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57 rising Asian startups

Here’s a quick list of startups putting Asia on the startup map.

The startup paradigm is not only changing our economies and influencing work culture, it is also increasingly transforming our daily lives. While global Entrepreneurship is at an all-time high, the interactions between regional ecosystems is still limited.

If you asked the average French startup founder to name a Chinese unicorn they probably couldn’t (although to be fair the name Didi Chuxing did filter through to US/Europe since Uber’s defeat in China) and definitely couldn’t, if you asked them the same question about Singapore. Conversely, the average Singaporean entrepreneur wouldn’t be able to name a French Unicorn (The country and the city both have 2, despite France having 12 times the population of Singapore).

While being an expert on unicorns isn’t much help to most entrepreneurs, it illustrates the underlying problem: startup ecosystems are thriving all around the globe with little or no communication between them.

We decided to take action, and are excited to announce that e27 and Startup Tracker are joining forces! From now on, e27 data can be found on Startup Tracker alongside Crunchbase, Product Hunt, and many others.

To celebrate, we put together a list of 57 startups from the 19 largest countries of the South and East of Asia you should keep an eye on (North Korea was skipped due to lack of available data).

Check them out on the Startup Tracker browser extension and e27’s startup database to see the complete profiles.

The companies are grouped by least populated to most populated country/city.

Singapore

Mature | Population ~5M

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Grab

Southeast Asia’s leading ride-hailing platform. Also offers motorcycle-hailing and parcel delivery.

Carousell

Consumer-to-consumer marketplace with a social twist: transactions are chat-based.

Paktor

The most successful dating app in Southeast Asia.

Laos

Early stage | Population ~6M

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Sunlabob

A cleantech startup focusing on renewable energy and clean water solutions for developing countries.

Book Delivery

Delivers book within Ventiane on the same day. Also used as platform for local writers to sell their books.

Foxpress

An online delivery platform to send documents, small packages, food, and flowers.

Cambodia

Early stage | Population ~15M

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Sabay Osja

An award-winning Cambodian game development startup.

Krupet

An online platform for information on local medical institutions including services, facilities, doctor information, and fees.

CamboTicket

Disrupting the transportation industry in and around Cambodia by computerising bus, ferry, and taxi reservation systems.

Sri Lanka

Emerging | Population ~20M

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Nic Nac

Rent a PA by the hour to get anything (legal!) done for you from jumpstarting your car to fetching your laundry.

TrackMe

Track goods, pets, and even people (including fall detection!) using GPS.

LiveRoom

Visualise furniture in the actual room it will be put in before buying.

Taiwan

Mature | Population ~23M

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17

Mobile app similar to Periscope and Instagram designed by Jeffrey Huang – a Taiwanese pop singer.

Gogoro

Futuristic electrical scooters powered by a network of swappable batteries a.k.a. the Tesla of scooters.

Pinkoi

Asia’s largest online marketplace for unique and original designs a la Etsy.

Nepal

Early stage | Population ~28M

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Ghar Hadi

An emerging purchase and rental platform for property and vehicles. Open for funding.

PicoVico

A video storytelling platform that automatically transforms photos and video clips into movies. Open for funding.

Firebird

An Android-based internet browser boasting simplistic designs and faster speed even in slow internet connection – a reality in emerging Asia markets. Open for funding.

Malaysia

Emerging | Population ~31M

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123RF

One of the world’s largest digital stock agency

CityFarm

Hydroponic technology that allows soil-less farming in urban centers.

ServisHero

An on-demand services marketplace where you can find and hire trusted service providers for your home and office needs.

South Korea

Mature | Population ~50M

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Coupang

The world’s fastest growing e-Commerce company – South Korea’s answer to Amazon.

Baedal Minjok

A restaurant delivery app similar to Deliveroo, FoodPanda, and GrubHub which Gldman Sachs also owns a stake in.

Yello Mobile

An umbrella startup comprised of more than 40 services across shopping, media, adtech, travel, and offline-to-online.

Myanmar

Early stage | Population ~50M

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Skybit

Myanmar’s leading blockchain-based payment processor and exchange using bitcoin as medium.

StarTicket

Online bus ticketing system for express buses in Myanmar.

Rebbiz

Online marketplace as a service.

Thailand

Emerging | Population ~68M

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Ookbee

A digital publication platform where users can purchase magazines, books, and courses.

KittyLive

The leading Thai broadcast and livestream platform.

Pomelo

One of Asia’s fastest growing fashion brands.

Iran

Emerging | Population ~78M

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Digikala

The leading online e-Commerce startup in Iran, and possibly the Middle East.

Divar

The leading classified ads service in Iran.

Snapp

The leading ride-sharing and car-hailing app in Iran.

Vietnam

Emerging | Population ~91M

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Coc Coc

A localised search engine competing with Google on the Vietnamese market.

Tiki.vn

A long-tail e-Commerce shop a la Amazon focusing on social shopping.

Zalo

The leading homegrown chat and group chat app.

Philippines

Emerging | Population ~100M

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Horsepower PH

An online portal for freelancers and solo entrepreneurs to avail of affordable healthcare insurance, pay government-mandated fees, and utilities.

Experience Philippines

A travel group that organises random trips where destinations are a secret and activities are a surprise.

PaidUp

A crowdfunding app where users can buy advance store credit (and get rewards) to help fund small businesses like cafes and restaurants.

Japan

Mature | Population ~126M

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SmartNews

News discovery app powered by machine-learning.

Mercari

The biggest community-powered shopping app in Japan similar to Carousell and eBay.

BitFlyer

The leading Bitcoin exchange and marketplace in Japan for buying, selling, and spending Bitcoins – it also proposes a Bitcoin-based crowdfunding platform.

Bangladesh

Emerging | Population ~158M

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Bangladesh360.net

The first and only 360-degree virtual tour of Bangladesh.

Track My Vehicle

End-to-end tracking solution for vehicles.

Buckets Engineer

A subscription-based service with tools and applications for autistic kids that allows parents, therapists, and educators to create customised dynamic learning.

Pakistan

Emerging | Population ~191M

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Patari

Largest portal of all Pakistani music.

Mangobaaz

An online information and entertainment company that generates original and curated content a la Buzzfeed.

Zameen

The leading online property portal and most funded startup in the country

Indonesia

Mature | Population ~225M

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MUMU Indonesia

A hyperlocal on-demand marketplace delivering groceries to customers’ doorsteps from neighborhood supermarkets within the hour.

Go-Jek

Your driver, your courier, and your personal shopper on-demand.

PETO

Tinder for pets!

India

Mature | Population ~1.2B

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Zomato

A restaurant discovery and ordering service.

FlipKart

India’s leading ecommerce marketplace with 30+ million products across 70+ categories.

Practo

Connects doctors and patients so that patients know where to go when they need help and doctors can manage their patients better.

China

Mature | Population ~1.3B

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Fields China

An up-and-coming eCommerce website for fresh (organic) grocery items.

Zhihu

Quora–style social website for question and answers.

NetEase

Online gaming provider and content channel for news, information, and entertainment.

Don’t forget to sign up to e27 and subscribe to the Daily Digest to keep track of the latest news in the Asian startup ecosystem!

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