EPISODE INTRODUCTION

Michael Calma, Country Manager at Advance AI, introduces the company’s goal of enhancing financial inclusion by providing seamless identity verification and credit assessment tools powered by artificial intelligence. He reflects on his early hustles and learning programming in the 2000s, leading to key corporate roles, including his time at NEC where he acquired valuable hard skills. Transitioning back to the startup world, Mike helped build DDLS, an IT training center, and adapted the business during the pandemic. In 2022, he joined Advance AI, launching Credit Bureau Philippines to support the underbanked and highlighting early adopters like Skyro, a fast-growing POS loan provider leveraging Advance AI’s identity verification technology to serve thousands of customers daily. Mike concludes the conversation with a discussion on Advance AI’s accessible, API-driven platform for enterprises and startups including the company’s future goals to further enhance AI-driven security and credit solutions across Southeast Asia.

Episode Timeline: 

[00:03:22] - Advance AI’s Mission

[00:08:36] - Mike’s First Hustles

[00:12:05] - Programming in the Early 2000s

[00:14:26] - Transition to Corporate Life

[00:17:46] - Hard Skills at NEC

[00:25:56] - Return to Startup Scene

[00:31:18] - Setting Up DDLS

[00:33:47] - Pandemic Adaptation

[00:39:52] - Joining Advance AI

[00:47:25] - Identity Risk Management in the Philippines

[00:54:05] - Early Adopters

[00:55:17] - Credit Bureau Launch  

[01:02:38] - Product Accessibility

[01:07:15] - Collaboration with Startups   

[01:08:40] - Future Directions

"The first thing in crisis management is acknowledging that the world is going to shit. You can't sugarcoat it. Sometimes you have to paint a worse picture so that there's a sense of urgency. On one hand, you have to have empathy, but on the other, you need grit, strength, and sometimes even ruthlessness, because if not, the company's going to die." ​ - Michael Calma

Links: 
Michael Calma (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikecalma/
ADVANCE.AI (Website): https://www.advance.ai/

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