2024 review
Last year, I wrote a review of my year, which became one of my most-read posts. Continuing the tradition, here's a look back at some of my major milestones from 2024. Enjoy!
Getting married
The most significant event of the year (and likely my life) was getting married. There’s so much I could say on the topic, but here are the thoughts that stand out to me today, six months later. Weddings can be some of the most beautiful moments in one’s life—if planned well.
The key ingredients (in order of importance) are:
a) finding the right partner,
b) inviting only people who genuinely care about your happiness and
c) hiring good enough vendors to ensure everything runs smoothly
After the wedding, Clarissa and I spent a lot of time reflecting on how grateful we are to have such amazing people in our lives—friends and family who were truly happy for us.
One realization, however, struck me deeply. As we grow older, we’ll likely make fewer new friends—not for lack of effort—but because that’s the nature of life. So the ones who’ve been with us all along are special and deserve to be cherished.
This reflection led me to rethink my priorities. Quality time with friends and family has become one of the highest ones. I wrote more about the entire experience here.
Content
I’ve managed to stay reasonably consistent with my writing, which led to a 33% increase in impressions on LinkedIn (year over year). A few key learnings stand out:
Over time, less effort leads to better results.
This happens because:You improve with practice.
Content compounds over time.
You gain a deeper understanding of what resonates with your audience (even though I consciously avoid certain topics that might go viral but don’t align with the brand I’m building).
Writing as a bat signal.
My biggest takeaway is that writing content acts like a bat signal to the world. It’s designed to attract high-quality, like-minded people who share similar values and perspectives. You don’t need to appeal to everyone—doing so is not only unsustainable but also provides little value. Focusing on the right audience makes all the difference. Quality > quantity.
Career
Docquity
This year, I had the opportunity to work on a new AI product. Given I had a fair bit of ownership over the product roadmap, I found myself thinking deeply about uncovering non-obvious opportunities when building with AI. In fact, I am considering writing a dedicated blog post on opportunities in healthcare at some point, reflecting on all my learnings… more on that later!
As a result, we’re now nearing the launch of Dx (currently in BETA)—an AI search engine designed specifically for doctors. Our vision is to create the ultimate AI co-pilot for healthcare professionals: a tool that seamlessly integrates with existing workflows while harnessing the power of LLMs.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to iterate and push forward!
Public speaking
This year, I was invited to several events to give talks and/or serve as a judge at startup competitions—something I truly enjoy. Working with startups is quite rewarding because it connects you with the people who are actively building the future.
These experiences provide a unique window into the ideas some of the smartest minds in the world are working on. In turn, they leave you feeling more optimistic about the future.
How can you stay pessimistic knowing so many smart people are out there working hard to tackle our biggest problems?
Investments
In 2024, we doubled down on our investment in Awann, and I couldn’t be prouder of the incredible work Clarissa and her partners at a01 have done to bring their vision to life. Awann consists of a collection of luxury villas in Phuket, Thailand, which is set to be completed next year.
The project has already attracted interest from potential buyers, and it’s been exciting to have a front-row seat to their great execution. If you’re interested in owning one of these stunning properties, feel free to reach out!
Travel
Many people ask how we manage to travel so much despite our jobs and other commitments. The answer is simple: 99% of my holidays are workcations. I work from a different destination, adjusting my schedule by either waking up earlier or starting later to accommodate time zone differences.
The downside? You don’t truly get to rest… But the upside is worth it—you still get to experience incredible places while staying on top of your work.
This year, we visited the following locations:
Indonesia, Jakarta
Indonesia, Bali
Denmark, Copenhagen
Bulgaria, Sofia
Italy, Como
South Korea, Seoul
Singapore
Jakarta, Indonesia
In the beginning of the year, we visited Clarissa’s family to celebrate Chinese New Year, which is always a culturally unique experience for me. One realization I’ve had is that no matter how many family gatherings I attend, there always seem to be new family members I haven’t met before…
During the trip, we also managed to fit in a fun photoshoot with our nephew and the family dogs, Butt Butt and Pote.
We found ourselves visiting Jakarta a few more times this year. Having lived there for four years, I’ve come to appreciate J-town despite its chaos. Clarissa’s family always goes above and beyond to make sure I’m happy, whether it’s introducing me to new foods or organizing fun activities with the rest of the family.
Indonesia, Bali
Thanks to our wedding, we brought my family to Asia for the first time! We spent a week in Singapore, followed by two weeks in Bali (where the wedding took place). The experience was culturally eye-opening for my parents, with moments of shock, but overall quite rewarding.
What made the occasion even more special was the many friends who traveled from all corners of the world to celebrate with us (people showed up from 20 countries). The trip's highlight was our buddy-moon—a week of adventures and activities where we made the most of Bali and Singapore. From cycling down volcanoes to Muay Thai sessions, beach parties, and even padel, it was so fun that we committed to having many similar activities in the future.
Denmark, Copenhagen
Denmark will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s where I developed my thinking, became independent, and formed lifelong friendships. Moving there was as hard as it gets, but it ultimately became one of the most treasured chapters of my life.
When planning our trip to Europe this year, we knew we had to start with Copenhagen. We spent a week there and were lucky enough to enjoy the most beautiful weather Scandinavia offers, which left us wishing we could have stayed longer.
If we ever move back to Europe, Copenhagen would likely be our destination. Many of our closest friends are based there, and we absolutely love the lifestyle it offers.
Bulgaria, Sofia
Given that we spent three weeks with my family in Asia earlier this year, it was tough to allocate more time to Bulgaria. However, my father’s 60th birthday made it a non-negotiable trip.
Believe it or not, in just 48 hours, you can pack in plenty of family reunions and food!
Italy, Como
The main reason for our Euro trip this year was that we were invited to be Godparents for Razvan and Andreea at their wedding in Italy. In Romanian tradition, Godparents play an essential role in guiding and supporting a new couple throughout their lives, leading by example in their pursuit of happiness.
A funny story here.
Some of Razvan’s friends were a bit surprised that I was chosen as his Godparent, given that we live far apart and don’t often meet in person. I believe they had the best intentions for him and Andreea, wanting to ensure he made the right choice. Many didn’t know that Razvan had been my best man just a few months earlier—a rare and special bond.
When I heard about their initial skepticism, it only motivated me to prove that Razvan had made the right decision. On the day of the speech, as I began sharing my carefully crafted words, I couldn’t hold back my emotions. My eyes filled with tears, and the more I spoke, the harder it became to continue without pausing to regain composure. Yet, as I delivered my final words, I could see how much both Razvan and the audience appreciated my heartfelt sentiment.
Later that evening, many of his friends and family approached me, admitting that while they were initially skeptical of his choice, my speech made it clear why he trusted me with such an important role. It’s difficult to describe, but at that moment, I felt like I had achieved one of the greatest honors of my life—earning his trust in front of all his special people. This memory is one I’ll treasure.
South Korea, Seoul
On our way back to Asia, we took a detour to Seoul for some work. Clarissa and I are huge fans of Korea—we love the country's lifestyle, fashion, food, and dynamic energy. Personally, I’m always inspired by how ambitious Korean founders are, tackling some of the world’s hardest problems in biotech, AI, hardware, and other similar fields. They just love playing an already hard game in a very hard mode!
The contrast between Italy and Korea couldn’t be more striking. Italy, while undeniably beautiful, felt like time had stopped ~200 years ago, with its focus solely on lifestyle optimization. Korea, on the other hand, represents everything developed Asia can be: ambitious, modern, ever-evolving, yet sophisticated. It’s a global hotspot in countless industries—movies, music, beauty, fashion, and more.
I can’t help but wish Europe would take a page from Asia’s playbook and rekindle the ambition it once had. These days, Europe feels like an open-air museum—stunning to visit but far from where I, as an ambitious person, would want to live.
Singapore
The little red dot remains our home—a place we always return to and have grown to appreciate. While our permanent residence application was rejected this year, we’re determined to keep trying, hoping to become “more” permanent residents in the future.
People often criticize Singapore for being expensive and boring. While no place is perfect, as an entrepreneur, I can’t help but admire how incredibly efficient it is. At its scale, Singapore has achieved—and continues to achieve—remarkable results.
I often think of Singapore as the most successful startup to ever emerge from Southeast Asia. It has all the key ingredients: a visionary founder, resilience, an outsized return on effort, early entry into a massive market (SEA), and a meritocratic culture.
I’m curious to see how Singapore tackles the next few decades as it enters a new phase of growth. It’s a fascinating journey to watch and one I feel fortunate to be part of, albeit if just in a very small way.
I usually take the Christmas holidays to reflect and set goals for the new year. After years of following this tradition, I’ve come to realize a pattern:
In the short term, I tend to be more ambitious than humanly possible, but in the long term, I’m often not ambitious enough.
Setting goals isn’t inherently bad—they provide focus, inspire big dreams, and set your sights on a target. However, the future is unpredictable, and I’ve found focusing on systems far more effective. Systems help you become the kind of person capable of achieving any goal you set your mind to.
So this year, I’m skipping specific goals. Instead, I’m anchoring myself to a few clear directions:
I take a lot of pride in my work and want to be the best in what I do. That’s one of the reasons we live in Singapore—it’s a place where I can be surrounded by top talent. If I ever feel I’ve hit a ceiling, I’ll consider moving to other places that attract even bigger concentrations of talent. In the meantime, we hope to get our PR in 2025 🤞
Content creation has been incredibly rewarding. It has brought many new friendships into my life and even helped solve problems I didn’t know how to tackle. Writing creates serendipity, and if approached thoughtfully, you can channel that serendipity meaningfully. I want to continue writing and get better at it.
I firmly believe everyone should have one ambitious career goal and one physically challenging objective every year. It’s the best way to stay sharp and fit—both mentally and physically. Next year, I plan to run my first marathon, which turned out to be much more challenging than I anticipated…
As I am preparing for the new year, I can’t help but feel grateful for where I am in life. The 20-year-old version of me—who worked as a dishwasher and delivered newspapers at 3 am, six days a week—would be losing his mind.