The Quasiinvestor

Trends and Companies in Southeast Asia

  • Snapask – Tutoring at your fingertips

    Uber, despite the toxic culture it purported to have extolled, and bad behavior that for a long time went unchecked (e.g. sexual harassment, discrimination, etc.), has left an indelible dent in the world, through incredible innovation that put it in a special group of companies whose brands have become verbs (e.g. Google). It is hence…

  • Aspire – An alternative take on SME banking

    Think back to a time when you had to step into a bank branch, only to be greeted either by a sales agent inquiring if you have heard about the newest card on promotion, or by a self-service queuing machine that requires guesswork on which option best fits your objective when all you wanted to…

  • Reflections on COVID-19

    A true test of our mettle Since first reported in November 2019 in the city of Wuhan, the COVID-19 has spread rapidly globally. It is arguably one of the most significant health pandemics of memory, or at least in many people’s lifetimes, and has thrown a spanner in the works of economic and sociopolitical recovery…

  • Merkle Science – Providing the guardrails for blockchain

    Introduction Since the Bitcoin (BTC) whitepaper was published in 2008, the cryptocurrency has gone through cycles of booms and bust, and public opinion has largely been divided. While in one corner of the ring proponents argue for it to be a possible alternative to gold as a store of value and potentially even being the…

  • WiT Virtual Examines COVID-19 Through the Lens of Investors

    The current health climate brought sharp focus into industries like healthcare and travel (airlines etc.). On healthcare, we are seeing a concerted effort across industries to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 – pharmaceutical companies in a rush against time to develop a vaccine for COVID-19, while U.S. president Donald Trump has hinted at, after…

  • Bambu – Growing your wealth

    People born in a period of relative calmness and economic prosperity, the generation Ys/millennials, are entering a phase where they are a few years out of college and are beginning to step into major milestones in their lives. They might be thinking of getting into a marriage, save for their first home, think about retirement…

  • Ondot – Personalizing the card experience

    One of the most exciting products that Apple has introduced of late, in August 2019, is the AppleCard, which boasts to be “a new kind of credit card, created by Apple, not a bank” (although the issuing partner bank is Goldman Sachs), and touts its simplicity (in both usability and design), transparency, and respect for…

  • Haulio – Uber for Haulage

    Strength in maritime transport gave birth to some of the most powerful empires in the past and it remains an important part of global trade and economies, as shipping remains one of the most cost-effective methods to move large amounts of goods globally. It is an ecosystem of ports, shipping, and maritime services, which have…

  • SingX – Remittance that is cheaper, faster and more convenient?

    With the Southeast Asia remittance market estimated to be ~$80B in 2018 (from ~$48B in 2012), and intra-SEA to be ~$7B, with multiple pain points, especially in developing countries, that still exist, such as exorbitant, and at times hidden, fees (5-10%), unreasonable exchange rates or lag in fund transfer (typically 1-3 days), it presents a…

  • Leading Digital Transformation – Artificial Intelligence – Jack Hong

    Attended this event hosted by HeadHunt, as part of a brown bag lunch and learn series to promote lifelong learning. This learning session was conducted by Jack Hong, who is a co-founder of Research Room, a management consulting and data analytics company, as well as CEO of JCube Capital Partners, a company that uses AI in…