We’re doing deep reporting on tech companies – and we need your support to do more

Dear readers,

Our biggest story last week – and one we’re really proud of – is an exclusive on Indonesian online lender UangTeman’s rough 2018. Weeks in the making, it’s a rare behind-the-scenes look at the ups and downs of a Southeast Asian startup.

This story is important because there’s a reckoning happening in Indonesia’s online lending space. The turbulence that UangTeman is going through could soon be felt by the industry at large.

Such reporting requires a ton of work: we spoke to people in the know, parsed through pages upon pages of documents to piece together what happened, and reached out to UangTeman’s management to ensure the story is balanced.

Then we had to put the story altogether, verifying and reverifying facts, making sure the tone of the article is objective, and deciding which details to include.

Tech in Asia is uniquely positioned to do deep reporting on startups. As a startup ourselves, we have gone through the same ups and downs, allowing us to report on difficult startup-related stories with insight, nuance, and empathy.

Another noteworthy story is our follow-up on alleged fraud perpetrated by drivers on Go-Jek’s platform during the Lunar New Year. It’s a continuation of our promise to keep tech unicorns honest – and we think reducing fraud is important for Southeast Asia’s tech industry to reach its potential.

We want to do more of these kinds of stories, and you can support us by subscribing. Only with more resources can we pursue deep, authoritative journalism that punches through press releases to get at the real story.

Here are more subscriber exclusives you should check out:

• A new empire threatens Tencent
• A former HSBC insurance CEO started his own insurtech firm. It’s already profitable.
• A startup is making your blood test results easy to track and understand
• The startup with a plan to crush Candy Crush
• Rising SE Asian startups this week: sugar daddies, music, and more
• Meet the 50 top-funded startups and tech companies in China
• Complete list of tech and startup events in Singapore

Cheers,

Terence Lee
Chief editor