Reuben Lai is the co-founder and CEO of Arkadiah, a company on a mission to heal the planet using advanced technologies.

Arkadiah raised a seed round earlier this year. They harness the power of AI and geospatial data to pinpoint degraded lands that can be restored into thriving, carbon-capturing ecosystems. By bringing much-needed transparency and credibility to this process, they open up new opportunities to fund nature's revival at scale.

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👋🏼  How would you explain your job to someone outside tech?

At Arkadiah, we use AI and geospatial tech to identify and restore degraded lands as critical carbon sinks and biodiverse ecosystems. We implement solutions that deliver measurable and traceable outcomes to capture carbon, support biodiversity, and benefit communities.

As CEO, I lead an interdisciplinary team of experts to bring this vision into reality. Working with businesses, investors, governments, NGOs and communities, we're building a nature-positive future for generations.

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🧐  What's something about you or your job that would surprise us?

Till now, the climate conversation has been very focussed on removing carbon dioxide. But carbon is not the enemy; it is actually a key input product for energy and food.

So we need to change our view of carbon as a problem and use carbon as an integral part of a transformative solution to address the triple threat of climate crisis, biodiversity collapse and food security challenges.

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🏆  What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?

Being part of the leadership team that grew Grab Financial Group into a unicorn is definitely a key highlight and a privilege for me.

More than that, was the ability to embed financial services across the multiple everyday services on the Grab app and improve financial inclusion for millions of people through a more affordable and accessible way.

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🔍  What's a startup trend or space you're watching this year?

The growth of climate tech for sure. This is going to be the largest investment theme for our generation.

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💼  What advice would you give someone starting out in your industry?

Welcome to the climate tech space! The work can feel daunting at times and the climate crisis calls on us to stay grounded in science, lead with empathy, collaborate with like-minded partners, and balance urgency with patience.

My advice is stay focussed but be adaptable. And above all, bring compassion as the ultimate impact is on human lives.

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🗣  What's one thing you can keep talking about for hours?

Healthspan. It is the one topic that with the passage of time, I get more passionate about because of how important it is.

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🎥  What's your favorite movie/TV show?

I love sports and I enjoy shows that showcase the inspiration, drive and hard work behind their craft like “The Last Dance”, “Tour de France: Unchained” and “Formula 1: Drive To Survive” for example.

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🍨  What's your go-to ice cream flavor?

Pistachio gelato!