All flash, no focus

Sign up for the Daily Newsletter, sent exclusively to our premium subscribers. We break down the big and messy topics of Asia’s tech and startup community. Get the newsletter in your inbox everyday with a premium subscription.

Hello reader,

How did you get your first job? Way back in the mists of time when I was a fresh graduate, I did what a lot of folks with humanities degrees do: I took anything I could get.

That meant working in a call center for minimum wage and making 400-plus phone calls a day to pensioners who were largely uninterested in the raffle books I was pushing. Suffice to say, I didn’t find my calling straight out of university.

If I was graduating in today’s tougher job market, I might look to learn some useful skills (no shade to my English literature degree) to make myself a better pick for employers. I might even sign up for a course with an edtech company to beef up my skills.

Today’s premium story explores one of these platforms in Refocus – and why taking one of its courses might not be a good idea right now.

Today we look at:

• Layoffs and questionable marketing allegations at Refocus
• Dtcpay’s Hong Kong expansion
• Other newsy highlights such as sweeping layoffs at Binance and funding for a logistics network

— Peter

P.S: We’ve launched our own channel on Telegram and we’d like you to join us there! Never miss a Tech in Asia story: Every time we publish an article, a message with a link to the piece will pop up in the channel. Click here to join.

Premium summary

Losing focus

Image credit: Timmy Loen

Refocus has suspended operations in its home market of the Philippines, putting more than 100 employees’ futures up in the air.

The edtech firm, which teaches in-demand skills and helps students get jobs in the IT sector, has also received complaints about its sales and marketing tactics.

Hong Kong expansion

Come aboard and discover how you can navigate through the challenges of your startup journey

Quick bytes