Vinnie Lauria launches Mind the Gap in Singapore

By AI, Created 6:06 PM UTC, June 04, 2026, /AGP/ – Vinnie Lauria is launching his new book Mind the Gap in Singapore on 9 June 2026, using the event to spotlight why cultural fluency can determine whether startups succeed or stall as they expand across borders. The discussion at Book Bar will bring together founders, investors and business leaders around the realities of building in local markets.

Why it matters: - Startups expanding internationally need more than product-market fit. Cultural blind spots can affect trust, communication, hiring, partnerships, and execution. - The book argues that founders who ignore local context can make avoidable mistakes as they move into new markets. - The launch lands as startups and investors face a more fragmented global business environment, where capital, talent, and customers move across borders but operating realities stay local.

What happened: - Vinnie Lauria, Founding Partner of Golden Gate Ventures, is launching Mind the Gap in Singapore on Tuesday, 9 June 2026. - The event takes place at Book Bar on Duxton Road in partnership with Tsinghua University Book Club Singapore. - The launch is set for 6:00pm to 7:30pm at 57 Duxton Road, Singapore 089521. - The program will include a discussion with Lauria, audience Q&A, a book signing, and networking. - Among the guests attending is Admond Lee, Founder of The Runway Ventures, who was interviewed for the book.

The details: - Mind the Gap: Scaling Businesses Across Cultures is published by Wiley. - The book draws on conversations with global founders, executives, and investors. - The book examines how culture shapes trust, communication, leadership, negotiation, hiring, market entry, partnerships, and execution. - Lauria said culture is often treated as a vague idea rather than a practical part of execution. - Lauria said startups should make culture part of their operating system, including how trust is built, decisions are made, teams communicate, partnerships work, and customers interpret value. - Lauria said companies often fail when leaders assume what worked in one market will translate cleanly into another. - The Singapore venue connects to Lauria’s own history in the city. Nearly two decades ago, Duxton was where he first connected with the local startup community. - Golden Gate Ventures later established its international headquarters in the same neighborhood. - The book is written for founders, executives, operators, and investors building across borders.

Between the lines: - The launch message is less about a book and more about a thesis: international growth is increasingly won or lost on local nuance. - Admond Lee said many startup mistakes are not only about product, funding, or timing. They also come from misreading people, markets, and context. - Lee said cultural blind spots can compound quickly, especially when founders are building beyond their home market. - Lauria’s choice of venue reinforces the book’s argument that expansion cannot be understood from a distance. Local relationships and in-person presence still matter. - For Southeast Asia founders, the message is clear: regional scale requires cross-cultural operating discipline, not just ambition.

What’s next: - The Singapore launch will give Lauria and attendees a forum to discuss how founders can choose markets, build cross-border teams, and avoid assumptions that derail expansion. - The event is also likely to extend the book’s reach among founders, investors, and operators working across Asia and other growth markets.

The bottom line: - Mind the Gap argues that culture is not a soft issue in startup expansion. It is a core operating variable.