As seen in Millionaire MNL, Ashvin Praveen is one of the rising global voices at the intersection of content, AI, and personal brand-building. A Malaysian-American entrepreneur from Sarawak now based in New York City, Ashvin is the Co-Founder & CEO of Cleve.ai, a rapidly growing platform described as a “second brain” for creators.
From stepping away from an engineering career to launching two startups entirely through LinkedIn content, Ashvin is proving that building a brand and building a product can go hand in hand.
Cleve.ai: Your Mind, Organized by AI
Launched in December 2023, Cleve.ai helps founders, solopreneurs, and content creators capture and refine their ideas, organize them contextually, and turn scattered thoughts into polished content.
Backed by startup accelerator Antler and inspired by Ashvin’s own obsessive note-taking, Cleve has attracted:
- Over 3,000 users in 100+ countries
- A global community of thought leaders
- Zero paid ads, purely organic growth
“Every successful entrepreneur I know captures their thoughts obsessively,” Ashvin explains. “Cleve is the product of that habit.”
The Whacked Story: From Content to Clients
Before Cleve, Ashvin co-founded Whacked, a personal branding agency that helped over 40 clients, including CEOs and startup founders, scale their presence through smart storytelling. The company hit six-figure revenue without a sales team—just through Ashvin’s posts on LinkedIn.
He built Whacked during the pandemic while still transitioning from a mechanical engineering background, showing the power of positioning, platform-native storytelling, and consistency.
From Sarawak to NYC: A Global Creator’s Journey
Raised in Malaysia and now working from New York, Ashvin brings a cross-cultural lens to content and innovation. His decision to drop out of the University of Sheffield in 2020 to pursue startups reflects his belief in speed, experimentation, and building in public.
He’s shared this journey in long-form interviews and podcasts like BFM 89.9, where he breaks down:
- The art of startup storytelling
- How to balance short-term execution with long-term vision
- Why authenticity always beats algorithms
Viral Content & Authentic Influence
With 10,000+ LinkedIn followers, Ashvin has built a loyal audience by consistently sharing what works. His posts often go viral, tackling themes like:
- The “short vs long game” of startup building
- The loneliness of early entrepreneurship
- Systems for daily idea capture
He calls Cleve.ai “a reflection of every notebook, voice memo, and late-night brainstorm I’ve ever had.”
