We’ve got some awesome new additions to the team this month, with a bigger Indonesia team, and we’ll be adding more content on Thailand and China soon, so we’re really excited to bring you guys our picks for the week. Please let us know if you’re keen on hearing any new stories or companies out there by emailing us at editors@techinasia.com.
Minh’s pick: ITviec Launches, Hopes To Tackle Vietnam’s Tech Recruitment Market
With ITviec coming into the scene, along with folks like Vietfreelance.vn, they’re both entering a rather crowded space with others like VietnamGeeks, Vietnamworks, and more. The battle lines are drawn, it’s time to see who wins in Vietnam’s battle for recruitment.
Andrew’s pick: WeChat Gets Games! Tencent Launches WeChat Game, 10 More Coming Soon
WeChat gets games! For those of you who have been following the chat app battle, you’ll know that this piece of news is huge. It’s not entirely surprising, given that its rivals KakaoTalk and LINE have done likewise as well. However, it will be interesting to see how will WeChat’s mobile gaming platform perform with its 300-million-plus users. Game on!
Paul’s pick: In Depth: Getting Bitcoin into the Hands of China’s Average Zhou
As Bitcoin gains popularity in China, it will need to expand beyond just speculative investors. Without widespread use, the Bitcoin bubble could burst. We profile one company in particular, ASICME, that’s trying to prevent a fallout.
Steven and Minghao’s pick: Flipkart Gets India’s Biggest Ever E-Commerce Investment, Nets $200 Million in Funding
Steven: You can’t argue with $200 million. That’s a big vote of confidence when handed to you. That’s exactly how much Indian e-store site Flipkart secured this week in India’s biggest ever e-commerce funding round. As our occasional contributor Mukund Mohan wrote on his personal blog, Flipkart’s extra cash raises a lot of questions about when it can become profitable, and if the B2C model is the right one for India.
Minghao: Besides India’s Flipcard getting 200 million funding, we also have China’s Shanda Cloudary getting 110 million. This week itself sees about two funding rounds that are above 100 million for internet startups in Asia. This kind of funding size is rarely seen in Asia and it puts valuation of these startups to around a billion dollars. This is a significant week for Asia as it shows that there is serious capital flowing in Asia and investors are bullish about the market here.
Phoebe’s Pick: Medifund: Can We Crowdfund New Doctors?
It’s impressive when we see startups focusing on healthcare. But while Medifund also focuses on this, it’s like a breath of fresh air for the healthcare industry in Asia. It’s because the region is in fact, lacking doctors, and the platform where wanabe doctors can get crowdfunded. Medifund which is about to answer this may just get the region’s interest to improve healthcare.
Enricko’s pick: 11 Startups to Watch in Indonesia’s Gaming Industry
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