From ASEAN to the World: Building a Global Mindset for the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs

SEA Bridge Team | Opening Keynote Recap – SEA Bridge NextGen 2025

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At the kickoff of SEA Bridge NextGen 2025, our Founder, Kasper-Tanakrit Sermsuksan, delivered a powerful opening keynote. More than a welcome, it was a bold invitation: for participants to stop seeing ASEAN as a secondary market—and start seeing it as the world’s center of opportunity.

This article captures the essence of that talk. We encourage all SEA Bridge NextGen members—especially this year’s 6th Batch with 58 selected participants from 41 universities across 14 locations and 10 nationalities (out of 580 applicants)—to revisit, reflect, and share these insights with their communities.

Why Global Mindset Starts Right Here in ASEAN

Many entrepreneurs still assume that “going global” means expanding to Silicon Valley or selling in Europe. But as Kasper shared, this mindset is outdated—and limiting. In fact, ASEAN is already on track to become the world’s 4th largest economy by 2028, trailing only the U.S., China, and India (source: IMF, ASEAN Secretariat).

With over 680 million people, ASEAN’s population surpasses the EU and is projected to be home to one of the youngest, most digitally connected middle-class markets globally.

“If you build across ASEAN, you’re already building globally.”

The message to young entrepreneurs was clear: start where growth is happening, not just where the spotlight is shining.

A Story in Persistence: From College Campus to Warren Buffett

One of the keynote’s most unforgettable moments came when Kasper shared how, as a student in the U.S., he became determined to meet Warren Buffett.

Armed with only a story he’d overheard, he:

• Tracked alumni leads through Facebook
• Reached out (and got ghosted—repeatedly)
• Reframed every dead end into a new approach
• Eventually got the invitation to join a private lunch with Warren Buffett in 2015
  

This story, told in detail in his book The Startup Mindset and the article Lunch with Warren Buffett: Lessons from Omaha, wasn’t just a personal win. It demonstrated the entrepreneurial mindset in motion: curiosity, persistence, reframing, and bold action.

“Entrepreneurship isn’t just about building companies—it’s about building the capacity to create opportunities where others see obstacles.”

ASEAN: The Center of the World

Kasper introduced the audience to the Valeriepieris Circle—a data visualization that shocked many. Drawn from demographic data, this circle shows that over half of the world’s population lives within a 4,000 km radius of North Thailand (in Myanmar).

Countries inside the circle include:

• China, India, Indonesia
• The Philippines, Bangladesh, Vietnam
• Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, South Korea
  

This is not theory. It’s geography—and economics.

“If you’re building for this circle, you’re already reaching the majority of the global population.”

With logistics improving, e-commerce rising, and inter-ASEAN collaboration strengthening, this region is no longer just emerging—it’s converging.

ASEAN by the Numbers (2025 Snapshot)

• ASEAN GDP (nominal): $3.9 trillion USD (IMF, 2024)
• ASEAN’s global GDP rank: Projected 4th by 2028
• ASEAN population: 680+ million
• Median age: 30.2 years (younger than EU, US, or Japan)
• Top economies in ASEAN: Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines (ASEAN-5)
• Digital economy size (2030): $1 trillion projected (Google/Temasek/Bain e-Conomy SEA report)

These are not just stats—they are signals. ASEAN is the most dynamic market entrepreneurs can tap into right now.

When Mindset Meets Culture: Reframing the Unknown

In one interactive segment, Kasper showed a screenshot from the Chinese stock market: red indicated “profit,” and green meant “loss.” Confusing, right?

Unless you understand that red is considered lucky in Chinese and Southeast Asian cultures, while green has different connotations.

“What doesn’t make sense at first often becomes clear once you adjust your cultural lens.”

This was a reminder that global entrepreneurs aren’t just fluent in business—they’re fluent in context.

3 Tools to Build a Global Entrepreneurial Mindset

At SEA Bridge, we don’t just talk about mindset—we give our participants the frameworks to build and test it:

1. FISH Capital Framework

Use your:

• Financial capital wisely
• Intellectual capital to solve problems
• Social capital to unlock doors
• Human capital to move faster, together
  

2. Cultural Code-Switching

Learn how trust, hierarchy, risk, and communication differ across borders. It’s not soft skills—it’s business advantage.

3. Build from Collaboration

Your peers across ASEAN are not your competitors—they’re your co-founders, connectors, and catalysts.

What We Want NextGen (and You) to Remember

As we launch the 6th batch of SEA Bridge NextGen, this keynote sets a standard—not only for how we think, but for how we build. Here are four key lessons:

1. ASEAN is already global.

If you build across cultures and currencies—you’re already global.

2. Rejection is part of the process.

Buffett didn’t answer on the first try. Neither will your dream customer.

3. Your mindset is your leverage.

What you believe—and how you frame challenge—will define your success.

4. You’re not alone.

SEA Bridge is a platform, a partner, and a people-powered ecosystem here to support your journey.

Why This Article Exists

We created this article not just as a recap—but as a living takeaway. A resource for our 58 NextGen participants to share with:

• Friends back at university
• Professors curious about SEA Bridge
• Future teammates and co-founders
  

And for those who couldn’t be in the room, this is a glimpse into how we think—and where we believe the future of ASEAN lies.

Together, we’re building the next generation of ASEAN entrepreneurs—with the mindset to go global, and the foundation to start local.

#SEAbridgeNextGen #GlobalMindset #ASEAN2030 #EntrepreneurshipInAsia