Forged in War, Proven in Business: The Story of Peng Cau
What does it take to build a company from nothing—and then start again to help others do the same? How do resilience, innovation, and leadership shape not just a business, but an entire life?
In this unforgettable episode of Pioneers: The Siemens Startup Podcast, hosts Paul Musto and Jim Gernatt welcome Peng Cau, the newest member of the Siemens startup team. From surviving Cambodia’s killing fields to building and selling one of Canada’s premier automation companies, Peng’s journey is a masterclass in overcoming adversity, grit, leading with integrity, bold vision and execution.
She shares powerful personal stories—escaping war, learning business from her parents, and launching Transformix from a basement with a $1,000 loan. Peng opens up about navigating racism, sexism, and strategic pivots, including the bold decisions that led to an eight-figure exit without venture capital.
Listeners will hear why Peng never says “I’ve made it,” and the leadership philosophy that drove her company’s culture.
Now, as part of Siemens, Peng brings her passion, startup experience, and bold energy to help new founders reach their dreams—and she’s officially joining the podcast as a future host!
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- Surviving the Khmer Rouge: How Peng’s early life taught her resilience and adaptability (2:20), the same skills needed to build deeptech company.
- Entrepreneurship Lessons: Building a company with nothing but grit and loyalty (6:15)
- Starting Transformix: From a basement and cold-calling manufacturers to landing their first big contract (11:45)
- Facing Business Collapse: How Peng pivoted after losing 90% of her revenue (15:30)
- Never “Making It”: An entrepreneur’s mindset of constant growth (18:10)
- Leadership Philosophy: Integrity, Respect, Passion, and Innovation (19:35)
- The Bittersweet Reality of Acquisition: Letting go of her “first child” (24:20)
- The Investment Ecosystem in Canada vs. the U.S.: Challenges raising capital (26:55)
- Overcoming Sexism and Racism: Advice for underrepresented founders (30:20)
- Why Peng saw the Siemens Startup Program as a perfect next step (34:00)
Siemens for Startups Program
At Siemens, we understand the struggles of early-stage startups. Let us remove the barriers on your startup journey by helping you transform your engineering ideas into real, marketable products with industry-leading software solutions. Join the Siemens for Startups Program to grow your startup to its full potential. Want to get in touch? Reach out here.
Host: Paul Musto
Paul Musto is a Portfolio Development Executive for Siemens Digital Industries Software focused on delivering design and simulation software solutions to small and medium sized businesses (SMB), including companies in the early startup stage. Prior to his current role at Siemens, Paul was Director of Marketing for the Electronic Board Systems segment at Mentor Graphics (now part of Siemens), responsible for driving product strategy, go-to-market solutions, and market development. Paul has over 30 years of electronics and software design experience. Prior to joining Mentor, Paul led a software development organization at Cadence Design Systems, responsible for Cadence’s electronic engineering implementation tools. Throughout his career, Paul has extensive experience serving in various technical, product marketing, and business development roles. Paul holds a B.S.E.E. from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, MA.
Host: Jim Gernatt
Jim has been with Siemens for over a decade, leading a variety of sales & new revenue strategy teams. As part of Siemens Digital Industries Software, Jim is the Americas Lead for SMB Ecosystems, Incubators & Accelerators, where he drives thought leadership and sales execution to serve startups with the Siemens Xcelerator Platform. His experience forming new teams within Siemens, performing Technology – Product – Market segmentation and creating executable sales strategies is critical to helping startups focus and achieve milestones. He has extensive SaaS B2B enterprise software sales experience for technical users. When not helping startups achieve milestones, Jim will be found with his best friend and bride, Holly, and their growing family.
Guest & Future Host: Peng Cau
Peng Cau is a seasoned entrepreneur and innovation leader in advanced manufacturing and industrial automation. She co-founded Transformix Engineering, scaling it into a global automation powerhouse acquired by ATS Corporation in a substantial eight-figure valuation deal. Today, she leads the Startup Program at Siemens Digital Industries Software, supporting deeptech and hardtech founders in scaling transformative technologies. A recognized voice in Canada’s tech ecosystem, Peng serves on several boards, including Reko International Group and the Kingston Economic Development Board. A refugee from Cambodia, her journey from survival to success has earned her national accolades and a respected place in Canada’s business and innovation landscape.
Pioneers: Startups from Dreams to Reality
Ideas alone can’t change the world. It takes grit, and serious funding. In Pioneers, host Kevin Blevins sits down with startup founders to discuss the startup lifestyle- from concept to execution- and the big ideas that fuel these pioneers. From the future of farming to autonomous flight, there’s no frontier too far.
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