Behind Vietnam’s homegrown ecommerce giant

More: Sea Group’s revised revenue guidance for Shopee and newly minted unicorn Mensa Brands [Read from your browser]( Daily Newsletter Hello {NAME} I don’t view myself as someone who likes to spend money, so I’ll admit that there was a slight feeling of guilt when I succumbed to the 11.11 frenzy and bought something. (In my defense, it’s something I actually need). It seems ecommerce is truly inescapable, especially in Southeast Asia. But local ecommerce platforms in the region are fighting hard to thrive alongside industry titans Shopee and Lazada. Vietnam’s Tiki is one of these homegrown champions. The company aims to become the first tech startup from the country that can tap into overseas public markets, namely the US. But can Tiki eventually join other regional IPO hopefuls and tech stars like Grab and GoTo down the road? That’s something we’ll be closely watching. -- Jonathan  ---------------------------------------------------------------  THE BIG STORY [Can Tiki light up the overseas IPO torch for Vietnam?]( Considered the “Amazon of Vietnam,” Tiki’s valuation is nearing US$1 billion. Can it stay in the ring with regional powerhouses Shopee and Lazada?  ---------------------------------------------------------------  PODCAST After recently closing a US$400 million series D round from an investor consortium led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and Warburg Pincus, Singapore-headquartered Advance Intelligence Group joined the unicorn club. Its most well-known service? Atome, one of the region’s most prevalent buy now, pay later (BNPL) platforms. However, the group has a lot more under its belt, offering services ranging from digital lending and risk management to merchant software services that span 12 markets across Asia, Greater China, and Latin America. In this episode of Deep Dive, Tech in Asia’s Melissa Goh sheds light on Advance Intelligence, discussing the common thread that runs through its various business units, how it fared during the pandemic, and the company’s plans for the future. Listen here: [Spotify]( | [Apple Podcasts](  ---------------------------------------------------------------  TRENDING NEWS [Sea Group lifts full-year revenue guidance for Shopee to $5.2b]( However, Garena’s growth has been slowing, with active users going up by just 0.5% in the quarter to hit the 729 million mark. [Indian ecommerce roll-up hits unicorn status with $135m raise]( Mensa Brands joins the billion-dollar valuation club amid reports of US-based Thrasio’s impending entry into India. [Thai logistics startup banks $10m in series B money]( Giztix also plans to list on the stock exchange in Thailand by 2025. [Sea Group’s financial health in 9 charts]( We put our finger on the pulse of Sea Group, Southeast Asia’s largest internet company. [Peter Thiel’s VC firm leads $20m round of Indian financing platform]( Over the past year and a half, more than 1,500 direct-to-consumer and ecommerce businesses have signed up for Velocity’s revenue-based financing. [Kejora, Sunway Group launch $25m fund for SEA startups]( Orbit Malaysia will focus on joining the series A rounds of startups in the fintech, agritech, ecommerce, edtech, and healthtech sectors. --------------------------------------------------------------- EVENTS HAPPENING You can also check out a curated list of trending tech events [over here](. - *Live* [AMA about Tech in Asia School: Willis Wee, Founder & CEO of Tech in Asia Upcoming Live]( on November 19 A candid chat about his founder journey, tips he wishes he had when starting out, and how he’s turning his insights into mentorship in [Tech in Asia School]( inaugural “The Aspiring Founders Program” in February 2022. - *Live* [[Workshop] An equity framework for early-stage startups]( on November 23 As a founder of an early-stage startup, setting the value of the equity you will be distributing to your investors and employees is one of the most important decisions. Tune in to our 30-minute workshop on November 23 with Andy Lee, CEO of stakeholder management software-as-a-service company Sprout, to learn all the essentials about building your own equity framework. This workshop is available to attend for free! - [“How startups can build customer growth & retention machines” roundtable]( on November 24 Over 70% of startups don’t have formal CX strategies, which are integral to growth and customer retention. Sign up for this virtual roundtable to learn from startup leaders in Southeast Asia on how they’ve built scalable customer service and CX through omnichannel strategies. - [Solve government and public sector challenges with AWS Startup Ramp]( on November 30 Breaking into the public sector is not an easy feat for early stage startups. Join our webinar on Nov 30 to learn about AWS Startup Ramp, which provides technical support & mentorship that help startups navigate the complex requirements. Register for your seat today! --------------------------------------------------------------- WHO'S HIRING You can post a job [here]( or search for jobs [here](. - [Indonesian People Operations & Legal Coordinator]( at Liv.it Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia - [Social Media Content Manager]( at Oval Jakarta, Indonesia - [Back-end Website Developer]( at SAGA Digital Studio Jakarta, Indonesia - [Key Account Manager]( at SCI Ecommerce Jakarta, Indonesia - [HR Manager]( at Rocketindo Jakarta, Indonesia - [Product Manager]( at Cicil Jakarta, Indonesia [ADVERTISE]( | [SUBSCRIBE]( 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. Too many emails? Switch to a different frequency or get new content through our [preference center]( or [unsubscribe](. 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