Marina Bay :The Origins of BeFast.TV and Her Entrepreneurial Journey

One camera, a tripod, a few lights, and no media pass. That’s how BeFast.TV started. 🎥

At RISE in Hong Kong, I visited the office of Marina Bay, co-founder of BeFast.TV, a startup and entrepreneurship video channel, to talk about her journey. 🎙️

📊 In this episode, we unpacked:

• 🎥 How BeFast.TV started
• 💼 From relationship manager to co-founder
• 👥 Building the video team
• 📺 Between BBC and YouTubers
• 📩 How they find startups to interview
• 💡 Her advice for new founders

🎥 Watch the full episode:

🎥 How BeFast.TV Started

They started about three years before this interview, at the Tech in Asia conference in Jakarta. With just one camera, plus a tripod, microphones and portable lights, they went without even registering as media. 🎥

They saw that entrepreneurship and startups were a booming topic. People wanted to learn how others build businesses and raise money in different ecosystems, and most media coverage was written, so they focused on original video. Everything on the site is produced in-house. 📹

💼 From Relationship Manager to Co-Founder

Marina moved to Hong Kong about five years earlier and worked as a relationship manager at a business consultancy and legal advisory firm. 💼

After three years she was ready to leave, and joined a group that already had the BeFast.TV idea. She had no background in journalism or videography, but her business and economics background helped her run finance, payroll and HR. 📊

Her family was supportive. She left her parents’ house at 16 and has been independent ever since. 🏠

👥 Building the Video Team

At first Marina learned to shoot and edit herself. It’s not hard, she says, but very time-consuming, and to reach the next level you need professionals so you can focus on strategy. 🎬

Their first hire was a professional videographer, who helped build the team around him with an assistant and a video editor. 👥

The early challenges were self-criticism, prioritizing, and a small budget, which meant learning everything yourself. For another founder story from Hong Kong, read 9GAG founder Ray Chan’s interview. 🔗

📺 Between BBC and YouTubers

Marina sees BeFast.TV as new media, somewhere between big broadcasters like the BBC or Bloomberg and casual YouTubers and bloggers: easy and casual, but with a quality standard. 📺

The goal is to raise awareness of entrepreneurship across ecosystems, interviewing not only founders but investors, accelerators, government people and mentors. Her five-year vision: something like a YouTube or Netflix for startups, with a directory by country. 🌍

They were also planning to raise funds to build a proper TV channel about startups with different program formats. 💰

📩 How They Find Startups to Interview

Conferences like RISE are great because startups from all over the world are in one place. It was Marina’s second time there as media. 🤝

They announce on social media where they’re going, so startups reach out. They also research registered startups and accelerators in the area and email or call them. “This is hard work.” 📩

For more on events and networking, read my interview with Addays founder Tim and Ritesh Malik, founder of Innov8. 🔗

💡 Her Advice for New Founders

Marina sleeps six to eight hours a day. Health matters, but weekdays and weekends blur, and with a deadline they work through the weekend, then take a break. ⏰

Her advice: don’t become an entrepreneur just for the label. Keep the job that pays your bills, use your evenings to test your idea or build an MVP, and look for traction. Take the next step only once the last one is confirmed. “Don’t just quit and be homeless.” 💡

📝 Key Takeaways From the Marina Bay Interview

• 🎥 BeFast.TV started with one camera at Tech in Asia in Jakarta
• 🎬 Learn the basics yourself, then hire professionals so you can focus on strategy
• 📺 Aim for casual content with a quality standard
• 📩 Finding stories takes announcements, research and lots of emails
• 💡 Keep your job and test your idea before you quit

❓ FAQs About Marina Bay

What is BeFast.TV?

A startup and entrepreneurship video channel co-founded by Marina Bay, producing original videos about founders, investors and ecosystems around the world.

How did BeFast.TV start?

At the Tech in Asia conference in Jakarta, with one camera, a tripod, microphones and lights, without even registering as media.

What is Marina Bay’s advice for new entrepreneurs?

Keep the job that pays your bills, test your idea in your spare time or build an MVP, and only take the next step once you see traction.

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Would you keep your job while testing your idea? Share this with a founder friend. 💬

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