Shailendra Singh's take on tech winter: a gift, not a setback

More: Home Credit Indonesia raises US$100 million and Alibaba reshuffles its leadership at Taobao and Tmall Group. [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](.  --------------------------------------------------------------- IN FOCUS In today's newsletter, we spotlight: - [Shailendra Singh’s take on the tech winter]( - Aspire’s revenue growth amid widening losses - Other newsy highlights such as Gogoro and Uber Eats Taiwan’s new rogram and Alibaba’s leadership reshuffle. --------------------------------------------------------------- Hello {NAME} Remember that scene in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone when Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Draco were serving their detention in the Forbidden Forest and stumbled upon a unicorn? That was the first time I heard about the creature, and it made me happy. However, the past few years have made me dislike the word, as almost all startups are focusing on crazy funding rounds and chasing after the unicorn status. It was only in the recent funding winter that startup founders began to focus on other important things, like profitability. Maybe that’s why Peak XV’s Shailendra Singh wants it to last longer. In today’s premium story, my colleague Miguel writes about why Singh thinks the tech winter is “a great time.” -- Lokesh  ---------------------------------------------------------------  THE BIG STORY [Wish for tech winter to last longer: Peak XV’s Shailendra Singh]( The VC veteran said that while it’s hard for startups to raise capital during these times, “it’s great in nine other ways. --------------------------------------------------------------- TRENDING NEWS [Aspire grows revenue over 2x in FY 2022, loss widens 123%]( The Singapore-based fintech firm posted a 149% year-on-year increase in operating expenses, which mostly came from employee benefits. [Indonesia’s Evermos sues ex-employee for founding competing startup]( The social commerce firm says Reynaldi Gandawidjaja, founder and CEO of Orderfaz, violated a non-compete clause in his Evermos employment contract. ---------------------------------------------------------------  VISUAL STORY OF THE DAY [Capital SEA: Southeast Asia’s funding landscape]( Who are the new active investors on the block? Which funding rounds look like outliers? This visual story answers all this and more. ---------------------------------------------------------------  IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Taking steps toward an inclusive digital ecosystem Digitalization has opened up new avenues for growth and accessibility in Southeast Asia, but some folks are still getting left behind. For example, visually impaired individuals may struggle to navigate apps and access services on smartphones. That’s why GoTo Group has announced the launch of features for those with color vision deficiency. These features, which will be released across the Gojek and Tokopedia apps, allow users to adjust screen colors and increase the contrast between text and background, improving readability and reducing eye strain. Along with the GoPay app, which was already designed following global standards for visually impaired users, these new features are among GoTo Group’s efforts to drive greater accessibility and inclusivity in Southeast Asia’s tech scene. This is a part of the group’s Three Zeros Sustainability Commitment - specifically addressing its mission to have “Zero Barriers.” Learn more about these new features and GoTo’s mission on its website [here](. ---------------------------------------------------------------  EVENTS HAPPENING You can also check out a curated list of trending tech events [over here](. - [The Future of MarTech: Trends Shaping 2024 and Beyond on January 16]( On January 16, senior marketing, product and growth leaders in Singapore are invited to kickstart the year at The Future of MarTech: Trends Shaping 2024 and Beyond, an executive roundtable and networking lunch. Limited to just 15 guests. [Full details & registration here!]( ---------------------------------------------------------------  PRESS PEEKS The following press releases were published as they were received, without any editing from the Tech in Asia team. You too can publish your own press release on Tech in Asia by simply filling in [this]( page](. Our team will get back to you by the next business day. - Frends - [Frends Appoints Vincent Ooi as New Head of APAC, Building on ASEAN Success]( Frends appoints Vincent Ooi as Head of APAC, expanding its European iPaaS reach in the region - GoTo Group - [GoTo becomes the first Indonesian public company to receive validation from the Science-Based Targets initiative on its net-zero target]( GoTo Group is the first Indonesian public company to have its greenhouse gas reduction targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The approved three targets which include reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. ---------------------------------------------------------------  WHO'S HIRING You can post a job [here]( or search for jobs [here](. - [Product Owner (Remittance)]( at Pintar Ventura Group Jakarta, Indonesia - [Facebook Ads / Digital Marketing Intern]( at Griity Jakarta, Indonesia - [Project Coordinator]( at Planet Partnerships Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia - [Legal & Compliance Officer]( at Moladin Digital Indonesia Jakarta, Indonesia - [IT Business Analyst]( at Scout.inc Jakarta, Indonesia - [Intern Sales Development Representative]( at JALA Indonesia Yogyakarta, 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. Tech in Asia thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Too many emails? Switch to a different frequency or get new content through our [preference center]( or [unsubscribe](. You can also break our hearts and remove yourself from all Tech in Asia emails over [here](  ---------------------------------------------------------------  Copyright © 2023 Tech in Asia, All rights reserved. 63 Robinson Road, Singapore 068894