Technology knows no boundaries, but it also has its own unique process. Here, Dongdian will review this issue (2024.) with you01.29-2024.02.04) What are the events in the field of science and technology Internet in Southeast Asia?
In the fast-growing tech startup scene in Southeast Asia, the label of having an advanced degree from a prestigious university may make a company more visible (and trusted), after all, not everyone has a lot of time to fully research the company. However, it is not difficult to find that with the gradual end of the "vizzio founder academic fraud incident", these waves are also reflecting some deeper thinking.
On the one hand, or in a way, unlike Juicero or Theranos, Vizzio's fraud may seem less "harmless" — as the company's board of directors put it, "Vizzio's technology doesn't depend on PhDs." The technology has been proven and successfully applied in Singapore and other parts of the world... In addition, there is an argument that Vizzio's actions are not representative of the entire startup scene in Singapore, which is still the tech hub of Southeast Asia, and that the openness and inclusiveness of the city are still encouraging more explorers to stop here.
Skeptics may focus more on what causes this phenomenon. Need more transparency in Singapore's technological innovation? In the process of accelerating, shouldn't the pursuit of speed and scale be slower? How should all levels, including enterprises and employees, prevent the emergence of the next similar storm? ·· Although this incident may not be well known, after Vizzio, at least in Southeast Asia, it is believed that there will be more discussion about startups.
Of course, in any case, the Vizzio affair has once again put entrepreneurship in the spotlight – they may represent a direction of development in the region, but at the same time, it is not just the performance of these companies in terms of financing or business capabilities. It is hoped that this event can promote the healthy development of Singapore's scientific and technological innovation, and also make the outside world look at the opportunities and challenges more rationally and prudently.
Okay, without further ado, let's get to the point.
Meizu Group Expands into Southeast Asia and Expands Overseas Market for MyVu AR Smart Glasses: Meizu Group recently announced its entry into Southeast Asia, and the signing ceremony for international distribution with Malaysia's Juwei Group was completed in Shanghai. The two companies will work together to expand overseas markets, mainly in Southeast Asia, and provide MyVu AR smart glasses to consumers in 11 countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
Southeast Asia's digital economy will account for more than half of the country's GDP by 2027: Southeast Asia's digital economy will account for 56% of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 2027, according to a recent data released by fintech company Unafinancial**. By then, the gross value added (**a) of Southeast Asia's digital economy is expected to reach 2., UNAFINANCIAL noted in the data$35 trillion, up 45% from 2022. It is reported that this figure is equivalent to 55 of Southeast Asia's **GDP in 27 years7%。For comparison, the proportion was 44 in '228%。
TikTok e-commerce 'return to Indonesia' deal completes, officially controlling local tech giant Tokopedia: Indonesian tech giant Goto has officially closed the deal announced in December last year with an investment of 8$400 million acquisition of 75. of Goto's e-commerce subsidiary, Tokopedia01% shares. With this transaction, TikTok Shop's Indonesian operations and Tokopedia will be officially merged with immediate effect, and the combined PT Tokopedia entity will be controlled by TikTok, which has committed to a long-term investment of more than US$1.5 billion.
BYD: Plans to add dozens of new sales outlets in Singapore and the Philippines this year: According to Nikkei Asia, James Ng, general manager of BYD's Singapore and Philippine markets, revealed that the company plans to add dozens of sales outlets in these two markets this year. Specifically, BYD already has more than 10 dealers in the Philippines, and the company plans to add more than 20 dealers in the local area this year to provide local consumers with more convenient car purchase and after-sales services. BYD has seven sales outlets in Singapore, and plans to add two to three more in Singapore this year.
GAC Aion Southeast Asia Export Distribution Center Opens to Accelerate Automobile Exports: On February 1, the official opening of GAC Aion's Southeast Asia Export Distribution Center and the first batch of container shipments from the Thailand plant were held in Hualong. Chen Xiaochao, general manager of Guangzhou GAC Trade and Logistics, said that the official opening of the Southeast Asia export distribution center is another platform for GAC Trade Logistics to empower Aion's strategy of going overseas and provide logistics services in line with China, and it is another extension of independent packaging design, independent logistics planning and independent logistics operation.
VinGroup plans to invest in the Philippine market: Vinfast's parent company, Vietnamese giant Vingroup, has announced that the group is planning to invest in the Philippine market. As a first step in the plan, VinGroup will first promote Vinfast's local electric vehicle and two-wheeler distribution network, according to VinGroup. It is worth mentioning that VinGroup also revealed that it aims to operate in at least 50 countries this year, of which Southeast Asia has been designated as a key market region.
Southeast Asia's food delivery market spending scale increased by 5% year-on-year in '23: According to a report recently released by Moten Venture Capital, during 2023, the spending scale of Southeast Asia's food delivery market increased by 5% year-on-year compared with 22 years, reaching $17.1 billion. According to the report, this growth was mainly driven by Vietnam (+27%), the smallest food delivery market in the region. Malaysia showed a 9% increase, Thailand and Indonesia saw lower growth, and Singapore had a flat income. Moreover, according to the report, by the end of 2023, Grab is expected to account for 55% of the total value (GMV) of takeaway goods in the region, or $9.4 billion, an increase of 68%。Foodpanda and GoJek are expected to contribute 15. to GMV in the region8% ($2.7 billion) and 105% (US$1.8 billion), down 129% and 10%.
Singtel partners with NVIDIA to bring AI to Singapore and Southeast Asia: Singtel recently announced that it has joined the NVIDIA Partner Network Cloud Program and will bring NVIDIA's full-stack AI platform to enterprises in the region. The NVIDIA-backed AI cloud will be hosted by Singtel's NXERA regional data center business, which will develop a new generation of sustainable, hyper-connected, AI-ready data centers, Singtel said in a statement.
Healthtech company Mesh Bio raises $3.5 million in funding: Mesh Bio was founded in 2018 to help healthcare providers manage patients through its digital solutions. Specifically, according to reports, Mesh BIO can develop clinical decision support analysis and automation solutions for the management of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, and its health intelligence platform called DARA can provide medical staff with real-time, multi-dimensional patient data including health history, laboratory tests and medical images, etc., and can also provide ** analysis functions to identify patients at risk of chronic diseases, so that they can be diagnosed and ** early.
Labor re-education platform Pintar raises $3 million in funding: Pintar was founded in 2013 as Harukaedu and then changed its name to Pintar in 2022. It is reported that unlike most local education technology companies in Indonesia, which mainly target the K-12 group, Pintar is mainly committed to providing a series of solutions including training, certification and job placement for the adult labor force. In addition, Pintar's platform will also be used by employers for employee recruitment and training.
When the helm of a Singaporean company is plagued by "academic fraud": artificial intelligence, digital twins, urban modeling... On the official website of a Singaporean startup called Vizzio, it's easy to see that it's trying to show the outside world what it is all about with these special words that are representative enough. Recently, however, Vizzio has been being recognized in an unexpected way.