Innovation Sessions: Brazil - ASEAN
Startups and Venture Capital - Introducing Brazilian Startups to Singapore and ASEAN
Webinar ∙ 24 August 2023
Southeast Asia is home to a vibrant tech startup ecosystem that has been growing at a fast pace. The region is witnessing rapid growth in the number of startups across an expanding range of business activities, from e-commerce and fintech to travel and hospitality. As of 2021, there were more than 23,850 digital or tech startups across ASEAN (mostly in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand, in that order).
With a GDP of US$ 3.3 trillion, an FDI inflow of US$ 179.2 billion, a rising middle-class and a market of more than 660 million people (of which more than 460 million are internet users), Southeast Asia offers a promising landscape for startups from other regions.
To access this huge market and overcome the challenges of expanding business in Southeast Asia, many companies set base in Singapore looking out to its top-notch connectivity, global talent pool, strong infrastructure, ease of doing business and integrated ecosystem of innovation centers.
According to the ASEAN Investment Report 2022, the number of startups in the region that have raised more than US$ 1 million in funding almost tripled between 2015 and 2021, from 652 to 1,920 – a much faster rate than the ones observed in India (+110%), Europe (+85%) and the United States (+65%).
Private equity and venture capital funding have helped Southeast Asia produce more than 50 unicorns, ranking fourth behind the United States, China and India. As tech adoption continues to rise in a thriving digital economy, the ASEAN region is expected to register more unicorns in the next few years.
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Find below the recording of the webinar and the speakers' presentations.
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Speakers:
Welcome/Opening remarks
Eugênia Barthelmess, Ambassador of Brazil to Singapore
Sivaram Superamanian, Head of the Digital Economy Division of the ASEAN Secretariat
Southeast Asia: startup ecosystem and funding landscape
Rufus Sorsa, Associate Partner at Antler
Singapore: a launchpad to Southeast Asia
Seow Hui Lim, Director of Americas at Enterprise Singapore
Brazil-Singapore: bridging the gap
Sérgio Gustavo Rossi, Investment Officer at the Brazilian Trade & Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil)
Q&A session
Link to the recording
Speakers' presentations
For more information
Access the series of reports on innovation-promoting environments abroad, available at the link below.