With Flash Express entering Unicorn status, will we see more Southeast Asia Unicorns emerge?

Flash Express, a Thai logistics and transportation company that operates a door-to-door pickup and delivery service, has reportedly entered unicorn status after raising $150 million in its Series D+ and Series E round of funding. The logistics startup plans to use the fresh funding to expand into more communities, introduce payments services, and support online merchants through loans. Earlier…

Why FinTechs should embrace Open Finance

Offer an engaging user experience by creating a stress-free onboarding process. Build hyper-personalized products that customers love. Welcome to the future of financial services, where Open Finance makes the above possible. Led by the drive towards an open ecosystem where financial companies can securely exchange the data of their customers with one another, Open Finance is enabling…

Vietnam is emerging as Southeast Asia’s hotspot for venture capital post-COVID

Despite the hardship brought about by COVID-19, Vietnam is becoming ever more capital-attracting. 2020’s difficulties have barely stopped venture capital activity in the country. In fact, the total value of investments poured into Vietnamese startups in Q1 2021 reached more than US$100 million, increasing by about 34 percent YoY with foreign investors being dominant, as reported by South Korean…

Why insurance for delivery riders is a win-win

The arrival of COVID-19 has changed the way we all live and work. With worldwide lockdowns, customers have grown used to the flexibility and convenience of a lifestyle that is more online than ever before. In Vietnam, a slew of online delivery services is in increasingly high demand, leading to unique challenges in terms of delivery worker acquisition, and of course, protection. The pandemic…

Gushcloud is professionalizing management of digital creators, influencers, and talent [ORIGIN Innovation Awards Q&A]

Editor’s note: This interview is part of a Q&A series with winners of the ORIGIN Innovation Awards 2020. Gushcloud International is a winner in the category Startup Awards–Media & Entertainment. When social media was just a nascent technology in the early 2000s, who knew that it would be a viable means of content distribution and monetization decades after? According to Statista,…

There is no magic in crafting the magic wand for fashion tech, just old fashioned hard work!

My name is Oh Tepmongkol-Wheaton. I am the CEO/Co-founder of the OHZONE, Inc., a fashion tech startup based in the SF Bay Area. The founding team came together at Stanford and Nvidia and has deep technical expertise in 3D technology. We have spent 24 women-years developing the patented 3D photorealistic (3DREAL™) technology to create true-to-life digital assets from real garments. OHZONE…

It’s happening: Gojek and Tokopedia finalize merger to form GoTo Group

After the buzz about a possible merger in early January, Indonesia’s leading tech companies Gojek and Tokopedia have officially announced their merger. The new entity that comes out of this deal is called GoTo Group, and is set to become the biggest technology business group in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. Gojek published a blog post to inform the public about the merger, confirming many…

How Parcel Perform is reimagining the logistics experience for businesses and end-users [ORIGIN Innovation Awards Q&A]

Editor’s note: This interview is part of a Q&A series with winners of the ORIGIN Innovation Awards 2020. Parcel Perform is a winner in the category Startup Awards–Logistics & LMF. The logistics market in Southeast Asia is expected to reach $55.7 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 5.5 percent. Some of the key catalysts in this market include the rapid growth of e-commerce, enhanced trade…

Returning investor Telkomsel boosts Gojek investment by $300M to grow Indonesia’s digital lifestyle infrastructure

Indonesian unicorn Gojek has secured $300 million in additional funding from Telkomsel, a brand name of GSM and IMTS Mobile phone network owned by Telkom. The digital telco company’s investment follows an existing collaboration between the two companies. The increased investment will help Gojek ramp up its digital services and generate new and innovative solutions. Gojek’s total funding now…