Rice, rice baby

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,

Rice really does make the world go round.

As someone who comes from the west, the importance of that little grain was somewhat lost on me before I moved to Asia. Yes, I was aware a lot of people ate it every day, but the position rice has in a lot of cultures in this part of the world was lost on me.

I’m from Ireland, where the staple is potatoes and they’re consumed by most families daily, but the little rituals, ceremonies, and other quirks that surround rice consumption and production are missing, or maybe forgotten.

For example, rice is so ingrained in Vietnamese cuisine that to ask someone if they have eaten a meal yet, one simply asks if they have eaten rice yet. Then there’s the dinner etiquette, which ensures that the younger family members serve their elders rice at the start of a meal.

Rest assured that in my family home, you had to get to the potatoes before my dad did if you wanted to eat!

Rice makes the world go round, but sadly, the way it’s farmed harms the environment. Temasek-backed startup Rize is working to remedy that situation, with a focus on working with farmers.

Today we look at:

• The rise of rice-focused startup Rize
• Singtel scooping up US$806 million for a piece of its data center business
• Other newsy highlights such as AirAsia announcing a rebrand of its super app and Shein committing US$85 million to “empower” the global fashion community.

Premium summary

Making rice green again

Image credit: Timmy Loen

There’s a good chance you’re going to eat some rice today. I know I will, just like 3 billion or so other folks around the world who depend on it as a staple food.

Unfortunately, rice production accounts for nearly 10% of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Rize, a Singapore-based startup, is working on a solution to that problem.

Data dump

Did you miss us the first time? Great news: We’re coming back to Manila for the exclusive founders-only networking event!

Quick bytes