Darin Suthapong

Cohort: 10
Hato Hub, Co-Founder and CEO

To start, if I approached you at a picnic and asked what you were up and enjoying these days, how would you answer?

I’ve been enjoying building digital products that help restaurants understand who their customers are, and empowers them to use that data to create thriving businesses! I also love mentoring the new generation of employees who come from different backgrounds and to hear their thoughts. On top of day-to-day work, I’ve been cooking up some creative storytelling on my YouTube channel, Darin Suthapong, and releasing new music called “Tiramisu” in English and Spanish! (Looking for a Spanish singer!)

The theme of this newsletter is our global alumni community. You grew up in Thailand then did your undergraduate and graduate degrees in the USA, then returned to Thailand where you’ve worked since 2016, co-founding successful start-ups. Can you share a bit about your career path and what you’ve learned about the cultural environments of both the US and Thailand?

I first started off in LA where I spent the first half of my career doing motion design and animation, then later moved to Seattle and transitioned to UX design. I landed a job at Amazon before returning to Thailand to be near family. When I first came back, I was completely lost—I didn’t know what to do and tried out a few things. At that time, the startup scene was booming, so we raised funds and built a food delivery company. However, I was too naive to know how much cash you need to run a food delivery startup and we eventually ran out of cash! I later pivoted to a Software as a Service (SaaS) model, ditched the fund-raising approach, and built what is now a sustainable and strong startup. We serve restaurants by providing data and tools to help them build thriving, long-lasting businesses.

Coming back to Thailand was a cultural shock for me. Even though I was born and raised in Thailand, I had never “worked” in Thailand prior to my return. When I first started my company, I mainly ran it like I had worked at Amazon and used ideas from popular American self-help books. To say the least, most of them didn’t work! For example, the “good boss” in the American way is to give employees autonomy, mastery, and purpose. While this could be true in some companies—and today I can employ these principles with some of my employees—these might not work for the majority of people in developing countries, where they may prioritize certainty and clarity about what you want them to do, more than having autonomy. Another example is that while I was considered soft-spoken and “not assertive enough” at Amazon, Thai people found that I’m too “blunt” and “too direct” sometimes. There is an art in communication across different cultures that I have had to learn!

What are some vignettes from your work life that illuminate cross-cultural observations and key takeaways?

I can give you a specific example: one-on-one meetings.

When I first set up my own company and had one-on-one meetings, the first reaction I got from my team was that I called them into a “black room” where I would criticize them about something they did wrong. I think one-on-one meetings are now becoming more popular in Thailand, but back then it was a very unusual meeting. 

Most companies don’t have them, so the problem I have, until today, is that my team don’t know what to say in these meetings! This is very different from the US, where people just have too much to say in a one-on-one that we have to keep a time limit. To address this issue, I offer a one-on-one template for my team to fill in when they come to have one-on-one with me.

What advice would you share for someone with international career ambitions?

Be prepared to ditch what you learned in the US! Cultural context matters deeply. People in different countries have different needs, shaped by distinct social and political systems. What’s considered a classic rule for people management or the “perfect” way to run a business might not work in your new country—because people and contexts are different. 

For example, the US startup playbook says to “build the product that people love” and “build things that don’t scale,” then find money to fuel your dream later. That mostly doesn’t work in Thailand, at least for B2B. You need connections. You need backing from big companies since they control the majority of the country’s GDP. Funding isn’t easy here, so being profitable is crucial. These differences from what you learned in the US are what you need to be aware of—not to mention the cultural differences I mentioned above. 

Finally, what’s a favorite piece of content—anything goes!—you’ve been hooked on lately you think our alumni might enjoy? 

I’m in tech so, just like software, I’ll offer the light and dark versions

Dark Version: My mentor recommended I watch Schindler’s List. It tells the true story of Oskar Schindler, a Nazi officer who saved lives during the Holocaust. It’s a heavy but powerful film that offers many perspectives depending on what you’re looking for.

Light Version: If you’ve got a lot on your plate and need a break, go watch My Neighbor Totoro or just listen to the theme song.