8 stories we loved writing this year

There was lots of great writing from the fast-growing Tech in Asia team this year, so we thought it’d be fun to let writers explain in their own words why they like one particular work of theirs published in 2015.

Osman

I thoroughly enjoyed writing This startup is solving the worst thing about the end of your holiday – pesky foreign currency.

What’s not to love about travel? Visiting exotic locations, devouring local food, and remaining in a constant state of inebriation is something we plan for months in advance. The only downside comes when we’re in a rush to get rid of the foreign currency accumulated during our stay. We buy stuff we really don’t need.

The beauty of this startup is that it’s such a simple yet unique idea. Almost every traveler experiences the same problem, yet no one’s really given much thought about how to solve it. Until Travelersbox, that is. That’s not to discredit the immense amount of work gone into executing the idea – locking in partnerships with several big companies, and eventually eliminating the transaction fees they take from consumers. No wonder it was one of the most widely-shared articles on Tech in Asia this year.

Nadine

If I have to pick one, it’s Why motorcycle taxi drivers are ganging up against on-demand ride apps in Indonesia.

Here’s the back story… After app-based motorcycle taxi hailing became a thing in Jakarta thanks to Go-Jek and GrabBike, traditional motorbike taxi drivers fought back. They saw their source of income threatened.

The story required me to seek out and talk to many such frustrated motorcycle taxi drivers, as well as the management of an apartment tower block which had been declared a “anti-Go-Jek“ stronghold. It’s fascinating to witness how people deal with technological progress. Some adapt, others refuse to – or can’t. Startups need to learn to navigate this tricky environment.

Terence

I pick How one app got from zero to 3 billion monthly pageviews in 3 years.

Nothing captures India’s vast potential like the story of a startup’s meteoric rise to become a staple of news consumption for people in India and abroad.

Dailyhunt was a startup in the right place and at the right time. It caught the wave of smartphone consumption and grabbed on to pole position, never letting go since. It focused on speed by keeping its app lightweight.

Now, it has reached a crucial juncture. It’s expanding its feature set and taking baby steps to monetize. Perhaps there’s a follow-up story in the future on whether it will successfully manage the transition.

Jeff

I select Advertising pays the bills, but this entrepreneur would rather make music and teach kids to code.

This article, a profile of Shikumi Design founder Shunsuke Nakamura, was actually a flop as far as page views and social media shares are concerned, but it was probably the most important piece I wrote in 2015.

Nivi

Malu

Charlie

Steven