Clearing the way for robot-led trash cleanups

More: Disney’s cutting 7,000 jobs and a new Singapore-based mobility startup wants to drive out commission fees from the industry. [Read from your browser]( Daily Newsletter --------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to Tech in Asia's free Daily Newsletter! Get full access to our subscribers-only Daily Newsletter and other insightful analysis on the big and messy topics of Asia’s tech and startup community by [registering here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Hello {NAME} It’s always felt like a rather touristy place, but the Singapore River, busy as it is nowadays, still feels kind of reassuring. It’s never been a place that I’ve specifically wanted to frequent, but I’ve somehow ended up there at many stages in my life so far. When I was in secondary school, I used to work part-time as a heritage tour guide there. In junior college, a school concert was held at a sprawling lawn near the Marina Bay Financial Center, and it’s one of my fondest memories of my two years in that institution. During my National Service, I had my basic training graduation parade at the Marina Bay Floating Platform. Everytime I look at the river, I remember one of the first few things I learnt about it: Back in the day, the Singapore River wasn’t the pristine tourist attraction it was. In fact, it was filled with so much junk from nearby businesses (and even human waste) that you could smell the stench from far away. Seeing old photos of what it used to be like, it’s amazing that the [river cleanup]( initiated around 50 years ago managed to give it a new lease on life. Of course everything had to be done manually back then. It’d be a very different story today, with technology like the cleaning robots provided by Clearbot. -- Jonathan ---------------------------------------------------------------  THE BIG STORY [Trash, cargo, security: a profitable robot firm’s many interests]( Now backed by an Alibaba fund, Clearbot’s founders weren’t taken seriously when they began using robots to take on marine pollution. --------------------------------------------------------------- GET HEARD ON TECH IN ASIA! We want to hear from you! Grab’s appointment of Singapore politician Tin Pei Ling to lead its public affairs and policy in the city-state has raised concerns over a potential conflict of interest. Last week, Tin took to social media [to reaffirm]( there is ‘no conflict of interest’ in the new Grab role. [Click here]( to share your thoughts on Grab's hiring of a lawmaker in Singapore’s ruling party to run its government relations department with the Tech in Asia community! Best responses will be shared with the Tech in Asia community on the Sunday newsletter. --------------------------------------------------------------- TRENDING NEWS [MNC Group leads $20m round of Indonesian content distributor]( Migo expects a second close of its latest round in the coming months, with additional investors participating. [Vietnam’s Masan Group to invest $105m in SG fintech firm]( With this deal, the Vietnamese consumer conglomerate aims to accelerate its application of AI in retail and consumption. [Podcast – Lessons from the collapse of HelloGold’s consumer business]( HelloGold CEO Robin Lee talks about when to stop drinking the Kool-Aid and how an ICO influenced his decisions on the Fintech Fireside Asia podcast. [Weekly funding: TYSIC’s $176m raise places China on top]( Keep track of all the startup investment activities in Asia through our weekly funding list. [Yahoo to cull 20% of staff amid ads biz restructure]( Yahoo looks to boost the profitability of its adtech arm through the reorganization. [Quickbytes: How Twilio can help unlock the power of customer data]( During Tech in Asia’s Product Development Conference, Twilio’s Allan Tran shared tips on how organizations can maximize the potential of their data. --------------------------------------------------------------- TECH IN ASIA'S REGIONAL FOUNDERS MEETUP: SINGAPORE  Join us and share the hardest challenges you’ve faced as a founder Tech in Asia is inviting Singapore-based entrepreneurs to our first Regional Founders Meetup, which will be held on February 22 at Crane (148 Arab Street, Singapore 199831) from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Join us and share the hardest challenges you’ve faced as a founder. To help you find solutions, we’ll introduce you to fellow founders who have been there and done that. It doesn’t have to be a lonely journey. [Register]( for this exclusive event here today. Tickets are priced at S$15 per person, inclusive of light bites and one drink. Slots are limited and are available on a first come, first served basis. AWS and CleverTap, our official event partners, have provided invaluable support to make this meetup a success. ---------------------------------------------------------------  EVENTS HAPPENING You can also check out a curated list of trending tech events [over here](. - [Tech in Asia’s Product Development Conference 2023]( from May 16 to May 17 Tech in Asia’s Product Development Conference is back! This year’s edition, which will be held in person in Jakarta, will feature over 20 industry leaders, experts, and innovators sharing the latest trends and strategies that can accelerate product development growth. [Register now]( and you can get 50% off. This early bird promo is available for a limited time only, though, so don’t miss out!  - [Tech in Asia’s Founders Meetup: Singapore on February 22]( Our networking event, Founders Meetup: Singapore, is happening on February 22, at Crane (Arab Street). Join us and share the hardest challenges you’ve faced as a founder. To help you find solutions, we’ll introduce you to fellow founders who have been there and done that. Register today! ---------------------------------------------------------------  WHO'S HIRING You can post a job [here]( or search for jobs [here](. - [Senior DevOps (AwanTunai)]( at Deall Jobs Jakarta, Indonesia - [Senior Backend Developer (Golang)]( at Pintar Ventura Group Jakarta, Indonesia - [SAP FI]( at Scout.inc Jakarta, Indonesia - [Solution Manager (Product Manager)]( at Female Daily Network Jakarta, Indonesia - [Project & Operations Manager]( at Chykalophia Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia - [Project Executive]( at MyRobin Malang, 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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