems that you see in Singapore, the problems that you see in Philippines or in Korea, they are all different. The market is different. The users is different. The habits, behaviors, everything is different. So fo…”
Lim: US startups aim globally while Southeast Asian founders focus locally
“So they never aim to just be a startup that dominates the US. They aim to dominate the whole world. But whereas In Asia Pacific, or rather in Southeast Asia, a lot of startups think about conquering their country first, and maybe after they conquer their count…”
Lim: Singaporean startups must expand overseas due to small domestic market
“In Singapore, for example, the market's really small. So for a lot of Singaporean startups, they are, they do have an ambition and, you know, even from a VC perspective, there is a need for them to expand overseas.”
Lim: 500 Startups Deducts Accelerator Fees From Startup Investments
“For the C accelerator program, that's one where they do get investment after the program itself. There is a fee, but that fee comes out of the investment amount. So you can pay it after you get the investment.”
Lim: First-time founders need product-market fit before applying for accelerator funding
“Unfortunately, with all that's going on today, you do need to have that, you know, product market fit validation before you actually come and apply for either a program or funding. Unless, of course, you are someone who's done multiple exits, then that's a dif…”
Lim: Founders avoid user feedback out of fear of rejection
“And it still surprises me to this day that there are a lot of founders who built without Ever speaking to their end user. And I think that has to do with fear. We are inherently really afraid of speaking to people and getting feedback. So we dupe ourselves int…”
Lim: PE and VC funds are growing comfortable doing deals without site visits
“More and more, I do see a lot of PE funds, a lot of VCs. I have friends in the PE industry, and they've also said, shared the same thing, which is that people are getting more comfortable doing deals without necessarily Making, you know, site visits and everyt…”
Lim: There is no standardized global ESG policy framework for investors
“Every firm that has an ESG policy would have their own methods of tracking and really their own requirements because as of right now, there isn't a standardized policy globally.”
Lim: Asia-Pacific will produce a larger share of global unicorns by 2031
“So I think in the next five to 10 years, we are definitely going to see a larger proportion of the unicorns globally coming out of Asia Pacific. I have no doubts about that.”
Lim: Startup ecosystems hit a ceiling without corporate partnerships
“Without corporates being open to whether it's internal innovation or external partnerships with startups, the ecosystem is going to hit a ceiling.”
Lim: Startup ecosystems require at least 10 years to mature
“This requires at least 10 years to mature, and you need to be able to plant that seed right now in order to reap the benefits in 10 years, right?”
Lim: No venture capital funds in APAC invest in young kids
“I wish that there's a fund who's actually interested in investing in, in young kids at the moment. I don't think there really is any in Asia Pacific. There's probably one or two in the US, but none in APEC.”
Lim: 500 Startups has invested in over 2,400 companies across 70+ countries
“So we are the world's most active early-stage investor. We have invested in over 2400 companies in over 70 countries.”
Lim: 500 Startups Evaluates Every Startup Using 'Six Ts' Framework
“We still rely on a common formula called the six T's. So when we talk about the six T's, we look at trend, traction, total addressable market, technology, team. And then lastly, for investments, we look at the terms as well. But this five Key T's right outside…”
Lim: 500 Startups prioritizes future of work, agri-food, and education in 2021
“But I would say that this year itself, what are some of the areas that we are particularly interested in? Future of work and jobs, right? Productivity, those are definitely areas of interest. Anything that has to do with food, agri, it's also something of inte…”
Lim: Many sleeper-hit unicorns in the 500 Startups portfolio are B2B SaaS
“In fact, a lot of the unicorns that we have are the ones that we call slipper hits actually, so not the obvious winners. But a lot of the slipper-hit unicorns that we have are actually B to B businesses, SaaS businesses, right?”
Lim: Cambodian founders in 500 Startups programs work full-time jobs
“Today, when we work with a lot of people in Cambodia who are interested in pursuing that pathway, they are all doing side hustles, meaning they all have their full-time nine to five job, and only during the weekend they come and attend our programs.”
One line per show, most statements first. The link opens E-Ling's full record on that show: the calibration, argument clarity, speaking style and every statement made there.
| Show | Role there | Eps | Statements | Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 WE LIVE TO BUILDLEDGER | Co-Founder & CEO, Wavesparks | 1 | 18 | 50% 1/2 | full record on We Live to Build → |