Victor Seunglee Lim is the co-founder and CEO of Kraver's, a ghost kitchen operator that serves leading food concepts online, which includes Kraver's Canteen, The Six Pack Chef, and Krave Daily. 

He has been recognized in the Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 list (2022), Tatler's Gen T Leaders of Tomorrow list (2021), and Esquire Philippines' Startup Movers & Shakers (2021). 

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

I am running an F&B business that is specifically focused on optimizing kitchen operations, without the dine-in component. It's closer to a manufacturing distribution operation than it is to a traditional F&B restaurant. 

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

I have never worked in the F&B industry before starting Kraver's, nor did I ever think that I would. 

While I have always loved food & cooking on a personal level (as many people do), my priority as an entrepreneur has always been looking for high-growth opportunities in the digital space, where food is not typically top of mind when thinking of digital industries. 

However, over the last three years, I have learned, interesting enough, that the success of most kitchen operations at scale is less rooted in culinary ability than it is operational. 

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

Being selected into Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 list in 2022, under the Retail & e-Commerce category.

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

I am interested in the explosive startups that have very specific products that are taken to hyper-scale. In the Philippines F&B space, this would include brands like Pickup Coffee and Don Papa Rum.

In the tech space, it's energizing to see the number of startups being created and succeeding at serving sub-ecosystems from the startups that have come before us. 

In the same way that Kraver's conceptually would not be possible without the groundwork of GrabFood & Foodpanda ahead of us, there are booming startups like Etaily & Klikit that are serving industries that did not even exist 10-15 years ago.

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

Ideas are important, but execution is even more important. If you are an aspiring CEO/visionary-type, don't get so swept away in the titles and possibilities, and don't rush into things because you want to be your own boss right away. 

Start by learning how companies actually work and getting your hands as dirty as possible, and experiencing how messy operations actually is.

There is nothing wrong with believing in yourself and taking the leap to start your own company earlier in life, but if you jump pre-maturely, just be ready for the possibility that you might not land where you thought you would.

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

The shifting landscape and explosive potential of the Philippines startup ecosystem, as least from how I am currently perceiving & experiencing it from the inside, as a foreigner. 

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🎥 What's your favorite movie/TV show? 

My favorite recent movie is Avatar 2, The Way of Water. Not only because of the amazing cinematic journey it takes you on, and the truths that were both said & unsaid in regards to taking care of the planet we live on, but because I greatly appreciate the amount of thought, effort, and planning that went into the film. 

From the very top, James Cameron delayed the project by decades to wait for the right tech and experience, instead of delivering something he considered subpar, and even the actors took the extra step of actually holding their breaths underwater instead of opting for easy CGI, all to create very minor and individually unnoticeable effects that roll up into a greater experience.

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🍨 What's your go-to ice cream flavor?

Mint chocolate chip‍.

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FYI. We’ve edited this interview for clarity.