
THE ADVICE THAT COUNTS:
WHY MENTORING MATTERS
FOR FOUNDERS
The Big Spark
The unpredictable road from nascent idea to a thriving business is often fraught with challenges for new entrepreneurs. To overcome these hurdles, many start-up founders turn to the guidance and wisdom of seasoned practitioners. The experience, insights and personal support provided by these mentors can profoundly shape the strategic choices and leadership styles of these budding entrepreneurs.
Four business leaders and founders from diverse industries share their unique experiences and the profound impact that mentorship has had on their careers so far. Whether in digital payments or healthcare, they recount how mentorship has been instrumental in overcoming early challenges, sparking key turning points and guiding them through significant transformations in their businesses.
HARNESSING MENTORSHIP FOR GROWTH:
MS ROSHNI MAHTANI-CHEUNG, GROUP CEO AND FOUNDER, THE PARENTINC
Much of Ms Mahtani-Cheung’s success can be attributed to the mentorship she received at various stages of her entrepreneurial journey. She recalled how, during the start-up phase, mentors like venture capitalist William Klippgen and INSEAD Professor Hellmut Schütte provided crucial insights into product development and leadership. As the Singapore-based company began to scale, guidance from The Parentinc board member Rahul Welde proved instrumental in its transformation into a fast-moving consumer goods company.


Ms Mahtani-Cheung also highlighted the role of mentorship in transitioning theAsianparent – an online content and community platform – to Mama’s Choice, a direct-to-consumer brand focusing on pregnancy, nursing, baby care and household products for the Indonesian market. Her mentors offered brutally honest feedback and challenged her approach, contributing significantly to her strategic decisions.
Beyond professional guidance, mentors like Ms Carmen Yuen, general partner at Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia and India, and Dr Meri Rosich, a former chief data officer of Standard Chartered’s corporate, commercial and institutional banking (CCIB) division, and now the CEO of Asia Pacific and Middle East at Oceonomy, provided personal support that enriched Ms Mahtani-Cheung’s role as a working mother. “Being a mother herself, Carmen emphasised to me the importance of personally engaging with our community, and that included the parents, healthcare providers and other stakeholders, to gain deep insights into the challenges they faced,” said Ms Mahtani-Cheung.


CRYSTALLISING INSIGHTS INTO INNOVATION:
MR LIM WAI MUN, FOUNDER AND CEO, DOCTOR ANYWHERE
Mr Lim credited part of his success to the diverse insights he received along his entrepreneurial journey. Crucial mentorship played a key role in overcoming scepticism at the outset of Doctor Anywhere, which provides digital healthcare services in Southeast Asia.
For instance, a chance conversation with a food delivery service professional led to a key insight about consumer preferences for convenience over accessibility, which shaped the development of Doctor Anywhere’s telehealth services. “That one singular belief pushed me to soldier on, to launch something which most healthcare practitioners did not believe in,” Mr Lim recalled.


On another occasion, an interaction with a former colleague was instrumental in Doctor Anywhere’s pivot towards an omnichannel presence, integrating both virtual and physical clinics, which proved to be a game-changer for the company. “It is very important to understand that a mentor can be anyone around us,” said Mr Lim. “Most importantly, as entrepreneurs, we need to learn to crystallise the lessons from a few people and synthesise them for useful consumption.”
One piece of advice that has stuck with Mr Lim is the need to build a culture of innovation that accepts failures as part of a start-up’s progression. “When you are no longer afraid to fail, you will dare to try, and have what you need to find that big spark,” he said.


BUILDING SELF-CONFIDENCE AND CHALLENGING ASSUMPTIONS:
MR RICKY KAPUR, HEAD OF ASIA PACIFIC, ZOOM
Mr Kapur has found mentorship to be crucial in his professional development. Early mentors provided guidance on self-confidence and team-building, key skills for his roles in leading companies through initial public offerings and digital transformations. His mentors have offered invaluable perspectives, opening doors and expanding his professional network.
“When I assumed leadership over a large business, I asked for mentorship from an established industry leader who had spearheaded the largest digital transformation of his company,” said Mr Kapur. “His counsel to me was, ‘Build the right team; take your time’. This taught me to prioritise the selection of high-performing team members that will bring innovative ideas and strategic thinking to the table.”


The most impactful advice Mr Kapur has received to date was to challenge his own assumptions, a lesson that has been fundamental in shaping his decision-making approach. “I was embarking on a strategic initiative that was meticulously planned and researched, and already endorsed by my stakeholders,” he recounted. “My mentor advised me to reconsider my approach, and demonstrated how all assumptions were significantly biased and unrealistic.”
He added, “Mentorship has always played a pivotal role in shaping my career. Engaging in candid discussions and bouncing ideas off mentors have allowed me to refine my ways of thinking, gain new perspectives and make better decisions.”
ACCESSING DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES:
MR KRISTOFFER JACEK SOH, CEO, BEEP TECHNOLOGIES
The mentorship that Mr Soh has received from his fellow members of the XA Network, an investment platform that fosters inclusive innovation in Southeast Asia, has been invaluable, he said. This operational and technical guidance has been crucial for a tech-heavy start-up like Beep, which focuses on payments solutions. He has been able to access diverse perspectives, which have been key in helping him fine-tune his firm’s market strategies and internal processes.
“The XA Network consists of strong current and former operators in the tech and start-up space, often with significant angel investing experience across different sectors in the region,” Mr Soh explained. “We sought their advice for an operational, ground-up standpoint stitched together from various angles, in contrast to more typically statistical and trend-based perspectives from most institutional investors.”


One significant challenge for Beep was balancing platform development with quality assurance. Mentorship from experienced XA members was critical in navigating this challenge, offering insights into best practices and structural approaches. “Having the opportunity to seek advice from founders of well-known, successfully exited start-ups has been useful for benchmarking our growth, and assessing where we stand and what more needs to be done,” Mr Soh said.
The experiences of these four entrepreneurs and industry leaders highlight the transformative power of mentorship in their professional journeys. Whether offering strategic insights, challenging assumptions or reinforcing core principles, mentors play an important role in shaping these dynamic businesses.