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Hi readers,
I was lucky enough to be able to take care of both of my kids during their pre-school years thanks to my previous job being a fully remote one. While balancing between work deadlines and diaper changes wasn’t easy, my family got to save some cash that would have been spent for daycare services had I needed to work on-site.
For many Indonesian families, enrolling their children in a daycare center remains a luxury. Not only because it costs a substantial amount of money – 2 million to 5 million rupiah (US$125 to US$312) per month in Jakarta – but also because of deeply rooted social norms that frown upon working mothers. As such, most families here end up relying completely on traditional family-based childcare.
Yet even more concerning than costs is the reliability of such daycare facilities, with a lot of them operating without proper licenses. Beyond issues like hygiene standards or impact on children’s cognitive development, some parents are concerned that their kids could become victims of child abuse in these facilities.
Despite all these red flags, some startups are seeing opportunities within Indonesia’s daycare sector, complete with investors’ backing. So what makes this niche promising, and how are these new players using tech to challenge the status quo?
— Glenn Kaonang, journalist at Tech in Asia
Top stories this week
Image credit: Timmy Loen
1️. Can startups nurture Indonesia’s overlooked daycare market?
New players are using tech to standardize methods within the industry and ease parents’ worries about childcare providers.
2. Singapore’s soaring rents reshape co-working dynamics
Tighter margins have led some of the country’s co-working space operators to adopt an asset-light strategy.
3. Carro swaps growth for profitability as losses fall 92% in FY24
The used-car marketplace also announced that it had received a strategic investment from Woori Venture Partners.
4. Boost battles bad loans as potential stake sale looms
The fintech business of a Malaysian telco major reported US$5.9 million in bad loans and is suing to recover about US$2.3 million.
5. Singapore bets big on family office rules amid HK, Dubai rivalry
However, the new framework may not attract wealthy families seeking simplicity and the best tax incentives, experts say.
6. Indonesian 3PLs say Shopee antitrust fix falls short, urge action
With the price war in logistics escalating, 3PL players are calling for a minimum price regulation for healthy competition.
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