Indonesia’s final frontier

Instead of sending starships, these startups are driving lorries to the country’s rural areas. [Read from your browser]( Editor's Letter Dear {NAME} I watched a fair bit of Star Trek growing up. I still do. There’s something about venturing into a new frontier that appeals to me. But it’s all escapism. In the real world, exploring new frontiers is less glamorous though still exciting. A few Indonesian startups are exploring what’s perhaps the final frontier in Indonesian retail. Instead of sending starships, they’re driving lorries to the country’s rural areas. Their mission? To empower roadside stalls or warungs with digital tools to help sellers make a better living for themselves. Last week, we wrote about Dagangan, [a startup that is looking to become Indonesia’s next big consumer goods company](. It’s taking a unique approach: Besides empowering stall owners, it’s setting up its own house brand, too. We also featured [Ula, which has experienced rapid growth in Indonesia since it started](. It’s picking up lessons from players that have come before it, and has the additional benefit of gaining funding and wisdom from the co-founders of Udaan, India’s multi-billion dollar equivalent. Turning to Singapore, we look at how [the country may be approaching a golden age for SaaS startups](. A number of startups here have made a decent fortune selling software to customers an ocean away, which makes us more confident that the next wave of SaaS companies can do even better. As we were writing this story, news about Patsnap’s [huge valuation]( broke. It’s certainly a sign that things are moving in the [right direction for Singapore](. There are bound to be some bumps in the road, however, as insurtech platform CXA found out when it had to [lay off its entire team in Vietnam]( in the process of growing its SaaS business. These challenges should be viewed with the right perspective: Startups face them all the time, and many end up doing alright. That was certainly the case for TradeGecko, which had to [lay off a quarter of its staff]( en route to an [US$80 million sale](. These stories convince me that I probably don’t have the stomach to start a VC-funded high-growth company. There’s just a lot of heartbreak involved while working for an uncertain outcome. That’s certainly the case for Myanmar, [which is seeing an exodus of investors even as startups see an opportunity.](. Who could’ve predicted that a coup would happen in the country just a year ago? On a brighter note, we also covered [how hospitality startup RedDoorz saw record revenues despite Covid-19](. The startup, which was scrambling to counter a generational crisis, appears to have emerged in good shape. Tech in Asia has had our fair share of tribulations over the years too, as our founder Willis Wee wrote in [this reflective piece](. As you’ll see, we’ve had an equal number of successes and failures. What keeps us going is the approach of embracing both the bad times and the good. After all, nothing lasts forever. We do hope to keep going for much longer though, and you can help us do so with a [Tech in Asia subscription](. Your support will go toward funding our unvarnished coverage about both the challenges and triumphs of the region’s top startups. Best regards, Terence Lee Editor-in-Chief To ensure that you don't miss out on the biggest tech news and analysis, add newsletter@techinasia.com to your address book, contacts, or safe sender list. Or simply move us into your inbox. Tech in Asia’s newsletters are handcrafted daily with love - and sometimes powered by good coffee. Don't want to receive these emails anymore? [Unsubscribe](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 2021 Tech in Asia, All rights reserved. 51 Bras Basah Rd, #05-5061, Singapore 189554