Brian is the Head of Startup Programs at Rainmaking, a venture development firm that builds new startups and helps the world's most promising startups scale in new markets.

Rainmaking has built and scaled over 1,000 startups across its 12 offices globally. One key program led by Brian and his team is Rainmaking Expand, a market expansion program targeted at growth-stage companies looking to enter new markets internationally and secure successful commercial outcomes.

‍

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

I help companies make money by securing clients and partners in new markets.

‍

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

The level of depth in which we work with startups looking to scale into new markets.

Most startup support programs out there are known for providing mentorship or networking opportunities — but in my opinion, these are necessary but insufficient to help the startups grow as they seek to secure new clients or partners that would positively impact their growth.

At Rainmaking, we go above and beyond by uncovering and securing the ideal commercial opportunities for the startups we work with to give them the best possible chances of success in the markets they are trying to enter.

‍

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

Helping scale multiple companies across different industries in diverse markets such as Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea.

It gives me and my team immense satisfaction when founders tell us, "we felt like you were truly part of our team, and we could not have done it without you." By bringing positive commercial and social impact, I believe that we are truly making the world a better place.

‍

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

Everyone's talking about generative AI — but not enough people are talking about the use of AI in biomedical science and healthcare. From what I have observed over the past 12 months, several initiatives are currently being deployed by the governments in Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia to encourage an increase in the formation of AI-powered healthcare and biomedical companies.

I also see several startups achieving maturity in this space, and getting ready for next-stage clinical trials, bringing these companies one step closer to commercialization. Exciting times are ahead in these areas!

‍

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

Be curious, and stay curious. Whether innate or a trained behavior over time, I have found curiosity to be one of the top characteristics of success in the startup world.

Some of the most successful founders I know, besides being kind and humble, are often intensely curious about the world around them. This curiosity then motivates them to find solutions to the world’s biggest problems.

‍

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

Football — specifically, the obscure parts of the beautiful game. From football finances to the evolution of tactics over the years, I am a massive geek of the game.

‍

🎥 What's your favorite movie/TV show?

There is a bit of recency bias here, but The Last Of Us is definitely up there in terms of my top 5 TV shows. Huge fan of sci-fi-based TV shows and movies in general!

‍

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

Dark chocolate — hands down.