I sold Glean Asia, so what's next?

The start of 2025 was one of the hardest seasons we’ve faced. The US government shutdown hit fast and deep. At Glean Asia, nearly 80% of our revenue was tied to USAID or US-funded projects. Practically overnight, that all disappeared.

In the weeks that followed, I had to make some incredibly difficult decisions. We went from a team of 20 down to four. We lost people who had been with us through some of our most meaningful work, smart, dedicated folks who made Glean what it was.

I’m especially thankful to Jennifer Lin and the team at Choice Accelerator, who gave us free office space for a few months. That support meant we could stop and regroup. It bought us time to figure out what might come next.

During that pause, I reached out to friends, partners, and others in the ecosystem. I started exploring everything from new project opportunities to possible acquisitions. I’m grateful to say that those conversations led somewhere...

I’m excited to share that Glean Asia has been acquired by The Kydon Group, based in Singapore. They’re growing a portfolio focused on accessible education across the region. It’s a strong match. Our deep experience in emerging markets like Cambodia pairs well with their broader work in enterprise and corporate learning.

So the question is…what happens now?

I will be staying on as CEO of Glean Asia and heading up the impact side of things for Kydon.

But for this newsletter, I’ve renamed it to Innovation Sandbox. It’s a name that goes back to 2011, long before Glean began. Over the years, this digital space has taken on different shapes. But it’s always been me behind it writing, sharing, curating ideas about innovation, technology, and impact in places like Cambodia.

That’s not going to change.

You can still expect Funding Fridays, with funding and sourcing opportunities for innovation work. But I also want to return to writing more commentary, publishing more articles and reflections, possibly even exploring video and podcast content.

There’s a lot to talk about, not just in Southeast Asia, but in innovation ecosystems across Africa and other parts of the world. I’ve had the chance to mentor startups through the UNICEF Venture Fund and build new connections in regions tackling big challenges with limited resources. That’s where this newsletter is headed.

Thank you to everyone who’s stuck around, subscribed, forwarded a post, or sent a note over the years. Your support has meant everything, through the highs and the hard seasons.

I hope you’ll stay with me in this next chapter.

See you Friday!

Jesse