This was an interesting week in Asia tech news. But what are the must-read stories? We’re all over the map (literally) this week here at Tech in Asia so let’s dive right in:
Steven’s picks: Uber Kicks Off Korea Expansion with Gangnam Celebrity Pickup, and Uber Launches in Taiwan, Its Second Asian Launch This Week
America’s Uber had a busy week in Asia, launching its online private car booking service in two new cities in the space of a few days. First came Seoul and then Taipei. More Asian cities will surely follow soon.
Willis’s pick: A Peek Into Cambodia, A Nascent Startup Scene That Is Quietly Hungry
There’s so much about Singapore, China, Indonesia…it’s refreshing to learn more about Cambodia. With 15 million in population and growing internet penetration, the startup community in Cambodia looks vibrant. It faces the challenge of having a small market so most entrepreneurs are forced to think global or at least regional from day one. If things go well, we could well witness a global internet company coming from Cambodia. But that will take time, of course.
Phoebe’s pick: Daniel Tumiwa Shares His Story and Lessons Learned at Multiply
We’ve seen how Multiply has grown over the years; from being a blog platform it has shifted to an e-commerce site. We even consider it one of the most popular e-commerce sites in Indonesia. But it still shocked us with its sudden shut down. The story of former Multiply Indonesia country manager Daniel Tumiwa just shows that today’s e-commerce competition is really tough, and his confessions can be a lesson too, for every e-commerce business in Asia today.
Minh’s pick: Nepal’s Mobile Networks Are Growing Fast, With 18 Million Subscribers and Counting
We’ve got quite a few growth reports this week with Q1 2013 coming to end and Nepal’s on the list! For a country of 30 million people, that’s well over 50 percent internet penetration. Good news for a country whose GDP has recently skyrocketed to $20 billion. It’s no wonder then that we’re starting to see some [seeds of a strong startup scene gathering in Kathmandu/.
Charlie’s pick: This Is The Year China Becomes The World’s Top E-Commerce Market (CHARTS)
This isn’t a huge surprise to anyone, but it is a huge milestone and a huge accomplishment. It’s also a sign of things to come when you remember that a lot of China’s population isn’t even online yet.
Minghao’s pick: In the Last 4 Months, Thailand Sold Almost 3 Million Smartphones
Thailand has a population of around 70 million people. With three million smartphones being sold in last four months, and if the growth is to continue at current pace, more than 12% of the population is switching to smartphones. This will surely bring about huge opportunities and growth for startups dealing with mobile content.
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