Derek van Pelt

Venture Partner · Board Director · Entrepreneur

Creating value and impact for entrepreneurs and other stakeholders across Southeast Asia's business environment.

About Me

Partner at Stonelotus Ventures, syndicating investors on a deal-by-deal basis to support entrepreneurs and early stage businesses with growth capital and management expertise.

With over 25 years of experience in entrepreneurship, investment, and advisory roles across various industries and markets, I focus on Southeast Asia's dynamic startup ecosystem. As a Certified Director and Fellow of the Thai Institute of Directors, I bring deep governance expertise to every engagement.

I serve on the board of several companies including Criterion Asia Recruitment, Protanica, Beervana International, and The Fresh Food Company. As Past President of the Thai Canadian Chamber of Commerce and publisher of the Mekong Memo newsletter, I leverage my experience and network to create value and impact for all stakeholders.

25+
Years Experience
8
Board Positions
21+
Years in Thailand

Professional Experience

Partner

2017 - Present

Stonelotus Ventures

Syndicate investors on a deal-by-deal basis to support entrepreneurs and early stage businesses with growth capital and management expertise across Southeast Asia.

Board Member

2025 - Present

Beervana International

Commitment to good governance, strategic clarity, and value creation for stakeholders through involvement in incentive programs and strategic initiatives.

Interim Managing Director / Chairman

2021 - Present

Criterion Asia Recruitment

Led strategic direction and operations as Interim MD (2021-2022), continuing as Chairman to guide the company's growth and market positioning.

Director of Business Development

2019 - Present

Protanica

Leading manufacturer and exporter of premium cricket protein powder to global buyers. Drive market expansion and strategic partnerships.

Partner

2004 - Present

Smiling Albino

Investor and advisor to fast-growing adventure travel company covering Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Nepal, delivering unique experiences to thousands of guests.

Past President

2010 - Present

Thai-Canadian Chamber of Commerce

President (2020-2023), Vice President (2010-2015, 2017-2020). Currently serving as Past President Director, advancing bilateral business relationships.

Projects & Initiatives

hunch2py

Developer Tool

Transform visual AI workflow JSON exports into production-ready Python projects with enterprise-grade features. Supports 7+ AI providers with live model discovery, streaming responses, and intelligent pipeline orchestration.

Python OpenAI Anthropic Code Generation Pipeline Orchestration
7+ AI Providers Production Patterns

Mekong Memo

Publishing

Newsletter providing insights on business, politics, and culture across the Mekong region. Covering Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar with analysis and commentary for professionals and investors interested in Southeast Asia.

Regional Analysis Business Intelligence Southeast Asia
Founder

TravelBuddy

AI/ML

Travel intelligence system that transforms travel emails into beautiful, actionable itineraries with real-time updates and contextual intelligence.

Python FastAPI PostgreSQL GPT-4 Claude
97%+ Accuracy Multi-LLM Consensus

FlowRunner

Automation

AI-powered text rewriting service with Telegram bot interface. Handles complex rewrites with cost tracking, usage analytics, and distributed task processing.

Python Celery Redis Telegram Bot
Async Processing Real-time Updates

CanCham Forum

Knowledge Platform

Collaborative knowledge platform for Canadian Chamber leaders across 18 Indo-Pacific markets. Board governance, templates, and best practices.

Wiki.js MySQL Node.js
18 Markets 50+ Board Members

TripMCP

Parser

Hybrid travel email parser combining deterministic patterns with AI flexibility. 97%+ accuracy at under $0.002 per email.

Python Regex LLM Fallback
97%+ Accuracy <$0.002/email

Resume Rewriter

SaaS

AI-powered resume optimization service. Analyzes and rewrites resumes for specific job descriptions with ATS optimization.

Python React Anthropic API
ATS Optimized PDF Processing

Internal Ops System Monitor

DevOps

Robust server monitoring system with email alerts, dynamic tool discovery, and graceful degradation. Comprehensive error handling.

Python Systemd Mailgun
Auto-discovery Email Alerts

Expertise & Competencies

Core Competencies

Strategic Planning Entrepreneurship Business Development Board Governance Venture Capital Investment Syndication

Business Skills

Marketing Strategy Business Strategy Leadership Negotiation Public Speaking Management

Industry Focus

Early Stage Ventures Startups Travel & Hospitality F&B Recruitment AgriTech

Geographic Expertise

Southeast Asia Thailand Mekong Region Cross-Border Business

Certifications

Certified Director (DCP 241) Fellow - Thai Institute of Directors

Advisory & Mentorship

Startup Advising Social Enterprises Academic Advisory (Thammasat) New Venture Creation

Get in Touch

Interested in working together or have a question? Feel free to reach out.