Rising Giants

Rising Giants

Turn On💡Tune In 📻 Keep Up 🚀 Cambodia’s #1 Startup & Innovation Podcast! 150+ guests, 50k+ listeners, 10m+ views Join your hosts Max Thornton and Dom Kalousek, where they talk with the leading startup founders, investors, and creatives in Cambodia and beyond to learn what it means to be a Rising Giant.

Episodes

June 18, 2025 48 mins

Dominic Williams is the British Ambassador to Cambodia, having joined the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in 2005. His diplomatic career includes postings in France, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Peru, and Nigeria. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2011 for his contributions during the Sri Lankan conflict. In London, he has worked on UN Peacekeeping, the Syria conflict, and consular af...

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Thierry is back for Round 2 on Rising Giants. He is now supporting OCIC across a variety of sectors, including real estate, technology and infrastructure.

He is also the Founder of Negocia Capital (VC), PhilJets (Aviation) and Sphere Aero (Aerospace). With a passion for educating the next generation, he sits on the Board at Camtech University and Dichi Academy.

Thierry: https://www.instagram.com/thierrytea

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Dara Khorn is a leading F&B industry entrepreneur in Cambodia, having launched market-defining brands such as KOI Thé, TUBE Coffee, Belly Burger, GēGē Kitchen and many more. They focus on addressing the emerging middle class in Cambodia who value great prices, convenience, and customer service.

Dara: https://www.instagram.com/darasamkhan/

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Shasne Su is a Cambodia-based fashion stylist, journalist, and content creator. Living in Phnom Penh for over five years, she combines local inspiration with international fashion language. Starting her journey at local market, she developed a unique visual voice that now extends to magazine features, editorial styling, and digital storytelling. Her work reflects a modern, cross-cultural perspective shaped by experience, intuition,...

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Richard is the CEO and Chairman of Quantum Engineering and Manufacturing. He is at the forefront of bringing Cambodian-made products to the world, working with leading global manufacturers who are increasingly choosing Cambodia as a key market for exporting high-quality goods, even in a world that is going through a tariff paradigm shift.

Richard: https://www.instagram.com/richardyim

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Bill is the Co-Founder of the Cambodia Blockchain Summit, the first comprehensive blockchain event for the crypto community in Cambodia, which showcases the emerging innovation in Web 3 and how Cambodia is looking to play a key role in this dynamic sector that is transforming the global economy.

Cambodia Blockchain Summit: https://www.bookme.plus/t/events/cbs2025

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Na is the Co-Founder of KDMV Digital, one of Cambodia's top marketing firms focused on building iconic video content that resonates with the audiences of tomorrow and sustains long-term brand equity. Welcome back to Rising Giants in 2025!

KDMV Digital: https://www.instagram.com/kdmvdigital/

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In this episode of Rising Giants, Sivhuang Lay, Managing Director of Dichi Academy, shares her journey from diverse educational experiences across Cambodia, China, and Europe to her pivotal roles in tech startups in Cambodia. She discusses the importance of innovation, stakeholder management, and the impact of COVID-19 on the growth of businesses like Food Panda.

Sivhuang also emphasizes the need for tech talent in Cambodia and the...

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We are marking Devcon 2024 in Bangkok next week with a very special guest!

Sanjay Popli is a pioneering figure in Thailand's cryptocurrency industry, serving as the Group CEO and Co-Founder of Cryptomind Group, the leading Web3 ecosystem builder in the region.

Under his leadership, Cryptomind Group has launched successful ventures, including Thailand's largest blockchain event, Thailand Blockchain Week, and the country's first SEC...

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Today on Rising Giants we have Priscilla Kim Ong, known as 'Sela', she is a Khmer-Krom American content creator who has built a supportive global community around her life in Cambodia.

Born and raised in the US, she moved to Cambodia in 2022 to reconnect with her roots and learn Khmer, inspiring diaspora communities to reconnect with their own cultures.

Through engaging vlogs, heartfelt interviews, and relatable skits, Sela share...

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Today on Rising Giants we have Vansa, Partner at Present Ventures, a global investment firm focused on investing in the future of sports, 'Sports 3.0'.

Vansa leads strategy and portfolio development at Present Ventures. With over 20 years of experience in building and investing in technology across fintech, digital assets, and sports, combined with deep insights into the Asian market, she supports founders to navigate through evolv...

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On this week's episode of Rising Giants we have the pleasure of speaking with Socheata, the founder of Snoopedu, as we explore the challenges and achievements of integrating STEM education in Cambodia. She highlights the necessity of a holistic educational approach, the influence of AI, and the shift towards student-centric learning. Socheata underscores the critical role of teacher training and community involvement in revolutioni...

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Today on Rising Giants, we have the pleasure of hosting a great friend of the show, Ollie Forsyth, Founder of New Economies Newsletter - one of the fastest growing communities covering the latest technology trends shaping our world today.

In the episode we explore Ollie's captivating journey from an young and ambitious entrepreneur to a venture capitalist in a journey that led him to his current home in Thailand building New Econo...

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Today on Rising Giants we have Vanna of Dorsu, Cambodia's most recognised sustainable fashion company. Dorsu was founded on the principles that clothing should be produced in a way that embraces people and causes as little harm to the environment as possible, setting an example within the Cambodian and global garment industry.

Vanna is refugee-born, raised and educated in the US, an MA from Georgetown, with over 15 years of interna...

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Today on Rising Giants we have Layheng Phan, Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer of Krubkrong, shares her journey in the media and advertising space in Cambodia, discussing the evolution of digital media, the challenges and opportunities in the market, and how her startup is revolutionizing retail through cloud technology.

She emphasizes the importance of education in technology, the need for patience among young entrepreneurs, an...

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Today on Rising Giants, we have Ye Myat Min, aka Jeff, he is a serial founder, having run four startups: Nexlabs, Better HR, Bluejay Finance and Peek Money.

Jeff enjoys taking unconventional routes. A self-taught coder at the age of 12, he dropped out of university and started his first business at 21. He scaled Better HR to be a market leader in HR SaaS in Southeast Asia. His latest venture, Peek Money, is an AI-powered personal ...

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Welcome back to a new season of Rising Giants!

Henry runs X Venture Holdings, they are a Southeast Asia focused venture capital firm that provides growth funding for startups and early-stage companies. He has over 15+ years of experience in the investment management industry; investment strategy for large conglomerates in Myanmar, Big 4 senior consultant in Thailand and Myanmar and investment banking in Canada.

We explore his portf...

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On this week's episode of Rising Giants we have the pleasure of speaking with Dominic Sharpe, Country Director of Liger Academy.

Liger Leadership Academy provides a world-class learning experience – empowering students today to become leaders of tomorrow through experiential project-based learning to develop students' understanding of real-life challenges and their country's needs. Dom's passion for helping create ...

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This week on Rising Giants, Chef Nak, Rotanak Ros, is back for her second podcast with us. She is the pioneer in her field aiming to bring and elevate the vibrant flavors and cultural heritage of Cambodia to the world stage!

Her second cookbook, SAOY, Royal Cambodian Home Cuisine, was recently named 'The Best Cookbook In The World' by the prestigious Gourmand Award in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 28th, 2023, it's li...

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On this week's episode of Rising Giants, we are joined by the Director of realestate.com.kh. Tom O'Sullivan. Tom recounts his journey of moving to Cambodia in 2013, initially to help start a social enterprise training restaurant. He later ventured into the real estate industry in Phnom Penh, joining a group that started their first real estate portal out of Papua New Guinea before setting up realestate.com.kh in Cambodia, h...

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