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. Based in Shanghai, Michael regularly provides insights into Asia's tech and venture ecosystems, builds strategic networks, and actively shares his knowledge through social media and direct community engagement.
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-broza/
Be the first to know about the newest trends in and from Asia: asiabits.com/en
Episodes
16 episodes
Ep. 16: He Left Germany to Build a $100M USD China Fund
"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 For years Rafael Ratzel went home to Eu...
Ep. 15: He Left the US Army to Build Asia's First AI Fund
"I did a deck eight years ago around why this is the Asian century." - Tak Lo, Komputational Kulture 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 ...
Ep. 14: He Left Sweden for China to Build GPS for Robots
"The AI revolution has almost definitionally not begun until we get physical AI." - Nils Pihl, Auki Labs Nils Pihl left Sweden for China to fix one missing piece of the internet, a spatial layer that gives robots, AR gla...
Ep. 13: $212K Ad Spend, Amex Capped Mid-Campaign, Still Hit $1M
"I think I probably had 10k in the bank account. This thing doesn't work, then I'm screwed." - Oliver Masson, Blisstil Oliver built sleep headphones alone for six years, burned through $700,000 of his own and his family'...
Ep. 12: He Left Apple to Fix China's Biggest Problem for Americans
"I don't think that Shenzhen's manufacturing ecosystem will be replaced in the next decade. I don't think it's possible." - Joshua Woodard, The Sparrows Josh grew up on the south side of Chicago, studied mechanical engi...
Ep. 11: He Lived in a Chinese Factory for 5 Months
"The speed at which you solve problems on the factory floor is the speed at which your product ships." - Ryan Dunwoody Ryan was 24 when he flew to Shenzhen with a suitcase and a crowdfunding campaign to deliver. No Mand...
Ep. 10: She Flew to China to Scream at a Factory
"I lost everything up there when I was hiking. The monk said: Congratulations." - Denise Wu, rootiqueDenise started at Ogilvy in Hong Kong, launched Foodpanda as the first employee, scaled a bike-sharing startup to the U...
Ep. 9: This Frenchman Built 3 Hardware Companies in China's Toughest City
"Don't be afraid to pivot." - Laurent Le PenLaurent moved to Shenzhen in 2007 when nobody knew the city. He watched the iPhone launch live from a Philips Mobile office, built the first million-dollar Kickstarter smartwat...
Ep. 8: He Designed Robot Labs for MIT. Then Realized All the Parts Came from China.
"Guess how many companies in the US make actuators for robots? Zero." - Tuo Liu, RobotuoTuo grew up in Shenzhen, spent a decade in the US designing robotics labs for MIT and Harvard, and moved back to build the largest o...
Ep. 7: He Borrowed $300,000 to Build a Physical AI Tamagotchi
"I believe I will do it." - Irving Gao, Sweekar200 people received Irving's first AI robot. One month later, only 1 was still using it. He crashed, pivoted, took out ¥2,000,000 (~$300,000) in personal loans, an...
Ep. 6: He's 23 and Visited 500 Robot Companies in China
"Look for a really honest team that is iterating fast. A lot of demos are fake." - Francesco CrivelliFrancesco (23) grew up between Switzerland and Chile, had 30% school attendance, slept in immigrant housing as a teenager - and ended up...
Ep. 5: He Used ChatGPT to Build the Smartest Dog Toy at CES
"My dog is so lonely at home. I want to fix that." Jacky is 24. He scraped 1 million social media comments, fed them to ChatGPT, and built a smart remote-control ball for dogs in Shenzhen.Featured at CES 2026 and covered by CNET, PePeHol...
Ep. 4: Why Your $500/Month Pilates Studio Is A Scam
"It's a rich people sport." Pilates sessions cost $100 each. Monthly memberships run $500. Eric, a designer from Shenzhen, said: "We could do better."He built a smart, foldable Pilates reformer in his apartment. 48 hours after launching ...
Ep. 3: He Built an AI Grill That Could Replace Your BBQ
Sean is from Zibo, China's most famous barbecue city. At just 24, he co-founded Cozytime and built the Lumo, an AI-powered smart grill that brings real charcoal-style barbecue indoors with zero smoke.Supported by InnoX, the accelerator f...
Ep. 2: She Got Abu Dhabi Royals to Invest Millions
Audrey Quan went from college student to founder with investments from Abu Dhabi's royal family. At just 20-something, she built an AI company that impressed some of the wealthiest investors in the Middle East.In this episode, Audrey sha...
Ep. 1: He Quit His Job in Germany and Moved to China
"I quit my job in Germany and moved to China without knowing what I wanted to do here. For a lot of people, it's crazy. For me, it makes no sense to stay in Europe."In the premiere episode of The asiabits Podcast, Michael (Co-founder of ...