5 Questions with the Grab alumnus building Asean’s expert network

FORMER Grab employees often start ventures related to issues they have faced at work, but Benjamin Emmanuel Lee, co-founder of expert network Sealed, has taken a different path.

Previously in business development, Lee has set up an expert network – spanning areas such as capital markets, human resources, compliance and others – focused just on South-east Asia.

In this month’s 5 Questions, Lee shares how Grab has inspired the Sealed Network and how building connections with people is an exponential and not a linear process.

1. How have former job experiences translated into your current role?

My former roles at Grab and Huobi were related to business development. They involved networking and engaging external partners on behalf of the company. I also enjoyed being part of the launch team of GrabPay and supporting the start of GrabFood here back in 2018.

The vision of Grab wanting to be a hyper localised platform for South-east Asia was also particularly impactful for me. I did my own research before starting Sealed and realised that there were expert networks that were entirely focused on certain countries or geographic regions such as China, Japan, Latin America, the Middle East – and even Africa – but none focused on the Asean region.

Sealed is staying true to our vision of becoming the best expert network in South-east Asia. We currently have offices in four countries across the region and are looking to buildout more.

Beyond research, we see Sealed as an access and connectivity platform. My experiences at Grab and Huobi set a foundation for me to build Sealed. In my current capacity, I spend a fair bit of my time with clients and investors – and the rest of it thinking, and strategising about our next steps, which include meeting potential hires.

2. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learnt about people after setting up the expert business network?

Nothing new here but people are unpredictable! They can also change quickly. With regard to building a professional network, access and connectivity is exponential and not linear. You start with building a good foundation which can then lead to a multiplier effect.

Putting yourself out there and having friends who are super connectors definitely help as well. Also, I often get questioned on how we manage to sign up high-profile and senior experts. Let’s put it this way, most people have a “price” – I don’t refer to just monetary and material rewards, but there’s usually something that makes people tick. It could be them wanting to stay relevant to their industry, refresh their knowledge about the sector or maybe to profile themselves as a thought leader.

Finally, no I do not know most of the experts on the platform personally. We’ve crossed 100,000 experts on our internal database and it’s not possible to meet with everyone in person!

3. What is one thing you would tell your younger self?

Be patient with yourself and the people around you. Remember to take stock of things, celebrate when you deserve to, and not sell yourself short.

4. Best advice you’ve received, and what the context/situation was

Take this with a pinch of salt but an older friend who’s seen a fair bit of life once told me, “if you feel you’re close to depression, flip through the papers and take a look at the obituaries”. His point was, life is filled with ups and downs and as long as you’re not dead, you live to fight another day.

It reminds me of the John Lennon quote that my dad shared with me when I was younger. “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”

5. What’s the biggest and worst setback you’ve experienced?

Being a young founder and entrepreneur is incredibly tough. We lack the know-how and oftentimes have to figure things out on our own. For example, my co-founder and I do not come from the industry we are currently in. We saw an opportunity and decided to pursue it.

However, one of my biggest setbacks till date is related to unwanted departures.

Leadership and people management is something I am constantly working on. I am hoping to build an organisation that is efficient, smart, driven but yet gentle and kind. Given the ambitious and aggressive person that I am, it isn’t going to be easy but I believe it’s the only way forward.