These 2 trends in Southeast Asia could be game-changing

A new wave of startups wants to get rid of pen and paper in a hard-to-crack space. [Read from your browser]( Editor's Letter Dear {NAME} Paperwork sucks. Many microenterprises in Southeast Asia, however, are satisfied with tracking their cash via pen and paper. That was the subject of our No. 1 premium story last week, which discussed how [a VC-fueled race to become Indonesia’s top digital bookkeeper]( has begun. A few local startups believe that microentrepreneurs in the region’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities will adopt apps to manage their businesses. Photo credit: East Ventures The question is, are their efforts to effect change financially sustainable? Forget about subscription fees. Instead, these startups hope that charging payment processing fees is the way to go. But this space is so full of hurdles that Khatabook, a leading digital bookkeeping company in India, quickly shut down its efforts in Indonesia. Investing or doing a startup in Southeast Asia is hard enough, but the Covid-19 pandemic has made things more difficult. [The rise of VC scouts in Southeast Asia, however, could be a solution.]( As the term implies, scouts act as extra eyes and ears for VCs. Scout programs could also offer people a taste of the VC life before deciding if they want to plunge into it. For VCs, scouts could alleviate the pain of travel restrictions, which make due diligence challenging. It surely doesn’t hurt to have a local sherpa who understands the local scene well and can help judge startups. After all, nothing is certain in startup life, except death and near-death experiences. Nazara, a prominent gaming company in India, [made countless pivots]( to ward off its demise, our journalist writes. We also looked at how one of India’s newest unicorns [had to go through a drastic change to survive](. Survival is a gift in these grim times. There are a number of initiatives worth supporting in this regard: TiE Singapore is organizing a fundraiser to help India fight against Covid-19, and you can donate through either of [these]( [channels](. There’s also [another fundraising initiative]( to procure oxygen concentrators for India. Meanwhile, many tech executives have been working on meaningful projects, as highlighted by [Luminaries]( an extensive list drawn up by startup platform e27. A great example is Nadine Yap, chief product officer of parenting media company TheAsianParent. She led the development of a product feature aimed at preventing stillbirths. We certainly look forward to uncovering more tales of inspiration like this in the coming months. As always, do [subscribe to Tech in Asia]( to support our work. 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