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ASCENT

Fangdi Pan & Linda Zhang

ASCENT

Fangdi Pan & Linda Zhang

ASCENT podcast is your in-depth look at the fastest-growing Asian businesses. We deliver exclusive, deep-dive research into the strategies, struggles, and secrets to success of Asia's top market leaders and tech companies. Whether you're an investor, founder, or just curious, this is your backstage pass to the business revolution happening in Asia and beyond.

May 01

CATL

How did a kid from a small mountain village in Fujian end up building the company that powers one in every three electric vehicles on the planet? This episode explores the rise of CATL (aka the “TSMC of batteries”) and its founder, Robin Zeng. It begins...

Mar 11

Nestlé, Starbucks, and Yunnan Coffee

Imagine you're a French missionary in the 1800s, trekking through the mountains of southwest China. You plant some coffee seeds — partly out of habit, partly out of hope. You probably never imagined those seeds would one day supply Nestlé, attract Starbuc...

Nestlé, Starbucks, and Yunnan Coffee

Jan 31

AI Ready

Manus AI

This episode explores the playbook behind the meteoric rise of Manus AI, the startup that redefined the "AI agent" landscape and secured a historic acquisition by Meta for over $2 billion. In just nine months, Manus went from a stealth spring launch to a ...

2025/12/31

Holiday Special

What a year it's been! To all our amazing listeners, thank you for joining us on this wild ride through 2025. Ever wonder who else is tuning into ASCENT with you? Or what company totally blew Linda & Pan away this year? We've got all that and more packed i...

Holiday Special

2025/12/05

ANTA (The Owner of Arc'teryx)

When you think of the biggest names in sportswear, who comes to mind? Nike, right? The undisputed king. And Adidas, the eternal number two. For decades, that’s been the story. A two-horse race.But what if I told you there’s a third giant? A company that, i...

ANTA (The Owner of Arc'teryx)

2025/11/01

Game Science (Creator of Black Myth: Wukong)

This episode dives into the inspiring journey of Game Science, the Chinese studio that defied industry giants with their global hit, Black Myth: Wukong. Discover how disillusioned Tencent veterans Feng Ji and Yang Qi bet everything on a single-player, PC-o...

Game Science (Creator of Black Myth: Wukong)

2025/09/26

Pop Mart (Maker of Labubu)

Step into the world of Pop Mart (泡泡玛特)—the Chinese collectible toy giant that turned “ugly-cute” designer figures into an international sensation. In this episode, we reveal founder Wang Ning’s journey from a small Beijing shop to a multibillion-dollar bra...

Pop Mart (Maker of Labubu)

2025/08/15

Xiaomi EV

Today we are covering a company that built its name on viral smart phones and a "magic touch" for creating every kind of smart home appliance imaginable. We're, of course, talking about Xiaomi. This company, which started far from the automotive world, ha...

2025/07/09

Red Bull

Today, we dive into the fascinating story of a global powerhouse that, on the surface, appears distinctly Western, yet boasts surprising Asian roots. This isn't just a company that sells a drink; it sells a feeling – the promise that "gives you wings." I...

2025/06/10

DeepSeek (and before it became DeepSeek)

DeepSeek is the Chinese large language model (LLM) that stunned the AI world with its low training costs and open-weight approach. This episode dives into the extraordinary founder story of Liang Wenfeng, the secretive quant trader who pivoted his billion-...

DeepSeek (and before it became DeepSeek)

2025/04/30

Insta360

Insta360 is the world's fastest-growing action camera brand, dominating the 360 camera market with its software innovation and Invisible Selfie Stick technology. This episode of ASCENT unpacks the incredible journey of founder JK Liu, a visionary software ...

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