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When a startup matures, one thing markedly changes: the scrutiny over it.
A seed-stage startup is built on hopes and dreams. An almost-unicorn with millions of dollars raised, however, means having data points and a reputation. Often, for founders, the change comes quick and is a surprise. It didn’t seem that long ago when journalists weren’t going around asking about confidential business numbers.
One company that we’ve scrutinized quite a bit is One Championship. It has raised over $200 million from investors like Sequoia Capital and Temasek. It claims to be Asia’s largest global producer of live sports, with billions of views.
Plus, its CEO Chatri Sityodtong has a larger-than-life persona, bringing into mind the likes of Razer’s Min-Liang Tan or even Tesla’s Elon Musk.
Along with One’s swift rise came the scrutiny. Critics abound, asking whether the company is really as big and successful as it claims to be. Then the pandemic came, and it accelerated some surprising moves – primarily the launch of The Apprentice: One Championship Edition.
For this week’s story, I spoke to multiple ex-employees in an attempt to answer the question: Are One’s critics right?
I’ll let you come to your own conclusions, but in any case, seeing a company’s inner workings is always riveting.
— Putra Muskita, Journalist at Tech in Asia
TOP STORIES THIS WEEK
1️. Are One Championship’s fiercest critics right about the company?
As the company struggles to acquire big-time sponsors for its mixed martial arts product, new content “stacks” may present a way forward.
2️. The dark side of ‘buy now, pay later’
What does the convenient credit model spell for the current generation of users?
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