Sorry boss, ESOP can’t pay my bills

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Hello readers,

We published an article on ESOPs earlier this week and since it got people talking, it feels fitting to close the week – or start, depending on how you view Sunday – with the piece.

What we realised: You’re either in Team ESOP or Team no-ESOP, there’s no in-between. 😂

For me, I’m in the no-ESOP camp because stocks don’t pay the bills at the moment. But that might change in the future when I have a different set of responsibilities so 🤷‍♀️.

Feel free to email me at betty@techinasia.com to let me know which camp you are in or even change my mind. Stay safe and enjoy the top articles of the week!

1️⃣ Does Indonesia lack an ESOP culture?
Some startup workers have felt ESOP’s benefits, but many founders and employees still need to understand how it works.

2️⃣ Grab said to raise $200m from Korea’s Stic Investments
The Seoul-based investment firm will be investing US$100 million from one of its funds, while the remaining will come from co-investors.

3️⃣ Intuit to acquire Singapore’s TradeGecko for a reported $80m
The transaction is expected to close in September. Also do check out our tech acquisitions in Southeast Asia cheat list.

4️⃣ A primer on how eSIMs can change the telco game
Singapore’s Circles Life has launched an eSIM plan. We look at how eSIMs could be the wave of the future.

5️⃣ Former Gojek tech chief Ajey Gore joins Sequoia India as operating partner
Star India’s Gayatri Yadav and Salesforce’s Shweta Rajpal Kohli also joined the company as chief marketing officer and head of public policy, respectively.

6️⃣ Singapore AI startup bags $2.2m to create a drug that helps extend human life
Gero has raised over US$7.5 million in total funding to date.

7️⃣ Making sense of the senseless layoffs in tech
When business realities hit the tech community and faith in the ecosystem erodes, we ought to do some soul searching.

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