Cheeky Michael

It's me, Michael! 🙋🏻

Cut the noise.
Fix the mess.

I help founders cut through the fog and move fast. Whether you need a one-off breakthrough or an embedded partner to get unstuck.Schedule a FREE 15-min discovery call to see if I can help you too!

Who am I?

I am a serial entrepreneur and cosmopolite, incessantly looking for ways to improve life; for myself and the people around me.

Michael wearing Maesh shirt

👽 About me

  • 🤷 He/him

  • 🇳🇱 Dutch national

  • 🇸🇬 Living in Singapore

  • 🇲🇾 With my lovely Chinese-Malaysian wife and 2 cheeky kids

  • 👶 Born in 1986

  • 🧪 Myers-Briggs E/INTJ

🏫 Formative years

  • Aerospace Engineer: BSc at the Delft University of Technology 🇳🇱. Philosophized on aircraft in 2050.

  • Linguist: BA at the University of Amsterdam 🇳🇱. Compared how the noun plural behaves in the Scandinavian languages.

  • Sustainable Energy Engineer: MSc at the Royal Institute of Technology 🇸🇪🇳🇴. Assessed the viability of a net-zero energy building in Gothenburg.

  • Process Engineer: Employed at ExxonMobil in Rotterdam 🇳🇱 and Fairfax, VA 🇺🇸. Did troubleshooting and wrote an operational guide on (lubricant) hydrocrackers.

🌏 Countries I have lived

Countries Michael has lived

🧐 Areas of Interest

  • Fintech/Payments: Big believer in account-to-account transfers and a post-credit card world 🚫💳🌏 Advocate for financial transparency, financial literacy, and financial hygiene.

  • Languages: Love acquiring new languages. In order of command: 🇳🇱🇺🇸🇩🇰🇸🇪🇩🇪🇪🇸🇫🇷. Current target: HSK4 in Mandarin Chinese 🇨🇳. Particularly nerdy about historical linguistics.

  • Urban Planning: I love finding my way in the world’s subway systems. 🚇

💆 Free time

✈️ Traveling

🥶 Scandinavia

🔤 Typography

✍🏽 Writing

🤓 Reading

🧘 Meditation

🎨 Contemporary Art

🏋️ Strength

🏃 Running

📚 Books I have recently read

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Has China Won?: The Chinese Challenge to American Primacy
The Poetics of Space
What You Do Is Who You Are: How to Create Your Business Culture
Bank 4.0: Banking everywhere, never at a bank
The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level
Lost and Founder: The Mostly Awful, Sometimes Awesome Truth about Building a Tech Startup
Impromptu: Leading in the Moment
Think And Grow Rich
The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business
Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader
Navigating ASEANnovation:The Reservoir Principle and Other Essays on Startups and Innovation in Southeast Asia
ADHD 2.0: New Science and Essential Strategies for Thriving with Distraction--From Childhood Through Adulthood
Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade
The Future of Humanity: Terraforming Mars, Interstellar Travel, Immortality, and Our Destiny BeyondEarth
The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book that Will Change the Way You Do Business
Win Bigly: Persuasion in a World Where Facts Don't Matter
The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos
Startups

🚀 Startups

Over the course of 10 years, I have (co-)founded 4 startups and joined 2.

Early years (2015-2018)

My first startup was Virgla, a Flipboard for fans of brands. We went through Startupbootcamp's accelerator in 2016.In 2017, with a university friend, I worked on the second: HitchFly, a last-minute flight ticket startup for students.

Maesh (2019-2021)

Maesh - an online payment gateway in Singapore - was my 3rd and most successful startup. Starting out as a one-man show in 2019, I somewhat exited the business to Rapyd in 2021.As founder/CEO, I was fortunate to:

  • Raise US$75K in pre-seed funding 💰

  • Lead a team of 7 Maesh potatoes 🥔

  • Build the company to 63 active merchants and US$110K in GTV (Gross Transaction Volume) 📈

In a post-mortem article, I shared my learnings and f*ck-ups during my 2+ year journey with Maesh:

I spoke about my ambitions for Maesh on the 10Fin.Tech podcast:

Brick (2021-2022)

After Maesh, I joined Brick for 9+ months as VP of Commercial to build the financial infrastructure of Southeast Asia. I shared how I look at Open Finance here:

For Youth (2022-2024)

End of 2022, through serendipitous circumstances, I joined my brother's longevity e-commerce business For Youth. The first stint was for 6 months, the second stint was for 9 months. I spearheaded Operational, Technical, and some Strategy projects.In that first half year, we grew revenue 3.5x by churning out 3 additional products all the while improving operational efficiency. I also built our proprietary Inventory Management System from scratch.In the second ¾ year, I focused on solidifying operational excellence by improving supply chain, logistical, and customer care processes.

This Is Not Fashion (2024-2025)

Then in 2024, the founder bug caught me again: startup #4. I was looking to disrupt the most under-appreciated piece of garment: Socks 🧦. With the brand This Is Not Fashion I aimed to bring back comfort, functionality, and durability to everyday socks, through the use of an eco-friendly fiber called lyocell.I ran this business as a solopreneur and wanted to bootstrap (so no external funding). Although I had some initial successes, after a failed Kickstarter campaign in April 2025, I decided to move on:

Michael as a VC Scout at Saison Capital

VC Scout

Having been a founder myself, I know what it's like to be in the throes of startup life. Fundraising is no picnic. In 2022, I wanted to know more about what it was like at the other side of the table. So I joined Saison Capital's VC Scouts for 1 year.I'm not actively scouting and investing at this moment, but I will always try my best to see how I can help (or even still invest 😉). My knowledge and network are for the most part in Fintech/Web3. Feel free to ping me on LinkedIn.P.s. If you want to know more about what it's like to be a VC Scout? Read more about it below ⬇️

Michael praying or meditating

Content

I am writing short-form content on LinkedIn and longer form content on Substack. I've also built 2 products as a solopreneur and been on a couple of podcasts.

Long-form content

Or go to my Medium account to see even older stories. 😃

Products I've built

Podcasts

My friend Santiago and I had our very own (short-lived 😆) podcast!

Michael wearing corporate shirt

Services

I provide 2 types of services:

Stage

Scaling

0-1

Frequency

3-6 months

Once

Service

Turnaround Executive

Clarity Calls

1️⃣ Scaling: Turnaround Executive

What is it?

I help Fintech SaaS and D2C e-commerce seed-Series A startups break through growth plateaus and operational chaos. It can be anything - think things like Sales Optimization, Team Productivity, Product Strategy, and Operations Scaling.I do this through:

  • A diagnostic-first approach with embedded execution

  • A no BS, results-driven style

Problems you may have

  • Stagnated growth, inefficient sales

  • Teams experiencing low productivity

  • Lack of strategy clarity

  • Broken product

  • Founder (you) hitting burnout

What can you expect?

Phase 1: Diagnostic Week (4 figures S$)

  • Deep-dive into the org’s bottlenecks across product, sales, team, and ops

  • Ends with a turnaround plan + decision on proceeding to sprint

Phase 2: Execution (5 figures S$, success-based)

  • Become embedded and execute plan within 3-6 months

  • Put tools and processes into place

  • Weekly scorecard reviews / direct CEO reporting

  • Ends with team handover

  • Can be remote, hybrid (SEA), or in-person (Singapore)

Schedule a free 15-minute discovery call to see if there’s a click and if I can add value ⬇️

Example Outcomes to Expect

  • Revenue growth. At For Youth, 3.5× revenue in 6 months to S$1M+ annually

  • Sales cycle reduced. At Brick from 90 to 30 days

  • Customers live (integration complete). At Brick from 5 to 30 customers

  • Smooth Operations. At For Youth, Inventory Management Systems rolled out

Here's what I achieved at Brick (Building B2B Sales Engine in SEA):

Building B2B Sales Engine in SEA

2️⃣ 0-1: Clarity Calls

What is it?

I help entrepreneurs cut through noise, self-doubt, and strategy overload. It's primarily focused on founders in the early phases. It can be anything - think things like Idea Validation, Execution, and Fundraising.I do this through:

  • A mix of coaching and consulting

  • A no BS, direct style

What can you expect?

This is my standard offer, but happy to find a way that works for you 😊

Frequency

1 session

Outcome

1-hour call + deliverable

Pricing

S$300 S$200*

* opening offer ends on July 15, 2025

Schedule a free 15-minute discovery call to see if there’s a click and if I can add value ⬇️

What my clients say

Sabrina (Software Engineer):"Michael is very easy to talk to!His natural friendliness, coupled with his vast experienxe make it easy for him to read you like a book and discern your pain points.He listens deeply and analytically, after which he provides honest and excellent guidance.If you're looking for someone who isn't judgemental, but blunt enough to help you gain clarity and perspective, he's your dude."

3 Examples of how I can work with you

You want to know what you can improve on. What mistakes to watch out for

What’s included:
  • • Report with observations & improvements on the Kickstarter page
  • • 1 hour Feedback Call - To share observations & improvements
You’re trying to understand what options you have to finance your idea

What’s included:
  • • 1 hour Ask Me Anything
  • • Deck with 9 Entrepreneurial Paths
  • • Deck with VC 101
You’re getting ready for fundraising and need feedback on your deck

What’s included:
  • • Commented deck with observations & improvements
  • • 1 hour Feedback Call - To share observations & improvements
Michael as a Web3 Founder

Michael's Founder Profile

On this page, I have tried to summarize who I am as a founder.While I'm aware the perfect one doesn't exist 😉, I've also gathered my thoughts around who'd be my ideal co-founder.

🙋 Michael as Founder

🟢 Strengths

Leadership

  • Hands-off No micromanaging

  • No bullshit Transparency Clarity Fairness Honesty

  • Personally engaged in people Vested in their success Caring Interested

  • Open/vulnerable Personal life Struggles Asking for feedback

  • Strong communicator Visible Available Responsive

Organization

  • Creating structure out of nothing

  • Using thought patterns to solve problems

Execution

  • Relentless, even when I don’t feel like it Dedicated Passionate Persistent Ownership

Creativity

  • Combining the verbal with the visual

  • Attention to detail

  • Comment by a fellow entrepreneur: “You are a true artist”

Product / Customer focus

  • Caring about their experience UI/UX

  • Understanding their needs/wants Product Management

  • Worked in the hospitality industry for 7 years Michelin restaurant

Troubleshooting

  • Highly analytical

  • Quickly getting to the root cause of issues

Startup Expertise

  • Understanding all the ins and outs of starting a business

  • Connected with fellow entrepreneurs SG SEA NL

🔴 Weaknesses

Extrovert and Introvert

  • Not somebody who wants / can be “on” 100% of the time

  • May be shy and/or observant under circumstances

  • I can be too serious. I can smile / relax more often

  • Good sleep is very important for my mood. Poor sleep can make me grumpy

Planning and structure

  • Don't always plan ahead, as I like to do things on the fly

  • But I can also be too rigid in an effort to keep myself away from chaos

  • Should apply tight deadlines/schedules more to improve speed

  • I tend to synthesize much more bottom-up than top-down

Competitive

  • I tend to compare myself a lot with others and have that determine my success

  • I rely on praise / recognition

Areas of Responsibility Exercise

I am a true jack-of-all-trades. As a former single founder, I am familiar with all aspects of running a business. I know how to sell to customers and I have been able to setup a website, database, and cloud environment. However, out of the 3 personas Hipster, Hacker, and Hustler, I lean most towards Hipster (Product).

Areas of Responsibility Exercise

🤝 My perfect co-founder

My perfect business partner in crime might be you! But who are you? Although I know I might be asking for the moon, it's the only way we can make this company a moonshot 🌚🌝 You can be either of these 2 types:

1. sales and marketing guru

You are very comfortable selling to people. You love setting yourself targets and overachieving them. You enjoy prospecting and bringing a sale to a close. You might even call yourself a "hunter" 🎯

2. Strong Technical Leader

You are well-versed in development and technology. You enjoy drawing out the big-picture architecture and finding the right stack. You take pride in choosing the best tools to enforce code practice. Scalability, reliability, and maybe even security are second nature to you 💻

Other Values and Traits

Company values

The following company values might resonate with you:

  • Radical Transparency

  • Open to feedback / Humility / Willingness to learn

  • Loyalty / Trust / Keeping promises (not flaky)

  • Leadership

  • Meritocracy

Personality traits

You might identify with the following personality traits:

  • Bubbly / Cheerful

  • Decisive / Driven

  • Reflective / Self-aware

  • Structured

  • More rational than emotional

  • Bias for action