Can Line Man Wongnai match up to Grab?

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Hello reader,

As a kid, it was really straightforward when it came to picking the sports teams to support – just go with whoever’s winning. In European football, that was Manchester United. In basketball, that would’ve been the LA Lakers.

As I grew up and developed my own values, I came to have more nuanced reasons for liking teams.

Maybe it’s a team that’s up and coming, growing in a sustainable way, such as the likes of the Premier League’s Brighton and Hove Albion or the Leicester City of a few years ago.

Maybe it’s because the team has a humble superstar leading it, like Dirk Nowitzki on the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA. Or maybe it’s a fallen giant that has the potential to become great again, like Tokyo Verdy of the J-League.

Point is, it’s just not as fun or meaningful to just go with whoever’s already on top, at least to me.

Today’s premium story focuses on Line Man Wongnai and what it’s doing to battle Grab, the current leader of food delivery in Thailand. If nothing else, a credible rivalry leads to better offers for consumers, so it’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out.

Today we look at:

• Line Man Wongnai’s credentials in the Thailand food delivery arena
• Cainiao’s filing for its planned Hong Kong Stock Exchange IPO
• Other newsy highlights such as the US$3 million pre-series A round of an ex-Tesla employee’s EV startup and Foxconn’s latest collaboration to improve self-driving cars

Premium summary

Line Man Wongnai vs Grab – could it be an interesting matchup?

Image credit: Timmy Loen

Food delivery appears to be a sort of “gateway drug” for tech firms. They start with that – or ride-hailing – and suddenly add lending and other lifestyle services and bang! There’s a new super app in town.

Can Line Man Wongnai stand toe to toe with Grab in Thailand? The next few years will be interesting.

The bird prepares to land in Hong Kong

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