Ten years ago, Slash began as an experiment between two friends trying to build a payment abstraction layer. Today it’s a global AI-first digital studio spanning Southeast Asia and beyond. Few people have watched that evolution as closely as Andries, who co-founded the company with Marc in 2016, led it as CEO, and now serves as Chairman.
In this interview, Andries reflects on the accidental spark that led Slash to Cambodia, the discipline behind building a genuinely remote-first culture, the hardest lessons from COVID, and where he thinks the next defensible edge for Slash lies as AI reshapes the industry.
The Flashback
“When you first decided to cofound Slash, what did you honestly think this place was going to be, and how far off was your initial guess?”
When we started Slash 10 years ago in July 2016, Marc and I really saw it as an experiment, a way to express ourselves by building different products and solutions. Could we have envisioned what it would eventually become? Looking back, one of the biggest revelations is that our initial experiment evolved into a decade-long company, something we didn’t fully grasp or foresee at the start.
For me, Slash is ultimately a story of resilience. Every few years, we had to reinvent ourselves: as individuals, in how we positioned the company, in our team and leadership focus, and even in who was leading. Ten years feels both long and short when you look at the distinct cycles we went through:
- 2016–2017: Laying the foundation with our first major milestone product for AXA, followed by the acquisition of Flexitech in 2017.
- 2018–2019: A period of peak growth as an agency, rapidly scaling to 50–60 people before COVID-19.
- 2020: After feeling at the peak of our power during a major company retreat in Siem Reap/Angkor Wat in February 2020, the pandemic hit. We faced immense uncertainty, client payment issues, and difficult downsizing. To survive, we completely recalibrated, pivoting to a fully digital, remote-first business model.
- 2021–2022: Alex joined in 2021. With my move to Bali around late 2020/2021, we fully embraced remote models across business development. I then stepped out at the end of 2022.
- 2023–2026: An ongoing evolution that others in the company can speak to even better.
Each phase demanded significant reinvention. That continuous adaptation, driven by our people, is the most rewarding and beautiful part of building a business.
Key Lesson from 10 Years
The core lesson from these ten years is that great companies aren’t built by getting everything right from day one. They succeed by continuously adapting until they hit gold. Slash is on that very journey of adaptation: we’ve done plenty of things right, made our share of mistakes, and are now entering the next chapter toward building something even greater.
The Global & Remote Reality
“After years of working remotely across different cultures, languages, and time zones, what’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned about making global teamwork actually work?”
What is interesting about Slash is that, right from the start, even before COVID, we operated on a remote-first model. Back in 2016, it was just Marc and me. Then around March 2017, Flexitech joined Slash, bringing on Sean, Kevin, Peter, Henry, and the rest of their team. At the time, the Flexitech team was firmly rooted in Cambodia, whereas all our clients were based in Singapore. Over time, our client base expanded globally, though Singapore remained our primary hub for a long while. Marc and I traveled to Cambodia whenever necessary, but we did not maintain a formal office in Singapore, we used a coworking space for a bit before letting it go. All of this was before COVID.
Having a remote-first orientation was built into our DNA from day one, which both Marc and I preferred. It was a key lesson I took away from our previous venture together, ClubVivre. Remote work is incredible when executed properly, and I believe we truly nailed it, it has become one of Slash’s defining strengths.
Ultimately, my biggest takeaway comes down to culture: establishing a performance-driven culture built on high collaboration, high touch, and high trust. We have cultivated that wonderfully at Slash. Even today, Slash alumni remain connected with me and continue to support one another. I take immense pride in the fact that we created an environment where team members actively support each other’s growth and development, take strong ownership, care deeply about their craft, and collaborate seamlessly across countries, time zones, and tools. Pulling that off requires sustained effort and consistent execution over many years, something we have maintained for a decade now. For me, that culture and our people are what make Slash so special.
Real Talk on AI
“Now on AI. Where do you land on AI right now? How much has it actually involved into your daily routine and workflow?”
AI has become all-encompassing, impacting every layer of society, work, and the productivity stack. I think about it and work with it daily, it is easily the tool I use most, even more than email or WhatsApp, serving as my baseline for virtually everything.
Rather than simply replacing human expertise, the dynamic is more nuanced. I view it like wine vintages: human experience brings a distinct “vintage” to the table. For instance, a DevOps engineer with 20 years of experience applies a specific lens of thinking that, when combined with AI, yields a unique kind of value compared to someone with 5 or 10 years of experience. This applies across every function: whether in product, tech, HR, marketing, or sales.
While AI will steadily encroach on more tasks, human judgment, decision-making, and specialized expertise will remain essential. The key is understanding your own strength and vintage, and playing to that strength when leveraging AI.
Product Evolution
“What’s the single biggest insight you’ve gained about building products over the years, and how does building something today in 2026 compare to back in 2016?”
The primary product evolution over the last decade is that AI empowers everyone to become a builder. As a result, product management skills are becoming increasingly vital. Looking through a product lens allows you to orchestrate complex products using multiple AI agents alongside human expertise when needed. Capabilities are continually advancing, today is the baseline, and in a few years, building will be even more accessible. Beyond core product management, soft skills like consulting, advisory, business understanding, and communication remain critical, serving as the glue that ties everything together.
Another key insight is Slash’s shift from delivering features to driving full business outcomes by connecting deeply with customer problems. Aligning closely with business needs is essential, as clients will increasingly pay for tangible outcomes rather than just system delivery, a shift that will fundamentally redefine the outsourcing business model.
The Spark and Cambodia
“Take us back to the very beginning, what was that initial spark between you and Marc that made you decide to launch Slash, and why choose Cambodia as the place to start building it all alongside the original quartet of Sean, Henry, Peter, and Kevin?”
To be honest, it all happened almost by accident. Back when Marc and I started Slash in July 2016, we were building a payment solution, specifically, an abstraction layer for a payment gateway. Since Marc was working full-time then and could only contribute during nights and weekends, we urgently needed more development capacity to get things off the ground.
While exploring options, a friend mentioned that Cambodia had talent in software development. Coincidentally, I was already looking into Cambodia because my wife was researching a textile manufacturing venture there. Through LinkedIn, I connected with someone who admitted, “I don’t know much about textile manufacturing, but I do know IT.” I thought, “That’s right up my alley.” One thing led to another, and they introduced me to Sean. We started outsourcing work to him, and he blew us away, we were amazed by his skills. Shortly after, Sean mentioned, “I have some friends who can help.” Before we knew it, the Flexitech team was on board, doing outstanding work. We enjoyed collaborating with them so much that we met them in person and suggested combining forces. The whole process, from our first contact in July or August 2016 to the official merger around February or March 2017, spanned about eight to nine months.
Addition to Question 5: The Cambodia Team
Expanding on the story of the Cambodia team, I want to specially recognize Flexitech: Sean, Peter, Kevin, and Henry. Right from the start, they were far more than early employees; they were true business partners who helped shape Slash from the ground up through every phase and challenge. Their skill, loyalty, resilience, and leadership on the ground have been instrumental to our success, and working alongside them has been a real privilege.
There are so many individuals who have been part of this journey that it’s hard to list them all, we might need a dedicated slide just for our alumni! Whenever I look through photos of our time in Cambodia, I am filled with fond memories and gratitude for everyone who helped build our team there.
Scale, Remote Work, and AI
“Slash has gone through a massive transformation, from a relatively small startup team in Cambodia to expanding across SEA and becoming a fully remote company. Looking back, does remote work really work in the long run? And do you think AI will make remote teams operate better or worse?”
Yes, absolutely. I am a strong advocate for remote work, having operated remotely since 2015 across everything I do, I personally thrive in it. That said, remote work shouldn’t be treated like a religion. There are real, practical reasons to gather in the same space, and maintaining a healthy cadence of physical interaction is essential. This is particularly true for leadership, project teams, creative or strategic alignment, vision setting, and team retreats. At our core, we are social beings, and face-to-face interaction matters. There is distinct value in bringing everyone together periodically.
My broader recommendation for any organization is to systematically integrate these in-person touchpoints into the annual calendar and operational rhythm. While external circumstances like COVID disrupted some of these plans historically, establishing regular physical touchpoints moving forward adds tremendous long-term value. For day-to-day execution, ongoing management, and project delivery, however, remote operations work remarkably well.
The Chairman’s Perspective
“Stepping back from the CEO and later to become Chairman gave you a different vantage point. How has your vision for Slash evolved now that you’re guiding high-level strategy rather than running the day-to-day grind?”
Building products has become significantly easier, and that barrier will only continue to fall. Consequently, knowing what to build has become far more valuable. While strategic product clarity was always important, it is critical now because the technical hurdles to execution are so much lower. Traditional outsourcing alone is losing value, so we must rapidly adapt to maintain our relevance by carving out a clear, specialized niche.
This has been my core focus and the subject of ongoing strategic discussions with Alex, Marc, and the Executive Committee. I look forward to continuing to help shape this strategy as we define our defensible niche, identifying where AI inherently requires human-in-the-loop governance and determining how we can build high-value solutions around that need. We already have several promising ideas in development, which leadership will share in due time.
The Hard Lessons
“Is there a specific moment where something went badly wrong, and what did you learn from picking up the pieces?”
There are so many, unfortunately. For me, the hardest challenge was navigating COVID in March 2020, when the world effectively paused, clients put projects on hold, and invoices went unpaid.
Fortunately, we were in a solid position, having accumulated over six months of cash reserves following a highly profitable 2019. We entered 2020 with ambitious plans before the full impact of the pandemic hit. Thanks to a strong team, clear vision, solid leadership, and empowerment across the board, we had the structure needed to endure the crisis. That brought home my first key lesson: build a financial buffer whenever you can, which, thankfully, we had.
The second key lesson was the necessity of taking swift, decisive action, as cash reserves alone cannot last indefinitely. Facing complete uncertainty around how long and severe the downturn would be, the business contracted for a period. Leadership responded decisively and with integrity. We maintained transparent communication with the team and established clear signposts and milestones along the way.
This approach not only reinforced a company culture I take great pride in, but it also fostered an organizational willingness to make difficult choices. Looking back, those tough decisions were the right ones, as they allowed us to weather the storm. It’s a vital principle to keep in mind moving forward, especially as we navigate new shifts like AI, demanding that we remain just as resilient for whatever comes next.
The Slash Secret
“What do you think genuinely sets Slash apart from every other tech company out there?”
For me, what truly sets Slash apart is clearly our team culture. Ever since we crafted our initial culture manifesto in 2018, and continuously refined it over time, our commitment to that culture has guided how we operate.
You can see that dedication in action through our company retreats, remote collaboration, team support, and regional hubs. It is equally reflected in how alumni continue reaching out years after departing, and in how many team members choose to stay with us for long tours of duty, a true testament to a special workplace culture.
Long tours of duty are evidence of a special company culture. So I’m extremely proud that we do culture really, really well as a company. Of course, execution is important, strategy is important, but culture has always been our foundation and I’m very proud of that.
The One-Liner
“Ten years in, summarized in a single sentence: What is Slash to you?”
I would say Slash is proof that a small group of people with shared values can build something that lasts far longer than any one individual or any small group of founders. And that’s something I’m incredibly proud of, that we have built a community of builders that every day show up and do amazing things.
