How a Triple-E Student Found His Place in AI and Computing? When Kelvin Kok, Founder & Chief Architect of Axrail enrolled at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to study Electronic and Electrical Engineering (EEE), the world of computer programming was not even on his radar. Like many young undergraduates, he had no clear idea of his long-term career path. A chance internship during his third year would change everything and set him on a trajectory that would eventually lead to founding one of Southeast Asia’s fast-growing AI companies. A Chance Encounter with the World of Code In Kelvin’s early NTU days, programming felt abstract, little more than writing scripts to print stars and shapes on a screen. “Back then, it made…
Ever heard the phrase, 'Accounting is the language of business'? Well, that nugget of wisdom originates from none other than business magnate, Warren Buffett. Consider this: accounting is like a puzzle within the business realm. But Buffett's thoughts in 2014 went beyond this simple comparison. He drew a parallel between accounting and learning a foreign language – and he was serious. Just as deciphering a foreign language as a native English speaker, diving into accounting terms can be like wading through a dictionary with no end in mind. Fixed assets, retained earnings, accounts receivable – they might as well be coded messages! But don't worry; you don't need to become an accounting expert overnight to do business. One key takeaway…
The Business Pre‑Nup vs. The Business Divorce In our previous article, we discussed the importance of a shareholders’ agreement as the “business pre-nup” i.e., setting ground rules for managing a business together as co-owners. But what happens when someone decides to leave the partnership? Every business partnership has two chapters: coming together and parting ways. The Sale & Purchase Agreement (SPA) governs the second. If the shareholders' agreement is the "pre-nup", then the SPA is the divorce agreement drafted before the wedding. One party exits and the SPA decides who keeps what, how the price is paid, and who bears responsibility if any surprises come up later. For example, Party A and Party B have been business partners for years.…
Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik When you hear 'corporate governance', you might heave a sigh heavier than your morning coffee cup. You might think - isn't that something that only starchy, established corporations need to squabble about? Startups, with their agile, seat-of-the-pants swagger, surely need not bother with such heavyweight formalities as corporate governance, right? Well, here's a curveball to that notion - you should. What is corporate governance and why is it important for startups? Let's clear the air once and for all. What exactly is corporate governance and why should it matter for startups? Defined at its simplest, corporate governance is the system of rules, practices, and processes by which a company is directed and controlled. It's about making good…
The Emptiness After the Big Win As the year comes to an end, this is the time when we reflect and take stock of everything we’ve accomplished. Yet, for many of us, we've certainly done a lot of work, but the outcome feels insignificant. It stirs a quiet unease: the sense that, despite the projects delivered, the milestones ticked off, we have this feeling that we still haven’t done enough. This is the arrival fallacy at work, the belief that once we reach a certain goal, we’ll finally feel complete. We chase goals believing they hold the feeling we’re missing, only to discover the feeling never stays. We continually chase more success, more recognition, more wealth, believing that the next…
