- Joel Neoh highlights parallels between elite sport and building high-growth companies
- Olympic champion shares lessons on discipline, resilience and sustaining peak performance
What does it take to sustain world-class performance across five Olympic cycles, overcome near-fatal injuries and apply the same mindset to building high-growth startups?
These themes took centre stage at Endeavor Hangouts!, a gathering organised by Endeavor Malaysia and powered by Volkswagen Malaysia for 40 C-suite scale-up entrepreneurs from the Endeavor Malaysia network.
The fireside chat, titled “Racing With Purpose: Mindset, Pressure and Performance”, featured Olympic cycling champion Azizulhasni Awang in conversation with Joel Neoh, managing director of CircleDNA and an Endeavor mentor. Opening remarks were delivered by Shan Li Tay, managing director of Endeavor Malaysia, and Charles Lim, brand director of Volkswagen Malaysia.
Embracing pain and systemising consistency
Speaking to founders familiar with the pressures of scaling businesses, fundraising and managing teams, Azizulhasni described discipline as a daily system rather than a burst of motivation.
“You have to learn to enjoy the pain. To truly maximise gains and avoid wasting time, you must push to 110% in every session, even when your body or mind resists it,” Azizulhasni said.
“Setbacks, severe injuries and devastating losses are not defeats — they are fuel. True longevity comes down to consistency in recovery, sleep quality and marginal gains, which ultimately allow you to outperform physically larger opponents on the global stage.”
One of the most candid moments of the session centred on the sacrifices required to achieve world-class success.
“There is a profound loneliness at the top. To achieve an extraordinary goal, you have to narrow your social circle and say ‘no’ to distractions, even if it means being misunderstood by friends and family,” he said.
“You must trust that those who truly matter will eventually recognise the sacrifices you are making.”
From athlete to investor
The discussion also explored Azizulhasni’s transition from elite athlete to investor and Volkswagen Malaysia brand ambassador, as well as his growing involvement in technology and innovation.
“When I look at a company or startup team, I look for value-aligned passion and decisiveness under pressure,” he said.
“In a sprint lasting only two to three minutes, a wrong split-second decision can cost a medal, but it also provides a deeper learning opportunity than consistent success. I want to back founders who focus on what they can control, execute well and approach their operations with precision.”
The event also highlighted Endeavor’s mission of supporting high-growth entrepreneurs beyond Silicon Valley through its global network spanning more than 50 countries and backed by an investment fund of US$850 million (RM3.6 billion).
Joel Neoh said the conversation underscored the similarities between elite sport and entrepreneurship.
“Sitting down with Azizulhasni reminds us that high performance is a science, not luck. Whether you are an athlete fighting for milliseconds or a founder scaling a technology company globally, the psychological blueprint is remarkably similar,” Neoh said.
“Through the Endeavor network, we are creating opportunities for founders to learn from leaders across different disciplines, helping build Malaysia’s next generation of global champions.”
The session concluded with an interactive Q&A and discussions on potential collaborations between entrepreneurs and athletes in areas such as technology innovation and sports technology.
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