Scott Loong is a reformed corporate lawyer who founded and scaled InsurTech startup Covera through acquisition before joining Panache Ventures as a partner, bringing an unusual combination of legal, operator, and investor experience to seed investing. He's known for his explicit framework distinguishing true AI companies from those simply adding AI features, and for his advisor-first approach where he provides value and feedback to founders before formalizing investment relationships.

• Focus on user experience and data privacy in consumer products. Frustration frequently arises from poor design choices and deceptive interfaces, such as news publications making subscription upgrades completely digital while forcing users to make a phone call to cancel. Additionally, there is a strong stance against using email tracking pixels in startup sales and venture outreach, viewing these surveillance features as highly off putting and a breach of personal trust.
• Interest in personal productivity and avoiding the trap of simply looking busy. Values genuine professional growth over checking off mundane tasks, suggesting that professionals should write down the important tasks they are actively avoiding instead of making standard daily chore lists. Acknowledges the reality of longer working hours since remote work became standard and appreciates efficient, health conscious routines like commuting by bicycle.
• Awareness of market saturation and repetitive startup business models. Experiences fatigue when presented with too many identical concepts, specifically noting an overwhelming influx of human resources and employee wellness pitch decks over a short period. Having experience judging financial technology pitch competitions, there is a clear preference for fresh ideas that stand out from the self congratulatory venture capital echo chamber.
• Attention to macroeconomic realities and creative technological problem solving. Frequently points out the impact of inflation on personal savings and everyday consumer goods, while also brainstorming alternative uses for existing tech infrastructure. One specific thought exercise involved taking small scale cryptocurrency mining facilities and repurposing their graphics processing units to solve input lag issues for cloud gaming platforms.