Education

Give your audience the whole AI story, East and West.

San Eng shows boards, investors and AI builders both sides, East and West, and what to do about it.

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"The West is loud. The East is quiet. You get both stories."San Eng

Speaking

Speaker intro video, 2:02

Speaker intro

$200 million raised, $500 million deployedReferences available on requestDeployed over his career: his own capital and, in earlier roles, capital for funds, families and other institutional investors.
Coauthor of a Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Amazon bestseller
Invested across 15 countries
Wharton School BS in Economics (Entrepreneurial Management), CEIBS EMBA

Stages and partners

University of WaterlooCEIBSSasinWharton ClubAiSEANREALITYOID

Latest talk

The Alibaba and Amazon Moment for the Global South

Remarks at AEF 2026 CEO 500, Ho Chi Minh City, 26 October 2026.

Alibaba gave small sellers a shop. Amazon gave them fulfilment. In my view, AI agents can now give them a global team.

This is a moment for emerging markets across the Global South, with Vietnam well placed. Its platforms already reach the customer. What's missing is the layer on top, the applications and services that give enterprises and SMEs a global team.

From my remarks: "Partner with all, owned at home." Build here, sell everywhere.

Video: CEO 500 / AEF. Footage: VTV1. Views are my own and do not reflect the organisers, other speakers or any government body.

Watch

See why rooms lean in.

A full talk and a fireside chat. Pick the format your audience needs.

Full talk, 1:07:03

REALITY Da Nang, Thu 15 Oct 2026, 1 hour.

How East and West are reshaping AI, beyond ChatGPT and Claude.

San Eng and Alvin Foo, fireside chat in Phuket

Fireside chat, 27:26

Fireside chat, Phuket AI Marketing and SEO Summit, April 2026, 27 min.

The Ten Commandments of Investing in the Age of AI, previewed live.

Talks, lectures and workshops

One talk your board will quote for months.

San speaks to investors, founders and leadership teams on how AI is built East and West, and how to put both to work.

01 · For boards, CIOs, family offices and AI builders. Talk or board briefing.

Why Builders Must Consider Eastern and Western AI Tech.

"If you're investing in AI, don't, unless you really understand what's happening in both East and West."

What each side is building, from DeepSeek, Qwen and Kimi to the Western leaders.
What East and West mean for capital, markets and strategy.
How to make them work together, starting Monday.

02 · For investors and founders. Talk or board briefing.

Greed vs Fear: Both Sides of the Table.

Buyers and sellers feel the same greed and fear. Discipline decides who comes out ahead. Told from both sides: $200 million raised, $500 million deployed.

Also speaks on

The Board's AI Questions: Build, Buy or Wait.

The questions every board should ask before it spends, drawn from the AI-CTO Program at Waterloo.

Building and Backing Founders in the AI Era.

What founders need from backers, and what backers look for, now that AI changes the cost of starting.

Earn the Puppy.

Raising kids who can stand on their own in a work optional future.

Book this talk

Upcoming

Where to see San next

8 to 9 Dec 2026

AiSEAN Summit 2026, Kuala Lumpur, Hilton KL Sentral.

Featured Voice and member of the AiSEAN Global Advisory Council.

Selected appearances

26 Oct 2026OID 2026, Ho Chi Minh City. Panel 1: From Computing Power to Economic Value. Autumn Economic Forum.

Thu 15 Oct 2026REALITY Da Nang. Beyond ChatGPT and Claude. Talk and Q&A.

April 2026Fireside chat, Phuket AI Marketing and SEO Summit. San and Alvin reveal the draft of Book 3.

12 Sep 2025Investments in Practice: Greed vs Fear. Sasin School of Management, Chulalongkorn University. Guest lecturer.

29 Aug 2024The Impact of AI and Robotics on Our Work Optional Future. Penn/Wharton Club of Greater Tampa and Harvard Alumni Club.

25 to 26 Oct 2022IVYFON Dallas Family Office Summit. Ivy Family Office Network, Dallas. Panelist.

Speaker kit

Short bio for programs

San Eng is Chairman of WorkOptional.ai and coauthor of The Ten Commandments of Investing, a Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Amazon bestseller. He teaches in the University of Waterloo's AI-CTO Program with Dr. Felix Arndt. Background: $200 million raised, $500 million deployed. Wharton School BS in Economics (Entrepreneurial Management), CEIBS EMBA.

Slide deck Intro video (2:02)

Booking

Bring East and West AI to your stage.

Write with your audience, date, format and city. We reply within 2 business days.

Book San to speak

Teaching

University of Waterloo

Teaches in the University of Waterloo's Chief Technology and AI Officer (AI-CTO) Program. Teaches CTOs to own the AI stack, with Dr. Felix Arndt, Professor and Eyton Director, Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business. Weekly, 2026.

Other universities and executive programs

Guest lecturer and speaker at CEIBS, Sasin, University of Nottingham Ningbo China and Bangkok University International, and at Wharton alumni events.

Coaching

Coaching and consulting for CEOs, CIOs and CTOs

One on one, selectively, East and West.

For a small number of founders, executives and investors who want a guide on AI strategy, East/West positioning and investing discipline. Education only.

Small-group sessions

Small-group sessions on AI strategy for leaders and investors. We don't recommend securities or review personal portfolios.

AI strategy briefings

For leadership teams and investment committees, by engagement.