Hupo’s Jean Neo shares why coaching isn’t a perk but the playbook

Jean Neo still remembers the moment her coach made a simple observation that changed her perspective — and possibly the course of her life. She had been wrestling with the decision to leave a stable job for the uncertainty of entrepreneurship.

“She asked me to name one to two reasons for holding me back. I said I felt bad letting my bosses down and that it seemed ridiculous to forsake a stable, enviable job for something I was totally out of depth in,” recalls Hupo’s chief operating officer (COO) and co-founder. “She remarked that both reasons were about others, not me. It was so simple but profound. Classic lightbulb moment.”

The reflection came at a pivotal juncture. She was well-positioned in the corporate world with a background in finance and fintech, as well as experience at Bloomberg and Morgan Stanley in Singapore and Hong Kong. But she ultimately chose the unknown over the familiar, driven by a desire to “learn how to do it afresh ‘on my own’ in this current age”, having grown up with both parents as entrepreneurs.

In 2022, she co-founded leadership coaching platform Hupo with Justin Kim and Beknazar Abdikamalov, following over 100 interviews with senior executives — chief executive officers, COOs, and chief human resource officers — across the region. A consistent pattern emerged: Retaining and developing top talent is more important than ever in times of change. 

They want a better way to help valuable manager talent thrive at leading teams that’s both personalised and scalable, while genuinely speaking to an APAC audience. “Great leaders are made, not born,” says Neo, revealing that it’s “actually a real mantra for us.”

“Coaching becomes more affordable and easy to implement for top hires earlier in their careers, where your mindset and identity as a leader are still much more malleable.”

Evolving the model

Hupo began by focusing on personalised, scalable leadership coaching for organisations in Asia, delivered entirely through human coaches. Neo led efforts to refine the service offering and expand delivery.

Within eight months, the company’s revenue leapt more than eightfold. Today, it works with over 50 clients — including major banks and global technology firms — supported by a network of more than 200 coaches.

Recently, Hupo integrated artificial intelligence (AI) into its offering. “All of our tech is built completely in-house; we’re super proud of it,” says Neo.

The platform now includes interactive roleplay technology that allows users to practise customised conversations anytime, anywhere, across various workplace scenarios, and receive personalised feedback.

The AI layer is designed to replicate the core benefits of coaching: reflection, self-awareness and behavioural change. It complements, rather than replaces, human coaches. Clients are matched to coaches based on professional background, coaching style and cultural alignment — a key consideration for companies operating across the region.

“We’re able to connect people to best-fit coaches, with high compatibility and cultural resonance, especially within the regional Pan Asia market.”

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Clients can choose from fully human-led coaching, AI-only modules, or a hybrid model that combines both.

Beyond the C-suite

The shift to digital coaching also addresses one of the main constraints of traditional executive coaching: scale. “With leadership coaching, we help companies invest in coaching beyond their top two per cent to their top 20 per cent of the organisation. That’s not enough. Some of our clients are asking how we can really serve the other 80 per cent. With AI coaching, we can.”

That broader access is landing at a time when interest in coaching is rising sharply across Asia. A growing number of organisations are embracing it not as a remedial fix, but as a strategic tool for performance and leadership development.

“It’s definitely no longer taboo. It’s a status symbol,” says Neo. “Sometimes I use the analogy of a fitness journey. The personal trainer is the most premium option — tailored and effective. Coaching is the same.”

With more coaches entering the market, it’s become harder for companies to assess quality, creating a further opportunity for Hupo to stand out. “Our corporate clients need help filtering for the kind of coaches they want: whether it’s a particular practice, a professional background or certain qualifications. This is where they come to Hupo to curate and filter for a certain quality bar.”

That focus on quality and fit also extends inward.

As Hupo moves into its next growth phase, Neo is preparing for her next round of coaching. “We’re tracking towards the big league because of how much we’ve grown, especially in the past year. The formula that got us here isn’t going to get us to the next level. Coaching is most helpful when you’re trying to break new ground.”

The inner compass

That belief in continuous learning also shapes how she approaches her role. The three co-founders, along with Hupo’s founding team, lean on each other a lot. She explains that it’s not about mantras like “work hard, play hard” but about how culture is expressed in everyday behaviour through a leadership style that’s both kind and tough.

“We owe it to each other to set the bar high and mutually help, coach and hold each other accountable so we can get there together.”

This way of working is grounded in values instilled from a young age. Neo’s parents often used the phrase “懂得做人” — a concept that loosely translates as “understanding how to be a person.” “This probably best encapsulates my ethos in life and leadership,” she says. “It’s about having wisdom and groundedness — pausing to look up, look around, look within.”

That pause, what she calls a necessary counterweight to the frenzied pace of modern life, allows her to stay focused. “As clichéd as it sounds, 90 per cent of startups fail. You know the odds are against you. Something’s got to keep you going even in the now.”

For her, “it’s the continuous challenge and thrill of learning by doing, and being surrounded with people whom I really admire, where we can build great things together.”