Always a fan of Jon and his writing.

We got to hang again for breakfast – always a good chat. I think we need to do a breakfast meetup. 😉

Asia Tech Review: September 9 2019 | Revue

I like this part in this week’s newsletter:

And finally… on the future

Visiting Singapore always gets me thinking. This week it was triggered by Bloomberg’s ‘Sooner Than You Think Event’ – as the name implies it is focused on current companies, tech and trends that will impact the future.

It didn’t take long to notice how so many of the faces on stage for interviews were people who I had met/got to know years ago when their companies were much smaller. Now they are the big guns, and I can think of countless others who weren’t at the show but fit that bracket.

Southeast Asia and tech are on such a growth spurt that it propels founders and startups. That’s not a bad thing at all, but it is quite something to see familiar faces consistently on stage at events, on TV interviews, or managed by large entourages such has been their rise.

The last five years have seen so much growth that it is impossible to imagine what the next five or ten will bring. Putting aside the tech and business models, I can say with certainty that many of the biggest companies/founders of the future are already active in the region today. That may sound obvious, but it is easy to lose perspective. (I’m not alone in thinking this.)

A recent report from Golden Gate Ventures – an investor in tech startup, of course – predicts “at least 700 anticipated startup exits between 2023–2025.” While, in the here and now, a new report from Preqin shows an increased interest (and activity) in Southeast Asia from global investment firms.

I’m not in the business of predicting numbers, but it is clear it’ll be a heck of a ride. That applies to tech anywhere in the world, but I do think it’ll be even wilder in Southeast Asia where the region is moving upwards despite challenging global conditions.

(This is also why I joined The Ken, I believe we need more analysis and thoughtful commentary. Shameless plug over.)

I think that the growth in the SEAsian tech scene over the next 10 years, even with a possible slowdown, will be much bigger than the last 10 years.

Singapore will continue to be a factor and the center of the SEAsian growth story.

Pretty amazing to see the folks that are becoming big players in the scene.

Also fun to he hear and be a part of it all.