Commentaries: A list of startups I like ❤️

Dear Readers,

After becoming a dad, I’ve become a lot more introspective about my actions and temperament.

My 2-year-old daughter looks like me (or at least that’s what most people say). Some of her behavior and reactions mirror mine, too. For example, she prefers to figure things out herself and doesn’t enjoy being told what to do. Independence and determination are good in general, but it can be annoying as hell when she gets overly obstinate. 😒

It’s these frustrating moments that triggered my self-reflection, and realized that I very likely have annoyed others, too. So to everyone whose patience I tested, I’m sorry. 😅🙏

You can find last week’s Commentaries – “Gojek is going big or going home 💥” – here. If you’re a TIA subscriber, you can read all our Commentaries here.

Enjoy reading! 😊

– Willis, Tech in Asia

P.S. Our next subscriber-only meetup is a fireside chat with Richard Koh, CEO and co-founder of M-DAQ, on September 26. Check this out for more details. This is a follow-up session after we wrote about him in “How M-DAQ got its big break after pitching to Jack Ma.”

Stories with commentaries

1. Snapshots of Southeast Asia’s booming startup scene 📷
Southeast Asia wasn’t a thing a decade ago. I remember Sarah Lacy, who was a senior editor at TechCrunch, questioned whether East Ventures was early or crazy. In hindsight, it looks like EV amazingly got the timing right.

Today, the region is thriving with a healthy flow of capital and funding-worthy startups. Looking at how small companies have grown, we certainly feel a sense of achievement having assisted many of the companies along their journeys.

Recently, there’s been a slew of reports that offer different perspectives on the startup ecosystem here, such as:

• Southeast Asia tech investment – H1 2019 – Cento Ventures
• Exit landscape in Southeast Asia – Golden Gate Ventures
• The most connected VCs in Asia –Tech in Asia

Events also paint a picture of how vibrant the region’s startup scene is.

The upcoming Tech in Asia Conference in Jakarta, which will run from October 8 to 9, marks the eighth time we’re staging this show. But this year feels more special as our Jakarta and Singapore offices worked much more closely together to pull off this event, which we hope will be magical for you.

Our conference isn’t just about high-profile speakers or a smartly curated showcase of startups. It’s about bridging the connection gap and creating a level playing field for entrepreneurs so they can raise money from VCs and/or find the right partner to further their dreams.