In the sea of news sources and blogs that have sprung up over the past decade, TechInAsia has managed to distinguish itself as a popular, credible and comprehensive source for news related to technology and startups in Asia.
Believing that “Asia is big. Its place in the world, even bigger,” the company aims to focus primarily on this region. Their mission is “To serve and connect Asia’s technology and startup ecosystem.”
TechInAsia provides up-to-date news and features on startups in Asia, including countries such as China, Pakistan, Thailand, Japan, India, Indonesia, Korea, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. It also covers mobile apps and developments, as well as social media and issues in e-commerce. It provides a well-rounded representation of developments in this area, broadly relating to the tech industry.
How It Works
The company prides itself on being somewhat unconventional, with its base spread across Asia and the USA. It doesn’t operate through a head office, but instead their team meets every year for major events and conferences.
The website is managed online, “with a virtual newsroom that spans many countries, we aspire to find a story, cover it, and send it out to the world within minutes.” TechInAsia’s team of writers, editors, bloggers and journalists contribute content for the site. They have also managed to develop a unique culture despite being spatially distant, and this has contributed to the identity and work ethic of the company. This culture embodies five aspects, which are:
- “We believe in work+life, not work versus life
- We communicate transparently within team members
- We believe in data and KPIs
- We are obsessed with our customers, not competitors
- We get things done”
Willis Wee (@williswee), who was involved in various entrepreneurial ventures from a young age, started TechInAsia. He is an avid blogger, and was experienced in advertising and running businesses before founding the blog.
The company has two Chief Editors. One is Steven Millward (@SirSteven) who is based in China, and the other is Charlie Custer (@ChinaGeeks) who is based in North America.
There is also an app for TechInAsia, which provides news feed. It is available here.
Acquisitions
In 2013, TechInAsia acquired a tech blog based in Singapore, called SGEntrepreneurs (SGE). SGE began in 2005 and covered developments relating to startups in Singapore. They also worked extensively with international companies and the government sector, “championing startups and bridging communities.” At one point, they even hosted Dr. Tony San when he was a candidate for the Singapore Presidency. The amount for which TechInAsia acquired SGE was not divulged.
Speaking to the similarities in the two tech blogs and their coverage of similar spaces, SGE founder Gwendolyn Regina Tan explained: “A combined entity with so much content on Asia as a whole can only have a multiplicative result.”
Shortly after this event, TechInAsia announced that had acquired another site, GameSaku. Based in Indonesia, GameSaku extensively covered gaming developments for PC, mobiles and consoles. The acquisition led to the development of a new site called Games in Asia, which will have a slightly different focus in that it will still cover all sorts of gaming related news, but will also cover issues related to gaming culture and gaming startups specific to Asia.
In both acquisitions, founding members of the acquired companies joined the team at TechInAsia.
In addition to these, TechInAsia also received Series B funding from Fenox Venture Captial. Willis Wee is reported to say about the funding that they were “excited to have Fenox Venture Capital on board. Through their global connections, experience in building Silicon Valley-styled startups, and direct operational support, I’m confident we will grow expeditiously.”
Startup Asia
TechInAsia also hosts a conference called Startup Asia, which is its signature event. This event started in 2012 and was last held in November 2013 in Jakarta. The next one if being held soon, on May 7th and 8th in Singapore. The event is bi-annual, and takes place is either Singapore or Indonesia.
It focuses on new startups and products that are coming up in Asia. During the two-day event, startups will have the opportunity to form networks and connections, which will help them grow further, as well as exposure and a venue to showcase their ideas. There are several events that take place, and these include talks by experienced speakers from the industry, discussions, breakout sessions, and Market Expansion Tracks, among others. To see the full agenda, click here.
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