[Academy] How to succeed in a tech company in Southeast Asia

Momentum Academy, part of Momentum Works, was invited by NUS, under the NUS Overseas programme to share our insights with 100 participants of different backgrounds.

The participants wanted to find out which country they should go to for their internship experiences, but the more important question they wanted to know was “what skill sets should they focus on to succeed in their careers?” 

Our colleagues, Yorlin, Saniya, Nanette, Sabrina and Stephen covered some of these in our sharings. 

Some highlights: 

1. Companies such as Shopee, Goto, Grab and Bukalapak all have different business strategies – and it’s interesting to see how the public reacts to them. Relatively younger tech companies are also taking note of what these companies are doing, and then copying. 

2. There are many different ways to build up a business in Southeast Asia. Just take a look at the bubble tea market. Building valuable and profitable brands is not sophisticated but no easy feat. The challenge, as usual, lies in execution – and the ability to build (and of course, maintain) a defensive moat along the way. On this note, do check out our Bubble tea report for a low down of the various strategies that bubble tea companies use.

3. We also explore the various companies such as Tomoro coffee, myTukar and Pizza 4Ps that have grabbed the attention from investors. 

4. ChatGPT says that “Southeast Asia is an exciting place to work in tech due to the increasing demand for innovative solutions.” We shared the case study of SkyMavis, the creator of Axie Infinity – one of the most popular crypto games in the world during Covid – how did they get to where they are?  

5. Understanding and navigating culture in Southeast Asia is crucial to succeed at work- and the work culture is definitely unique and diverse. 

6. One thing unites all of us in Southeast Asia though – bubble tea. 

7. Alibaba was one of the pioneer tech companies in China, by beating out more established rivals such as Amazon and eBay. Today, another generation of tech companies,  Meituan, Pinduoduo and ByteDance, are challenging the status quo. They’ve all learned from Alibaba and Tencent – and established their own footprints. Southeast Asian companies are also taking note and learning. 

8. For example, one famous principle that was made famous by Chairman Mao during the Chinese cultural revolution is now used today by tech companies to set a path to profitability. 

Sharing these insights is always enjoyable- especially when we see the participants use these insights to uncover the answer to their own questions. We believe that the best way to empower people is through Insights, Community and Experience.  

If you find this interesting, reach out to us for a coffee chat. We always love to share.