Letter to readers: The dark side of super apps

Dear readers,

What happens when a super app is managed irresponsibly or runs out of money? Suppliers get hit, contractors lose a major source of income, and employees go unpaid.

In my opinion piece, The irresponsible demise of Honestbee, I talk about why platform owners need to hold themselves to a higher level of responsibility and watch their unit economics like a hawk.

I argue that the media has a part to play in spotlighting a startup’s unit economics over pure hype, and you can certainly help Tech in Asia play this role by subscribing.

On the brighter side of things, we also looked at Fave, which has started its series C process in a bid to become the leading super app for merchants.

Staying on the super app theme, we examined why Visa’s backing both Grab and Gojek, and looked at the significance of Indonesia’s president calling Grab the country’s fifth unicorn.

Finally, we peeked under Carro’s hood. The “Alibaba for cars” is growing fast and is near breakeven. It has abandoned the classified model in favor of offering a full suite of services for the used car ecosystem.

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• Vietnamese edtech startup bags pre-series A funding to grow self-learning platform

Evergreen

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• Complete list of tech and startup events in Singapore

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Happy reading,

Terence
Chief editor