CHINA DAILY WEEKLY December 25-31, 2017 32 BACK PAGE https://www.facebook.com/chinadailyhkedition

Dream catcher Bio Cofounder and CEO, Catcha Entrepreneur whose heart is in Southeast Asia sees Group, Education: digital innovation transforming the business landscape 1996: Bachelor of Commerce, University of Sydney, Australia Career: By YANG HAN in days away from having a company [email protected] with a hundred million dollars in the 1999-present: Cofounder, group CEO, bank?” said Grove. “That is probably erhaps digital entrepre- the scariest moment of my entrepre- 2015-present: Cofounder, neurs working at disrup- neur career.” chairman, ifl ix tive change do not tire eas- Apart from downsizing the staff 2007-16: Cofounder, director, ily, particularly when their from 150 to 25, and moving the com- iProperty Group Pfocus is vibrant, energetic Southeast pany’s headquarters from 2012-present: Cofounder, director, Asia. to Kuala Lumpur to cut costs, Grove iCar Asia Patrick Grove, cofounder and even turned to traditional media, 2013-17: Cofounder, Rev Asia CEO of Kuala Lumpur-based Catcha launching a magazine publishing 2014-present: Cofounder and Group, one of Malaysia’s top Internet business amid the Internet down- investor, Frontier Digital Ventures companies, is no stranger to working turn. 1996-99: Accountant, Arthur 20 hours a day, seven days a week. But the company slowly grew, Andersen Since the formation of Catcha in returning to its Internet business Awards: 1999, he has taken fi ve companies by 2007. from startup to initial public off ering “As diffi cult and painful as it was, 2017: Malaysia’s 50 Richest, Forbes (IPO). Back in 2015, the sale of one of it made me more determined than these, online property portal iProp- ever to create great business with 2013: Australia Unlimited: Global Achievers, Australian Trade erty, became one of the largest ever passionate people,” said Grove. “Per- MA XUEJING / CHINA DAILY Commission buyouts of a Southeast Asian Inter- severance is the key and you have net fi rm at more than $534 million. just got to roll up your sleeves and pirate something, it’s because they tion in Beijing, Xi said China aims to 2008: Asia’s Best Young Grove majored in finance at move forward.” can’t find it legally, so we are try- build a digital Silk Road, as it identi- Entrepreneurs, Bloomberg Businessweek the University of Sydney. He was Today, Catcha has a staff of 2,000 ing to bring great content legally to fi es innovation as the driving force to obsessed with the excitement of in 35 countries. It has established consumers so that they don’t need to pursue the initiative. 2002: New Asian Leader, World doing business and dreamed of start- and listed fi ve online classifi ed com- pirate anymore.” Grove said: “The Belt and Road Economic Forum ing his own company after gradu- panies, including iProperty Group, Ifl ix has been seen as an emerg- Initiative also opens up avenues for 2000: Global Leader of Tomorrow, ation. iCar Asia, Frontier Digital Ventures ing market answer to US streaming interesting partnerships and collab- World Economic Forum But his idea was not supported and Ensogo (delisted in 2016) on the giant Netfl ix, which early last year oration as well as being an excellent Quick takes: by his family — they wanted him Australian Securities Exchange and announced its expansion to more platform for knowledge sharing.” He What is your investment to be an accountant. Grove tried Rev Asia on Bursa Malaysia. than 130 countries, including in added that he is increasingly look- philosophy? to persuade his parents, and the Grove said that for him the key to Southeast Asia. ing to China as an inspiration for My motto in life is “just do it”. agreement was that if he became a investment is learning and drawing Grove believes can consis- innovative, forward-thinking busi- Always have a mind-set that chartered accountant he could then inspiration from other markets like tently beat Netfl ix — an “expensive ness ideas. whatever it takes to get there, get it done. I’ve learned over and resign and pursue something else. China and the United States. “We Western product” — on monthly “Digital technology is disrupting over that it doesn’t come down to In 1999, after working for two and look for which ideas are growing subscription price and the appeal every industry,” said Grove, who having the best idea, it just comes a half years at Arthur Andersen — at the fastest and growing the biggest, of content to local viewers. He said believes that in Southeast Asia in down to having persistence. that time one of the world’s Big Five and those are the only ideas that we two-thirds of ifl ix viewings are with particular, it is important for busi- Who is your role model? accounting fi rms — Grove was just focus on.” non-English subtitles and he is con- nesses to embrace the Internet revo- If there was anyone that I look up six months away from the chartered His focus now is the company’s fi dent of maintaining ifl ix’s leading lution and transform the way they to, it would have to be Masayoshi accountant certifi cate and his “free- latest venture, ifl ix, a subscription position in existing markets. operate. Son (founder and CEO of Japanese dom”. video-on-demand service launched Another big mission for Catcha He said companies should take telecom giant SoftBank). Besides But then he quit, so lured by the in May 2015. In two and a half years, now is helping the Malaysian gov- advantage of changes brought by the obvious success that he Internet industry in Asia that he it has grown to have a presence in ernment to build the Kuala Lumpur smartphones and create solutions has achieved, I really admire his tenacity and perseverance toward decided he could wait no longer. See- 30 countries with over 5 million pay- Internet City (KLIC), a digital hub that are mobile-fi rst and address the achieving his vision. ing companies like Alibaba, NetEase, ing customers throughout Asia, the for Internet companies in Southeast fundamental needs of the region. Do you watch a lot on ifl ix? Sina and Sohu springing up in Chi- Middle East and Africa. TechCrunch Asia. “For many Southeast Asian people, I wish I did, but I don’t have much na, all he wanted was to move back reported it has raised close to $300 KLIC is part of Malaysia’s Digi- smartphones are leapfrogging lap- time. I am on an airplane every to Southeast Asia to create his own million from investors to date. tal Free Trade Zone, a digital global tops and desktops and are their fi rst two days. What I like about ifl ix Internet company. “When I look at the number of trade platform backed by e-com- window to the Internet.” is that it has a feature where you Interestingly, he did pick up the people with smartphones in South- merce giant Alibaba and the fi rst in Grove’s multicultural background can download the show to watch it course again, five years after he east Asia, that number is absolutely the world outside of China. Grove allows him to be a quick adapter. offl ine, so I do that a lot. started Catcha Group, earning that massive,” said Grove, explaining the said this is a good example of how Born in Malaysia, he grew up in Sin- Date of birth: April 30, 1975 chartered accountant certifi cate to reason he chose this business. Due the China-led Belt and Road Initia- gapore, and Australia with make his mother happy. in part to a wave of lower priced tive can help bring down trade bar- his Australian father and Singapor- Starting from online search devices, some 300 million people in riers between countries and increase ean-Chinese mother. engine and portal network service Southeast Asia have a smartphone, opportunities for local players on a “It also made me accepting and love consuming content and today Catcha.com, Grove and his business according to consulting fi rm Bain & global scale. appreciative of the varying perspec- they want to be able to consume it partner quickly built the company Company. The Belt and Road Initiative, pro- tives and viewpoints of people from whenever they want to, wherever into one of the region’s best-known “If you look at the entertainment posed by Chinese President Xi Jin- the developed world and the emerg- they want to, and on any device,” dotcom businesses. In early 2000, they have, the only thing they have is ping in 2013, aims to build a trade, ing world.” said Grove. the company embarked on its IPO YouTube. I think it’s time for some- investment and infrastructure net- He said his goal for iflix is to It appears that his appetite for suc- for a Singapore Exchange listing. thing else,” said Grove. work connecting Asia with Europe become the fi rst truly global media cess, and for having an impact on But then the dotcom crash hap- He said Korean dramas are very and Africa through the Silk Road platform for emerging markets, people all over the world, will not be pened. The IPO was aborted, and popular on iflix and the platform Economic Belt and the 21st Century redefining television for 1 billion fully satisfi ed anytime soon. “I want Grove was suddenly confronting the is trying to provide more catered Maritime Silk Road. people. He believes there is huge to continue to prove that you can biggest challenge he has ever faced. programs through studying piracy In May, at the Belt and Road potential for online entertainment. build great, global Internet compa- “Can you imagine that you are two data. “Many times when people Forum for International Coopera- “People in emerging markets nies from Southeast Asia,” he said.