How Remotify Survived And Thrived During The Fundraising Winter with Maria Sucgang and Erwin Kok of Remotify

Maria Sucgang and Erwin Kok reveal how Remotify is changing the way companies hire globally. By removing the legal and operational friction of international teams, they’re giving founders something powerful back: time. Time to stop managing admin work—and start scaling.

EPISODE TIMELINE

00:00:00 – Don't let external noise dictate how you build your startup

00:02:18 – Meet the guests: Maria and Erwin Kok, co-founders of Remotify

00:03:15 – The partnership came before the startup — and that made all the difference

00:09:10 – A Dutchman fell in love with the Philippines and never went back

00:11:03 – Filipino remote workers deserve more than just a paycheck — Remotify's why

00:16:52 – Maria's pitch sprint: back-to-back competitions, no sleep, all in

00:23:07 – Cash flow is the game, not who raises the most

00:28:35 – Why hustle culture alone will eventually break your team

00:33:39 – The emotional reality of fundraising: conversations that felt like a yes but weren't

00:39:19 – High-conviction angels over institutional volume: quality over quantity of investors

00:47:16 – The pivot from visibility to execution: going undercover and focusing on sales

00:53:54 – Watching macroeconomics to plan the next move:geopolitics, AI, and the one-year roadmap

00:54:15 – Building the team: hire a lawyer first, then a CPA, then HR — in that order

00:56:36 – Culture is not a value on the wall — it's the filter for every single hire

00:01:00:06 – Ron calls it out: the Philippine startup ecosystem runs on insecurity

00:01:03:33 – Don't wallow — founders with high agency know how to cut through the noise

00:01:07:27 – Erwin's leadership evolution: Dutch directness meets Filipino team culture

00:01:14:07 – Maria's self-awareness: the most non-Filipina Filipina in the room

00:01:15:27 – No well-rounded people, only well-rounded teams — 

00:01:17:21 – The stability of a leader dictates the stability of the team

00:01:19:46 – Ask your people how they want feedback — everyone wants it differently

00:01:24:57 – Their biggest mistake: hiring a salesperson before the business was ready for one

00:01:26:22 – Final advice for founders still in the winter: get clear, stay humble, just start

QUOTE/S FROM MARIA AND ERWIN:
But  as human beings, for the startups, the upcoming startups, right? Like, don't give a.. about whatever they say, right? Get the learning. Gift yourself that learning. Because you're the one building your startup. Regardless of what they say, race, do this, pivot that you change your name, whatever. Assess for yourself, listen to your voice, listen to the voice in your head that is actually you that's not swayed by any other external opinion, and you back it with researching with humility of understanding what you don't know. And you get into it prepared, then nothing can, you know, when you make the mistake of a decision, you can own up to it. Because it's you and you didn't get swayed by all other noise. So just like, and it was a difficult journey understanding how to read that noise out

Resources

Linkedin (Maria Sucgang): https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariacharissesucgang/

LinkedIn (Erwin Kok): https://www.linkedin.com/in/erwinkok/

LinkedIn (Remotify): https://www.linkedin.com/company/remotifyph/

Website (Remotify): https://remotify.ph/

Links/Sponsors: ;  

OneCFO: https://www.onecfoph.co/

This episode is brought to you by Villgro Philippines: , Paymongo, GoTyme Bank & SeekCap

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