Singapore needs to push its startups beyond seed funding | Singapore Business Review

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

Great to get a mention but I am hoping SeedPlus does more than crowd the scene:

New players such as 500 Startups and SeedPlus are similarly joining the party to crowd the initial investment scene whilst some are opting to provide higher but still initial financing levels like Golden Gate Ventures and Rakuten Ventures who graduated from providing seed to Series A funding.

Singapore needs to push its startups beyond seed funding | Singapore Business Review

I salute the doers

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

I wrote this post some time back when I was struggling away at a yoga retreat.

https://seedvc.blog/2017/04/09/more-struggle-less-hustle/

When I read all this crazy stuff about Theranos, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/03/shes-a-criminal-who-should-be-in-prison-vcs-trash-elizabeth-holmes-theranos-and-shareholders, I am reminded again of the scene. For the record I think the CEO if Theranos should be in jail and it may actually happen if people who were tricked by her begin to sue.

Being in the startup industry I see all of the stages of companies but I remind myself that as a whole we all only see what is being written about, what is being put on social media or what we grok at an event. For the rest of us we either feel what we are doing, see the folks around us or hear first hand tails retold by those who know.

However most of the time we only know about our personal struggles, losses and wins – and maybe those close to us. I urge everyone to listen more closely to those around you while digging into your own journey a bit more.

Your own markers for success probably won’t come with a press release and may even go unnoticed by others but you have to dig down and enjoy them for what they are. You will also have to deal with many of your losses on your own and figure out how best to course correct and learn from them.

The startup journey is never easy and mostly doesn’t end for founders they way they hoped it would.

I have been writing things down more than usual hoping I can look back to celebrate the small successes while making sure I try and learn from the bumps and bruises all the way.

I salute the doers – wherever you are. Enjoy your journey.

What it Takes to Win the Southeast Asian E-commerce Market in 2018 – Amit Anand of Jungle Ventures

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

Some nice quotes from Amit of Jungle:

Amit Anand, co-founder and managing partner at Jungle Ventures, predicts 2018 is when “online-to-offline (O2O) will go mainstream in Southeast Asia. Many Internet businesses will realize that they can scale more efficiently and quickly and also provide better consumer experiences by creating hybrid, omni-channel models.”

Take Pomelo Fashion, an online fast fashion brand and one of Jungle Ventures’ portfolio investments, which recently launched an offline presence. “In the span of a couple of months, it has already experienced huge growth, both in terms of conversion and also an uptick in average order values of purchases made by customers,” shares Anand.

and

According to Anand, one of the critical factors for success in the digital world is the ability to collect, track, and use data.

“Digital interactions and transactions leave a trail of insights, but data cannot be effectively utilized if it is not captured comprehensive. This is an area where I always encourage our teams to start early and get a head start over their competition,” he says, adding that there are tools and frameworks now in place to help start-ups implement this more effectively and economically.

To be sure, e-commerce is still in its nascent stages in Southeast Asia. “In this regard, we can continue to expect more investments to come from companies and government bodies to improve and innovate on everything from discovery to last mile delivery,” says Anand.

What it Takes to Win the Southeast Asian E-commerce Market in 2018 – inc-asean.cominc-asean.com