The Asiabits Podcast

What happens in Asia increasingly shapes tomorrow's world. Yet people still underestimate the developments unfolding in China, South Korea, and Japan—the emerging technologies, shifting markets, and groundbreaking deals. We want to change that. We talk to entrepreneurs, founders, and other inspiring leaders about their journeys, businesses, and products. About the hosts: Thomas Derksen is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, and content creator with over 10 million followers on social media. Recognized as one of the most influential Western voices on China, Thomas offers deep insights into the country's culture, society, and rapidly evolving digital economy. LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afuthomas/ Michael Broza is an entrepreneur with extensive experience in fintech and AI-powered M&A, connecting the M&A community throughout the German-speaking region. He now develops advanced AI-powered tools to enhance efficiency, primarily in the M&A sector.

The Asiabits Podcast is a business podcast hosted by Thomas Derksen & Michael Broza, with 17 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Thomas Derksen & Michael Broza hosts The Asiabits Podcast, a business show with 17 episodes published.

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  The Asiabits Podcast

  Ep. 17: This Frenchman Built a Humanoid Robot in China

  Jun 3, 202649 minS0

  <p>"I did my best. Next, do the same in France." - Jules Thevenon, The Forge Humanoid Robotics</p> <p>A French founder spent 10 years in China, built a humanoid robot, and couldn't raise a cent. His engineers left for Unitree and Agibot. So he closed his Shanghai company and is starting over in France. We sat down with Jules Thevenon in Shanghai to ask why.</p> <p>In this episode:</p> Why 10 years in China ended with closing his humanoid robot startup The funding wall for a foreign deep-tech startup in China Watching his engineers leave for Unitree, Agibot...

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  The Asiabits Podcast

  Ep. 16: He Left Germany to Build a $100M USD China Fund

  May 19, 20261h 16mS0

  <p>"If I help people in the West to make money in China through financial returns by investing in real China technology — maybe then they will believe it." - Rafael Ratzel, TH Capital</p> <p>For years Rafael Ratzel went home to Europe trying to tell people what China is actually like. Lifelong friends called him brainwashed. So he stopped arguing and raised a $100M USD deep tech fund instead, because if he made his friends money in Chinese technology they would have to come see it themselves. Rafael landed in Hong Kong on the day of the biggest typhoon in...

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  Episode #15

  Ep. 15: He Left the US Army to Build Asia's First AI Fund

  May 13, 20261h 2mS1

  <p>"I did a deck eight years ago around why this is the Asian century." - Tak Lo, Komputational Kulture</p> <p>The US looked at AI and saw Armageddon. China looked at AI and said this is great, we should embrace it. Tak Lo bet on that gap eight years before ChatGPT made it obvious. He went from US Army engineer to Booz Allen to London Business School to founding Asia's first AI-focused accelerator in Hong Kong in 2017, with around 50 portfolio companies, one IPO, and two acquisitions before Animoca took a majority stake. He is now raising two new...

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  The Asiabits Podcast

  Ep. 14: He Left Sweden for China to Build GPS for Robots

  May 3, 20261h 19mS0

  <p>"The AI revolution has almost definitionally not begun until we get physical AI." - Nils Pihl, Auki Labs</p> <p>Nils Pihl left Sweden for China to fix one missing piece of the internet, a spatial layer that gives robots, AR glasses, and AI agents a shared sense of where they actually are. His company Auki Labs just closed Sweden's largest retailer as its first big enterprise customer, is putting store-manager robots into shops in 2026, and is calling out Western VCs for being scared of breaking $10,000 of robot hands.</p> <p>In this episode:</p> "AI hasn't begun until...

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  Episode #13

  Ep. 13: $212K Ad Spend, Amex Capped Mid-Campaign, Still Hit $1M

  Apr 26, 20261h 6mS0

  <p>"I think I probably had 10k in the bank account. This thing doesn't work, then I'm screwed." - Oliver Masson, Blisstil</p> <p>Oliver built sleep headphones alone for six years, burned through $700,000 of his own and his family's money, and cried in a Shenzhen hotel on his first night in China. Then he set a $10,000 Kickstarter goal and raised over $1,000,000 in 30 days.</p> <p>In this episode:</p> Crossing $1M alone: "you're never ecstatic, just more tired" 36 prototypes to make soft foam and hard electronics coexist First Shenzhen trip with $10K in the bank — crying in a cheap ho...

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