Adrian Hia is a Partner at Kairous Capital, a venture capital firm investing in early-stage startups in Greater China and Southeast Asia. Before joining Kairous, he was a law grad stuck at a law firm with tons of IT side gigs.

👋🏼 How would you explain your job to someone outside tech?

My responsibility is to invest in great companies that will make your life moderately (and hopefully, significantly) better in the next 5 years.

🧐 What's something about you or your job that would surprise us?

While being a full-time paralegal at a legal firm, I started out at Kairous Capital as their IT contractor, setting up their website and IT infrastructure.

🏆 What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?

Ever since the first day I joined Kairous Capital, I firmly believe VC is a long-term game, and it took us six years (from setting up Kairous Capital to seeing our first exit) to prove the case.

In August 2022, I had my first significant exit from one of my portfolio companies (one of the largest exits in SEA). We invested during Series A and witnessed multiple crises the company went through before that. Knowing any successful startup will need to survive at least three crises is one thing. Witnessing them happening backstage is a career-changing experience for me (or any investor).

🔍 What's a startup trend or space you're watching this year?‍

Retail and HR space.

Retail - Whether you are a SaaS/product/service company or B2B/B2C, provided you have a clear strategy to disrupt any part of the existing value chain, ping me.

HR - The pandemic acted as a catalyst for the long overdue revolution on workforce management. There is a paradigm shift in the meaning of "WORK" for Gen Z and Generation Alpha, the largest workforce contributors in the next 15-20 years. They are craving a different type of work-life balance (for better or worse), and this is a trillion-dollar question for any startups out there to address.

💼 What advice would you give someone starting out in your industry?

1. Be ready to play the infinite game.

2. Imagine a better world eight years down the road and invest in great companies that can make it a reality.

3. Your ability to perform at Side A (investor outside the cap table) of the table can be significantly enhanced by your ability to perform at Side B (board member of investees).

🗣 What's one thing you can keep talking about for hours?

Lessons I learned from my mistakes.

🎥 What's your favorite movie/TV show?

Peaky Blinders, Billions, PK, Pad Man

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🍨 What's your go-to ice cream flavor?‍

Dark chocolate and pistachio.