From Refugee Camp to Eight-Figure Founder
At nine years old, Peng-Sang Cau was living in a Thai refugee camp with nothing but the clothes on her back.
Her family had survived Cambodia's killing fields — where 33% of the population was starved, worked, or tortured to death. They escaped with rice as currency, got mugged crossing the border, and were rescued by a Red Cross truck. Her parents had lost everything: a bicycle parts manufacturing business built from nothing, years of 3-hour sleep nights, a life constructed on handshakes because her father couldn't read or write.
The only reason her family survived the Khmer Rouge work
camps? A former employee remembered how her parents had treated him like family.
That lesson — how you treat people when you have power determines whether they save you when you have none — became the foundation of everything Peng built next.
In this deeply personal episode encore presentation of an episode from the Siemens Pioneers podcast, Peng shares her journey from fleeing genocide as a child to founding Transformix, one of Canada's premier automation companies, which she grew to an eight-figure acquisition. But this isn't a rags-to-riches fairy tale. This is a masterclass in resilience, leadership, and what it actually takes to build something lasting when the world tells you what you can't do.
You'll hear the painful decisions:
Fighting VCs who couldn't comprehend a hardware-software hybrid company
Choosing reinvestment over personal wealth during a divorce and company crisis
Building culture on her mother's wisdom: discipline privately, compliment publicly
You'll learn Peng's leadership framework:
Integrity — "Your word is gold" (the supplier who trusted her with $150K
because of her reputation)
Respect — Debate fiercely, but honor each other
Passion — "There's the door. I'm not for everybody."
Innovation — Not just technology. Different thinking. Being "stupid" enough to challenge norms.
And you'll discover why Siemens brought her on as their
startup ecosystem leader — because she's lived every dimension of the startup journey: founder, CEO, angel investor, board member, acquisition survivor, and mentor who understands the pain of building something from nothing.
Hosts Paul Musso and Jim Gernatt welcome Peng to the Siemens family in this inspiring conversation about overcoming impossible odds, treating people like human beings in an industry that often doesn't, and using technology to create enterprises that last — not just companies that make a living.
For startup founders, manufacturing leaders, investors, and
anyone building in hard tech or industrial innovation: This is what leadership under pressure actually looks like.
Perfect for listeners interested in manufacturing innovation, industrial automation, startup leadership, overcoming adversity, building sustainable enterprises, diversity in tech, angel investing, and creating lasting impact in traditional industries.
Show notes
Siemens for Startups Program: https://www.siemens.com/en-us/company/innovation/startups/
Siemens Pioneers Podcast: Startups From Dreams to Reality: https://blogs.sw.siemens.com/podcasts/startups/forged-in-war-proven-in-business-the-story-of-peng-cau/
Episode transcript
