Apps platform Kii could help solve Southeast Asia’s fragmentation, talent woes (Startup Asia preview)

Disclosure: Kii’s investor Fenox Venture Capital is an investor in Tech in Asia. Read our ethics statement here.

Expect to hear the name Kii in the Southeast Asian startup circles more often. The backend-as-a-service company, which essentially gives developers a pre-packaged backend to build their apps on, announced recently that it’ll be launching in the region.

The founder, Naoshi Suzuki, will be interviewed on stage at Startup Asia Jakarta by yours truly.

I find the startup’s main product Kii Cloud fascinating for many reasons. While there are a number of backend-as-a-service platforms (BaaS) around (full list) — the most prominent one being Facebook acquisition Parse — Kii stands out in interesting ways.

In a nutshell, while other BaaS platforms are focused on getting your app up, Kii Cloud also wants to get your app out. It integrates apps with ad-based monetization networks, and has a service that promises to help developers get their software into Chinese Android app stores in four to six weeks.

But Kii is more than a platform. It is an investor. The company operates a venture fund that has invested in startups like photo management solution Everpix and mobile apps analytics firm App Annie.

Due to its unique product offering, Kii could help startups in Southeast Asia resolve talent and fragmentation woes.

With the BaaS platform, startups can focus their attention on user experience, potentially reducing the need to hire a backend developer. And with the Kii to China service, expanding beyond one’s borders could be made a lot more easier.

Got a question for Naoshi that you’d like me to ask? Feel free to submit a question using our widget.

If you haven’t gotten your tickets to Startup Asia Jakarta on November 21 and 22, you can still get them now.

(Editing by Steven Millward)