Investing in What Operators Build
Here is what 25 years inside hospitality and now running a technology company has taught me: the founders who build the best products are the ones who have done the work their software replaces. They have managed the dining room, argued with a booking system that does not understand covers, or tried to hire a sous chef through a platform that thinks hospitality recruitment is the same as office recruitment. That frustration is not a footnote in their pitch deck. It is the reason their product works.
That conviction shapes how I invest, who I advise, and which partnerships I pursue.
What I Look For
Early-stage companies building for hospitality, travel, healthcare, or productivity, primarily in Asia and the Middle East. I am most useful at the stage where a product works but the go-to-market does not yet.
Founders with genuine operating experience in the industry they are building for. Products that solve one problem well rather than five problems adequately. Teams that can name their first thousand users by segment, not just by TAM. A willingness to build carefully in markets that punish haste.
What I Bring
I am an operator who writes cheques, not a financier who gives advice. The difference matters. When a founder building a hospitality platform needs to understand how venue operators in Hong Kong actually make purchasing decisions, or how a beach club evaluates a new booking system, or what a Four Seasons property manager cares about versus what an independent restaurateur cares about, that is knowledge I carry from having done the work across five countries over two decades.
Where a portfolio company intersects with Glia's products or audience, I actively look for integration, co-marketing, and shared distribution. The portfolio is small and deliberate. Every relationship gets real attention.
Partnerships
I am interested in conversations with founders, investors, and operators building at the intersection of technology and hospitality in Asia. If what you are building fits the profile above, I would rather hear about it directly.