Rocket Internet, a German company well-known for their ability to clone thriving businesses and execute it in other geographical markets, have launched a Pinterest clone called Pinspire, reported Daily Social.
Not exactly an inspiring name, but Rocket Internet is not known for being original either. What’s unique about them though, is how fast they are able to copy a business idea and get it up and running in no time. Read more
Ru-Net, a Russion VC firm focused on funding Internet and IT industries, has plans to invest US$50M in Southeast Asia in the next two or three years, reported Penn Olson.
Successful companies that they’ve already invested in include: OZON.ru, an Amazon-like website, BigLion, a daily deals site, and ivi, an online video site. Read more
Filed under Innovation & Technology, News Stop, Technology, Venture Capital & Private Equity, WebTags: biglion, digital media partners, ivi, mj group, ozun.ru, rtp ventures, ru-net
QR codes have taken off in a big way in the marketing world lately, and PayPal is the latest to get in on this craze.
Just recently, they launched a pilot program in Singapore’s train stations to allow locals to purchase Valentine’s Day gifts at discount using QR codes, reported AllThingsD.
To purchase a gift, commuters would need to download a QR code reader on their mobile phones to scan the right spot on the poster. They will be brought to a webpage where they can purchase the product using PayPal. The experiment is being run on 15 subway stations in Singapore. Read more
Philippines telecom operator Globe has partnered with Singapore counterpart SingTel to bring MyAppsMall, a cross-platform mobile app store, to Globe prepaid and postpaid subscribers in the Philippines, reported ABS-CBN.
The app store contains over 20,000 free and paid apps, which includes categories like games, social networks, Internet browsers, lifestyle, news, entertainment, and more. The app can be accessed via a web browser on both PC and mobile. Read more
Cupcakes from Teacosy are sold alongside angel figurines and furniture.
As technology advances and business concepts evolve, an increasing number of F&B entrepreneurs and service solution providers are thinking out-of-the-box and making life easier for customers.
By innovating, F&B entrepreneurs enjoy reduced overheads, better customer service and additional revenue. Customers feel more satisfied too. In this article, we chart four recent trends in the F&B industry that have dramatically improved how businesses are run.
If you’re a restaurateur or cafe owner, do look at these trends and consider implementing them in your business. Read more
Filed under F&B, Featured, Innovation & Technology, Retail, TechnologyTags: a thousand tales, chope, eordernpay, food icon, pocket full of posies, reserveit.sg, swiff, teacosy, ten thousand angels, wi-serve
Depending on who you ask, HTML5 is the future of mobile apps. Juha Paananen, founder and CEO of GamesMadeMe, a Finland and Singapore-based games studio, certainly believes it.
Having received some seed funding from Lifeline Ventures, they are now betting big on the technology with the launch of their first HTML5 game, Dollar Isle.
It is a CityVille-like game that puts you in charge of creating your own city from the ground up. As you complete more goals, you unlock more buildings and plots of land where you can expand your city. You can even decide if you want to pursue the evil industrialist path or the earth-loving, eco-city one.
You will even get a custom URL for your own city (mine’s here, although it’s not exactly a metropolis). Read more
Socialwalk, an online platform that helps event attendees build potentially useful connections with each other, has expanded to three countries within a year. Now, they want to help others do the same.
The founders, Tham Keng Yew and Eileen Feng, recently shared in a press release some tips regarding how companies can expand regionally. Read more
Malaysia's digital economy is similar to Singapore and Brunei.
Recently, I was invited to speak on entrepreneurship and consumer Internet trends in a private event hosted by Penn Olson during Startups in Asia, which happened from 2nd to 4th February.
In this article, I will highlight additional perspectives to shed greater light on the ideas presented during my talk, which gave the audience a better grasp on the consumer internet space in Southeast Asia. Read more
Melbourne-based tech start-up incubator BlueChilli has announced plans to expand to the United States and Southeast Asia, which will follow the impending opening of its Sydney incubator this year, reported StartupSmart. Read more
It was not a happy year for big bookstores.
In August and September 2011, Borders closed both its outlets in Wheelock Place and Parkway Parade. In October, Computer Book Centre, at Funan IT Mall, followed suit, becoming an exclusively online business.
More bad news followed in December: Home-grown book retailer Page One announced that it will close its store in VivoCity on 19th February this year in VivoCity due to high rentals. The company has been incurring major losses since its opening in 2006. Read more
Filed under Featured, Innovation & Technology, News Stop, Retail, Special Commentary, Technology, WebTags: booksactually, borders, harris bookstore, pageone, the pigeonhole, woods in the books
