Kenneth Lou

Some things about me:

• Singaporean, now living in San Francisco
• Co-founded Seedly, which was acquired by ShopBack
• Co-founder and CEO of Mito Health (YC S24), a cost-plus diagnostics marketplace
• Moved from New York to SF in 2026 on purpose
• Building between the US and Singapore

Some things I believe:

1. Agents are the great equalizer.
   • A team of five with agents can now attempt what used to take fifty.
   • Talent was always everywhere. Leverage wasn't. Now it is.
   • Founders from small countries just lost their biggest disadvantage.
2. Opacity is where margin hides.
   • If you can't see the price, someone is profiting from that.
   • Healthcare is the clearest example. Finance is close behind.
   • Cost-plus is a business model and a moral position.
3. Geography is still a bet.
   • Agents level execution. They don't level access.
   • The internet flattened information, not density. Trust, capital and serendipity still cluster.
   • You can build from anywhere. You can't hear every conversation from anywhere.
4. Agency is a daily practice, not a personality trait.
   • Every day you either set your priorities or inherit someone else's.
   • "Why can't we?" beats "Are we allowed to?"
   • Most rules are conventions nobody bothered to challenge.
5. Deep focus is now a competitive advantage.
   • Information is infinite. Concentration isn't.
   • Some problems only yield to whoever sits with them longest.
   • Busy is not progress.
6. Intelligence is the speed from understanding to action.
   • Knowing something and using it are different skills.
   • The people I rate highest learn something on Monday and use it by Friday.
   • Learning speed compounds faster than knowledge.
7. Influence is a force multiplier.
   • Almost nothing meaningful gets built alone.
   • Being right isn't enough. You have to make people care.
8. Resilience beats looking smart.
   • Rejection and the occasional humiliation are the entry fee for ambition.
   • Laugh at yourself, recover fast, go again.
   • Winners don't fail less. They stay in the game longer.
9. Play the long game.
   • Health, relationships, skills and reputation compound like money.
   • The best decisions often look irrational on a short horizon.
   • Optimize to keep playing for decades, not to win the next round.

Reach me at hi@kennethlou.com, or find me on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Substack.