The cracks in the story of this teenage Forbes 30 under 30 inductee

Check out our top articles for the week. [Read from your browser]( Top Stories of The Week Hello {NAME} , Good Sunday afternoon! It has been a pretty good week for Tech in Asia, as our story that [scrutinizes the narrative behind a Forbes 30 under 30 inducteeÂ]( viral on Reddit. There are parts that didn’t make it to the published story so our editor-in-chief Terence Lee posted them on a [Twitter thread]( - they are totally worth checking out. As the team winds down today so that our journalists can continue writing kickass articles next week, here’s a reminder that we’re still on the hunt for startups with verified employees and working prototypes to take part in [Tech in Asia’s Pitch Night](. So if you’re a Southeast Asian founder looking to walk away with US$5,000 in cash and media coverage on Tech in Asia, as well as insightful feedback from keen investors, [apply for a pitching slot]( today - application closes in five days’ time! -- Betty Chum, Tech in Asia  ---------------------------------------------------------------  THE BIGGEST STORIES 1️. [Scrutinizing the remarkable tale of this teenage Forbes 30 under 30 inductee]( We investigated Team Labs’ story and found inconsistencies, but CEO Harsh Dalal says that the company is legitimate. 2️. [Forbes removes Team Labs’ Harsh Dalal from 30 Under 30 Asia list]( This move happened after Tech in Asia released a story that investigated and found numerous gaps in Team Labs' narrative. 3. [From halal blockchain to dead coin: The tale of an ICO that went south]( We take a look at a startup that rode the ICO boom in 2018 but failed to take flight, leaving unpaid employees and squandered opportunities in its wake. 4. [Report: SoftBank leads $330m round in Chinese grocery app Dingdong Maicai]( The latest investment brings the total funds raised by Dingdong Maicai in its series D round to over US$1 billion. 5. [PropertyGuru’s revenue and valuation fall for the first time in years]( Asia’s property market took a beating last year, and this may have affected PropertyGuru’s earnings. 6. [Gojek bags $300m from Indonesian telco operator Telkomsel]( Aside from funding, Telkomsel has provided special data packages for Gojek's drivers and allowed its merchants to tap into Telkomsel's user base. 7. [How do Asia’s tech giants stack up against their Western peers?]( In the battle among tech titans, Asia still has some ways to go. 8. [Vietnamese digital entertainment firm Pops looks to raise $50m by Q3 2021]( The new fund is expected to allow Pops to open an office in Japan and potentially expand to the Philippines by 2022. 9. [Sources: Indian auto marketplace CarTrade to file for $272m IPO]( If the listing goes through, it would mark the first auto classifieds service to go public in the country. 10. [SoftBank records $45.8b annual profit after Coupang IPO]( The boost from the blockbuster IPO also makes the Japanese company the world's third most profitable one after Apple and Saudi Aramco.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  LIVE EVENT A framework to finding SEA’s next big idea What are your favorite startups? Mine have got to be ShopBack, Fave, and Grab. While using these apps, I’ve often wondered how they were conceived. Did its founders envision the business to be where it is today? How did they know their ideas would work in a market like Southeast Asia? If you’re also wondering the same things, we have a workshop that is just for you. We have invited Hsu Ken Ooi, general partner of Iterative, to give you exclusive insights on how to identify opportunities in Southeast Asia, plus a framework for evaluating that multi-million dollar business idea. [RSVP today]( since it’s happening tomorrow!  ---------------------------------------------------------------  UNLOCKED PREMIUM ARTICLE Every week, we unlock a premium article so our readers who haven’t made the jump to a premium subscription can enjoy the investigative or in-depth pieces that our editorial team spent weeks (even months) to produce. We started this initiative with the hopes that our audience - whether you’re a cash-tight founder or a student aspiring to be a founder - can continuously get the best coverage about startups and tech in the region. Here's this week's read: [The untold truth of tourism’s post-lockdown ‘recovery’]( You can find all our unlocked premium articles [over here](.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  EVENTS HAPPENING - *Live event* [Workshop] What founders should know about building a startup in Southeast Asia on May 17 SEA is touted as the promised land for tech startups - but there’s little resource focused on building one in the region. If you’re an aspiring (or even experienced) founder looking for the next breakthrough idea, join us on May 17 with experienced entrepreneur Hsu Ken Ooi to get exclusive insights on how to identify multi-million dollar business ideas in SEA, plus a framework for evaluating them. [RSVP today](. (Money saving tip: Subscribe to Tech in Asia Live/Core to have unlimited access to our future events.) - Tech in Asia Pitch Night on June 22 Are you a startup founder looking to get some feedback from investors? Want the chance to walk away after your pitch with prizes of up to US$5,000 in cash as well? Then join us this June as we handpick six startups from across Southeast Asia to pitch to a panel of investor-judges and an audience of founders, investors, and professionals from the region’s top tech companies. [Sign up today to get your pitching slot](  ---------------------------------------------------------------  WHO'S HIRING  [logo] [Software Engineer (Unity)]( at hiverlab pte ltd Singapore, Singapore [logo] [Customer Success & Engagement Manager]( at hiverlab pte ltd Singapore, Singapore [logo] [Product Manager]( at Lion Parcel Jakarta, Indonesia [logo] [PROJECT MANAGER - BOGA LOYALTY APPS]( at Boga Group Jakarta, Indonesia [logo] [Customer Acquisition and Marketing manager]( at Human.e Solutions Pte. Ltd. Singapore, Singapore [logo] [Data Science Instructor]( at Bitlabs Academy Jakarta, Indonesia [ADVERTISE]( | [SUBSCRIBE]( | [HIRE]( | [FIND JOBS]( P.S. 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. Was this forwarded to you? You can read this everyday when you sign up [here](. Don't want to receive these emails anymore? [Unsubscribe](.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  Tech in Asia’s newsletters are handcrafted daily with love - and sometimes powered by good kopi. Copyright © 2021 Tech in Asia, All rights reserved. 51 Bras Basah Rd, #05-5061, Singapore 189554