What happens when startup dreams collide with governance concerns?

Hi, I’m James, and in this episode, I sit down with two powerhouse voices from the investor and legal world—Vijay Sambamurthi and Nicholas Cator. Vijay’s a seasoned lawyer who founded Lexygen Law in India and now leads its Singapore office, while Nick is a consumer-focused investor who's seen it all across India and Southeast Asia. We get personal about the darker side of fast-growing startups—from investor FOMO to the slippery slope of founder shortcuts. If you’ve ever raised funds, sat on a board, or just love a good behind-the-scenes story, you’ll want to hear this.

IN THIS EPISODE
(00:00) Are founders cutting corners just to impress investors?
(02:30) Why does Southeast Asia struggle with exits while India surges ahead?
(04:30) What do startup frauds and superhero villains have in common?
(08:00) How do blue chip investors get it so wrong?
(12:30) Why founders say no to legal audits—and regret it later
(20:00) What basic hygiene investors should always demand but don’t
(24:00) How the media’s pump-and-dump culture is warping startup values
(38:00) Why the smartest investors are finally saying no to easy wins

Vijay Sambamurthi
Vijay Sambamurthi is the founder and managing partner of Lexygen, a leading Indian law firm headquartered in Bangalore, with pan-India coverage and international offices in Singapore.

Sambamurthi graduated from the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru in 1997, and has more than 27 years of experience advising blue-chip funds, startups and high-growth corporations on their legal needs and growth strategy. He regularly advises some of the market-leading names on their Indian transactions and operations.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijay-sambamurthi-3b66383/

Nicholas Cator
Nicholas Cator is the founder of Venturi Partners Pte Ltd.(2019) where he is currently the Managing Partner. He is also a Non-Executive Director at Pan India Food Solutions Pvt Ltd. and Sula Vineyards Ltd. (started in 2023).

Additionally, he was an Investment Manager at Verlinvest SA (2009-2012) and a Board Member at Lazada Group (Vietnam) (2015-2016).

He graduated from Université Catholique de Louvain.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-cator-05b596/

James Chan
James Chan is founder and CEO of ION Mobility, an electric mobility technology and lifestyle brand focused on Indonesia and Southeast Asia. ION’s products combine advanced hardware and software with human-centered design to deliver smart electric motorcycles and charging and energy storage solutions. The company launched its inaugural Mobius M1-S electric motorcycle for Indonesia in November 2022.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/motochan/

ABOUT TiE Talks
TiE Talks brings to you leadership and venture-building lessons from founders, investors and experts in the TiE Singapore network, a vibrant ecosystem of Asian entrepreneurs, angel investors, venture capitalists, and industry professionals.

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