Today’s episode is all about Rina Neoh who is the co-founder and managing partner of Ficus Venture Capital.

Rina is a Malaysian entrepreneur who started out as a computer scientist and is an example of a smart woman who is able to spot opportunities and turn them into success.  

Presently, she is an angel investor with investments in businesses across Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines and she also serves on several business advisory boards, NGOs & universities. She is also on the board of MATRADE.

Rina co-founded Mercatus Capital Pte Ltd, an incubator and venture accelerator based in Singapore and through its networks, Mercatus provides seed financing to startups in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, India, China and Hong Kong. 

She also holds strategic management roles, directorships and equities in Mercatus Capital, Ficus Venture Capital, Fintech Lab, Synapse EduTech Ventures, Global Learning Solutions, MindChamps International PreSchools, Smarter Robotics and UnlimitedBrands Inc.

I first got to know Rina when I attended a conference where she spoke. She told the story of how she began to import her favourite curry into the Philippines since she herself was craving this particular Malaysian curry brand!

I found that it is always the desire of entrepreneurs to scratch their own itch so to speak that opens up other opportunities!

She struck me as someone who is extremely smart and strategic both in business and in life.

Rina is not one to sugarcoat things nor is she one who is overly optimistic. Both are detrimental to the start-ups that she manages and invests in.

At the same time, she has a heart for education because she came up the hard way and knows that education is the way for anyone with the determination to get out of harsh circumstances.

She may be living in Singapore or even in the Philippines but Rina is definitely at heart a Penangite!