Make in India: meet 5 promising Internet of things startups from Bangalore
Internet of Things in India is becoming quite trendy, as a lot of the conversations happening at Bangalore’s top tech event Nasscom Product Conclave showed. Make in India vs. Innovate with China: two economic policies for Asia’s giants This trend also benefits from a broader support from the government. Back in September, India’s new Prime […]
Baby e-commerce in Vietnam with Taembe cofounder Don Phan
For one of our research projects, we have been in touch with taembe.com, an e-commerce website similar to Diapers.com for Vietnam. As I was asking a few questions on digital innovation for parents in South-East Asia, I found it useful to share the interview I ran with Taembe co-founder Don Phan. Born in the US to […]
Startup Books #3: Startup Rising, the Entrepreneurial Revolution in the Middle-East, by Christophe Schroeder
So far, Startup Rising: The Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking the Middle-East is one of the top startup books we have read, and that we recommend. In a dense, 200+ pages, author Christopher M Schroeder not only gives a kaleidoscopic view of an exciting region, he also shares his own journey, started with “a first mentorship experience […]
Start-Up Chile: effective support to the entrepreneur or actual struggle?
Start-Up Chile is a well-known program of the Chilean government to attract early entrepreneurs and support start-up creation in the country, consisting of a USD 40K grant, a visa to work in Chile, plus some extra practical help like mentoring, networking and free access to a coworking space. Beyond the money+visa hook, how does an […]
Open-data in the Philippines: best practices from disaster relief and transportation mapping
While attending Geeks on a Beach last month, we also spent some time in Manila to visit a few labs and agencies, and had several discussions on the state of open-data in the Philippines. Quick reminder: open-data is a recent trend for government, companies and institutions to release their datasets freely, so that users, developers, […]
Coins.ph, a Bitcoin startup to reach the unbanked in the Philippines
While at tech conference Geeks on a Beach on Cebu Island, Philippines, we’ve met with Coins.ph founder Ron Hose, as well as a few other players of the local digital currencies scene. Even flying in to Cebu, a geek on the next seat was coding on his own bitcoin project. Light financial regulation + remittances […]
How South-East Asia startups fare on the global stage?
Some people often compare South-East Asia to Europe, in the way it’s an easy regional shortcut which embraces in reality countries with very different languages, cultures, habits and levels of development. And, just as in Europe, startup ecosystems wonder first what’s the strength of the local regional ecosystem, and then how it fares at a […]
The Philippines startup ecosystem: the tipping point of the "island frontier"
This first day of Geeks on a Beach 2 provided a lot of insights on the state of the Philippines startup ecosystem. Several panels addressed the topic of the country itself, and its position in the broader ASEAN region. Overall, speakers and discussions in the audience agree that it’s the right place and the right […]
Corporate innovation series #3: MEST incubator in Ghana
During the Mobile West Africa conference in Lagos, we’ve met with Neal Hansch, the managing director of the MEST incubator in Ghana. The program is a 24-month incubation for African startups, and its history is quite interesting as we explore the different forms of corporate innovation. MEST Incubator: training West Africa’s entrepreneurs on the long-run […]
Malaysian Entrepreneurship: Market Analysis
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] Facts: GDP – USD$303.5 billion (2012) GDP growth – 5.6% (2012) GDP breakdown – Services: 48.3% / Industry: 40.2% (2012) Inflation rate – 1.7% (2012) Pros: Proactive supportive government/ Highly successful startup history/ Able to take advantage of Singapore’s networks/ Cheap, well-connected regional hub Cons: Lack of global expansion/ Resource-based economy/ Singapore as a competitor/ […]
