Sean Kae Siang Lim
Verified Expert in Finance
Finance Expert
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Toptal member since May 7, 2019
As a skilled CFA charterholder, Sean specializes in commercial modeling and growth strategy for startups and corporate innovations. With over five years of experience working in venture capitals, accelerators, and CVC, he has helped 20+ startups to develop their growth strategies, business plans, and financial models. Currently, Sean is working with the largest insurer in Australia to create an incubation ecosystem for insurtech, which includes industry, VC, academic, and government sectors.
Career Highlights
Education Highlights
Certification Highlights
Case Studies
Industry Expertise
Other Expertise
Work Experience
Senior Economic Modeling Manager
CSIRO
- Worked at Australia's national science agency to identify economically viable solutions for addressing national challenges and harnessing opportunities across industries, using science and technology to drive strategic outcomes.
- Developed a comprehensive market sizing and opportunity analysis for hydrogen electrolyzer manufacturing in Australia, incorporating sensitivity analysis, benchmarking similar industries, and evaluating key economic and technological drivers.
- Researched the current literature on indoor air quality and economic analysis to assess the cost of indoor air pollution in Australia, identifying key health impacts and quantifying associated economic burdens.
- Established metrics to assess the current status of the alternative protein industry in Australia and defined key performance indicators to track progress toward achieving the desired future state by 2030.
Commercial Architect
Firemark Collective
- Discovered and validated eight new business opportunities with over $10 million value to the business using the Desirability, Feasibility, and Viability framework.
- Designed new business models using a human-centered approach with a focus on sustainability and profitability.
- Created new measurement methods to help monitor our innovation effort by synthesizing insights from diverse data sources and engaging with key stakeholders to gain a comprehensive understanding of the issue at hand.
- Supported external startups in exploring the feasibility and viability of their use case within a corporate setting.
Venture Builder
Hampton Accelerate
- Created 20+ product strategies, roadmaps, business plans, and 5-year pro forma financial models and raised close to $9 million in pre-seed funding combined.
- Originated and investigated 60+ product ideas that turned into 20+ development approvals through in-depth research of existing problems and potential technology solutions.
- Conducted commercial due diligence for 20+ startups, including assessing industry trends, market sizes, and competitive landscapes.
Investment Analyst
Hampton Capital
- Conducted due diligence, evaluated investment opportunities, and negotiated deals with startups and other stakeholders.
- Performed a market scan to gain a deep understanding of emerging technologies, focusing on artificial intelligence, robotics, and IoTs.
- Collaborated with universities and research institutions to commercialize patents and other intellectual property.
- Developed positive relationships with investors and secured over $20 million of capital commitments.
Senior Associate
Netrove
- Increased sales by 100% for an F&B startup through user testing and product prioritization to reduce waste.
- Prepared and reviewed legal documents, including term sheets, shareholder agreements, MOUs, sales agreements, and distributor agreements.
- Originated new deals through networking and events and screened through over 100 deals.
- Conducted due diligence on new investments and advisory projects.
- Turned around a no-product, no-cash startup by helping them fundraise, hire, implement processes, and open up stores in prime areas, such as airports and one of Malaysia's largest and most popular shopping malls.
- Executed a merger of a portfolio company with AirAsia and represented Netrove in negotiating the terms of the deal.
Senior Investment Analyst
NAB Asset Management
- Managed the portfolio exposures of funds with over AUD 170 billion funds under management.
- Rebalanced currency exposures of the portfolio.
- Created macro to automated processes and brought down execution time from an hour to 15 minutes.
- Planned and executed financial restructuring of the portfolio to demerge the life insurance portfolios in preparation for its acquisition by Nippon Life.
Hedge Fund Manager
Trading Pursuits
- Co-managed a boutique hedge fund using a macro top-down and quantitative approach.
- Backtested strategies based on technical and fundamental analyses.
- Developed stock and option picking screeners based on quantitative models.
- Automated the portfolio risk report to calculate VAR, performances and sensitivity analysis.
- Prepared weekly and monthly reporting to investors.
Education
Master's Degree in Quantitative Finance
University of Technology Sydney - Sydney, Australia
Bachelor's Degree in Actuary and Finance
University of New South Wales - Sydney, Australia
Certifications
Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
CFA Institute
Skills
Finance
Three-statement Modeling, Fundraising, Financial Modeling, Chartered Financial Analysis, Forecasting, Revenue & Expense Projections, Market Research Analyst, Pro Forma Financial Statements, Cash Flow, Profit & Loss (P&L), FP&A, Startup Funding, Valuations, Pricing, Seed Fundraising, Fund Management, Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Investment Monitoring, Portfolio Analysis, Investment Portfolio Management, Risk Analysis, Deal Analysis, Pricing Strategy, Due Diligence, Investment Memoranda, Business Advisory, Blockchain Consultant, Cash Management, Wealth Management, Cost-benefit Analysis
Output Software
Excel Development, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word
Industry Expertise
Financial Services, Venture Capital, Food & Beverage, Franchises, Technology, Asset Management, Software Development, High-tech Startups, Early-stage Startups
Geographic Expertise
Australia, Malaysia
Data & Analysis Software
R, Bloomberg
Other
Presentation Design, Startup Development, Excel VBA, Business Planning, Market Research & Analysis, Business Research, Business Plan Consulting, Pitch Deck Consulting, Competitor Analysis, Competition Research, SaaS, Fundraising, Design Strategy, Financial Forecasting, Business Strategy, Startup Consulting, Startup Growth Strategy Development, Monetization Product Management, Writing & Editing, Business Modeling, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Term Sheet Advisory, Tech Freelancing, English-Chinese Translation, Microsoft Development, Early-stage Venture Capital, Commercials, Portfolio Management, Design Consulting, Economics, Market Sizing, Revenue Projections, Renewables, Techno-economics, Green Energy, Foodtech
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