An ARC Exclusive: Community AMA with Gab Yang

We’re kicking off the year with an exclusive, community-driven AMA with Gab Yang, our Deputy CEO. Despite the risk of being on the run from Gab for my entire life, we sat down to interview him with questions sourced from the community on our ARC app.

Yes. We asked him about his hats. And also about how he got to where he is today.

“I got to experience life the way I want it,” Gab said. This sentiment has led him on a journey through the events, tech, and crypto space in Asia. Besides his career, he has a wide palette of interests, from being an avid Liverpool fan with a profound understanding of football economics to loving steak. 

Proof-of-steak jokes aside, scroll down to learn more about our brilliant @GabeWithTheHat.

How do you want to introduce yourself?

At ARC, Gab manages business partnerships, acquisition strategies, and he "makes sure everyone behaves." Given his role in overseeing the business elements of ARC, he also looks after the finance side. In his words, he is a "part-time CFO, part-time COO, and part-time CEO." Despite not having any proper university education, he's had the opportunity to live life the way he's wanted, which other career paths might not have allowed.

Gab is a die-hard Liverpool Fan, “I understand football better than I play it.” But to say he merely “understands” football is an understatement. He’s so passionate that he’s long followed Swiss Ramble about football economics and finances, as well as zonal marking now under the New York Times that deep dives into football data and tactics. Among his friends, he was also one of the first to understand how XG (expected goals) worked.

Also, Gab mentions that while he's not an NFT degen, he respects it and understands how it brings communities together. Reflecting on this, he says that being part of communities – events, tech, crypto, and business crypto – has been an important part of his journey. And instead of escaping them, he's been able to embrace and grow from these experiences.

A little bit of background...

Gab's career trajectory began in the early 2000s with an internship at NTUC Income, where he worked as an underwriter while completing his diploma. This experience introduced him to the world of traditional banking and insurance, but he quickly realised it wasn't the right fit for him. After serving his National Service in the Singapore Police Force, Gab decided to skip the university route and go into the events industry – a bold move that had him hustling with cold calls and door-to-door outreach. After doing events for a while, he recognised the potential in the convergence of tech, media, and events and took the leap by joining e27, which led to a tech journey that he’s not looked back on since.

On a whim, he joined a friend’s startup that focused on online marketing, which led to the discovery of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). The price action of Bitcoin pivoted the business to become Beyond Blocks in 2017, focused on running conferences in the crypto industry. Despite being the founding member of Korea Blockchain Week in 2018, the bear market hit was too great, and he decided to fold things up in early 2019.

But his career in crypto didn't stop there. He briefly joined a Hong Kong VC firm as venture partner, and during a trip to Taipei, he met Stellar @AddyCrezee, former CMO of Cointelegraph and founder of Blockshow. This chance encounter led to him taking on the role of Head of Strategy at Blockshow.

The COVID-19 pandemic and a brief stint at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) under the Project Guardian initiative led him to seek new challenges. He found them at ARC, where he joined as the Deputy CEO in June 2022, as he brings his rich experience and visionary approach to the forefront of community building in the Web3 space.

What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken, and what have you learned from it?

“The right gambles [in your career] affect your life.”

Gab responded that he is a “calculated risk” person. You will not see him playing games like Poker. He described Poker as a game of probabilities, and when faced with an 80/20 chance to win, he would always go for the 20%. As a person without "dumb fucking luck," these games have rarely panned out in his favour, and he's learned to avoid them.

It wasn't one, major single risky decision that has shaped his life, but a series of risks over the years. Not going to university after polytechnic was one of the risks he took. His journey in the events industry was because, at that time, it was one of the few jobs that didn't require degree qualifications.

Going into the tech industry was also a significant gamble, as he had been thriving in the events industry doing traditional trade shows. Also, during 2009–10, when he made the switch, the tech scene was not the high-profile industry that we think about today. He joined when tech startups were modest operations. Often, they were just "people in a school campus with a six-foot long table, a laptop, and a piece of paper saying 'START-UP.'" He saw this as a way to get ahead of the competition, making the jump into the industry.

Each of his decisions has not been perfect, but they've been stepping stones to where he's gotten today. A more conventional career path would have likely been smoother, possibly leading to a well-paying job in banking. Though, as he reflects, "Is that something I really would've wanted? Probably not."

Who are your mentors?

Gab credits four key individuals who have played substantial roles in his personal and professional growth. For him, mentors are not simply trainers that teach you how to make money. They help shape one's approach to thinking, behaving, and managing people.

The first person is Francis, a confidante, mentor, and Stellar who recently passed away. A few years older than Gab, Francis was a guiding figure who imparted wisdom in management, life, and interpersonal relationships. He taught Gab valuable lessons about slowing down while remaining hungry. One of Francis's favourite sayings in Chinese was:

小钱不出，大钱不进 (xiao qian bu chu, da qian bu jin)

This translates to: if small money doesn't go out, big money doesn't come. From this, Gab realised that "money is money," and that one's emphasis should be less on paying and affording things, but learning how to make it back instead.

His second mentor is Adrian Stewart, someone that Stellars @seeksahib and @boydsuwatt might know because he was their angel investor. He is 12 years Gab's senior, a prominent figure in the web2 scene in Thailand, continuing to run a fulfilment startup as one of the top shippers of iPhones in the country. One of his earliest acquaintances in Bangkok, Adrian introduced Gab to the intricacies of the web2 ecosystem and the nuances involved in professional relationships.

James Sundram is the third mentor that Gab mentioned, instilling in Gab the art of critical thinking. James was previously Group General Manager at Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) in the early 2000s. From him, Gab learned two main lessons: how to differentiate between strategy and tactics, and the critical process of how to get things done.

One of the first few things James said to Gab was, "What do you want?"

Gab answered, "I want to make money."

"Then go rob a bank," James said.

With that absurd answer, James was trying to explain the distinction between making money and critically thinking about making money. An analytical process is required to work towards these goals, not mindlessly fumbling towards them.

The fourth mentor is Moaffak Ahmed, a luminary in the Finnish tech startup scene. He has been a source of inspiration, and while their interactions may not be as frequent, Gab highly values how forthcoming Moaffak has been in supporting him and his insightful advice. He recounts an instance where Moaffak could not answer a question that Gab had at first. Two weeks later, he reached out to connect Gab and someone who could answer that question, demonstrating thoughtful support despite the distance.

What is something people may not realise at ARC?

“The patience that a lot of people have with us is very appreciated. The first 100-200 people that joined probably didn’t know what the fuck they're getting themselves into.”

Beyond his gratitude for the early Stellars and their support, he also mentioned that people might not realise the amount of thought put into each initiative. "It's not just about being well-connected and having resources... but about making the right phone call." Gab explained that while Stellars have many influential contacts in the Web2 and Web3 spaces, the team has to think carefully about how ARC's partners can also benefit from any potential collaborations.

"Running a curated community is very fulfilling, but at the same time, it's also very challenging... Our founders at ARC don't need to do this, but they want to." Gab reiterated that the founders have been building ARC because they truly believe that this is something the space needs, and that the future of Web3 and business is going to be community-driven.

What are some of your plans and visions for ARC in 2024?

In 2024, Gab says, "To put it simply, more of the same – more partnerships, benefits, and opportunities."

So far, ARC has been in its initial phase of acquiring members. At some point, that's going to slow down. And when that happens, ARC can focus on doing things collectively. The past year has involved a lot of experimenting, and are all pilot tests for more to come this year.

If you could have a 1:1 with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?

"Kenny Dalglish. He’s one of Liverpool’s greatest players and managers. He moved from Celtic, and over the years, the city has embraced him. He is an utmost gentleman, and not many people in football are like him. When he didn’t hit his targets, and he got sacked, he moved away from it with grace as well."

If you could only have 5 possessions, what would they be?

"Money - that solves a lot of issues; a home; Wifi; Playstation and TV (don’t get technical on me; this is counted as one thing); and a porterhouse steak (Wolfgang 2nd floor of Intercontinental hotel is the alpha)."

If you had to swap lives with Elroy, Kiat, and JJ, who would it be and why?

"I would like JJ’s music talent, Kiat’s money, and Elroy’s looks. But I would like to keep my personality."

... but if you HAD to choose one?

"Elroy - if I become Elroy, my life would be easier. I can be my own boss and decide everything myself."

Why the hat?

"Because I’m balding. That’s the real reason."

"Sometimes, I’m lazy to style my hair, and it [wearing caps] just became a habit. In my teenage years, I was a huge Chicago Bulls fan (I still am). Being Asian, I’d look fucking weird like some hip-hop wannabe if I was to wear a white t-shirt with a jersey aside… I’m not some Thai rapper.

In later years, there’s a glow on my head when I’m on stage. Many people kept telling me it’s very shiny, so one day, I said, 'fuck this shit, I’m just going to wear a hat.' At that time, my PA who started my Twitter account at the time asked me about the username, and she had suggested @GabeWithTheHat. I couldn’t be fucked, so it just became that.

Last but not least, I used to go to this place to get my hair cut. It would be like $70 for a cut and $200 to colour it. After shaving my head, I got all this money, so I might as well buy hats.

I didn’t think about it as a marketing thing. People remember me for my caps now… maybe one fine day, I’ll stop wearing caps, and random people will stop approaching me for conversations and asking me questions about crypto."

For those who stayed to the end...

Some fun facts that Gab volunteered, “my favourite country to visit is Japan, not the US." Also, “I fucking hate durians. If I was to become the President of Singapore, I would ban durians.”

We've long admired Gab's authenticity and the boldness with which he navigates the crypto world. These experiences in the interview reveal a fascinating glimpse into the backstory of his journey and the path he's taken to where he is today.

A non-orthodox career path, nuggets of wisdom from his mentors, and the sharp and witty banter were not what he had envisioned this interview to be. We started by wanting to ask him about caps and NFTs, and instead, we got an in-depth walkthrough of Gab's inspirational journey.

Since the interview in December 2023, we've also found ourselves pondering the Chinese proverb Francis shared, emphasising how "small" money must be invested for "big" money to return. Coupling this with James' insightful guidance on critical thinking and goal-setting creates a powerful toolkit, particularly in the volatile world of crypto investing. One often hears the saying "Do Your Own Research" (DYOR), but these insights actually chart out a path toward a more robust and grounded strategy.

Gab's story brings a genuine, human touch to the crypto world, and we're glad to be able to share some of these behind-the-scenes stories with you. If you'd like to see more content like this, we're eager to hear from you, as we continue building and pushing forward the limits of possibility in the Web3 landscape.