Week in Review: Exciting news in the Asean tech ecosystem

• In Indonesia, DNA breaks news that Uber, GrabCar are in hot water
• In Malaysia, What’s Next welcomes new panellist, Fusionex as sponsor

I CAN tell you, covering Indonesia is proving to be fun. Into our second week there, we have broken the story that both UberCar and GrabTaxi’s GrabCar service have been targeted by the transport authorities in Jakarta.
 
City authorities told Digital News Asia (DNA) that they have seized 30 cars from both sides over the past three months, with the promise of more to come!
 
Earlier reporting had it that all the 30 cars seized were from Uber. But DNA Indonesia has the accurate story.
 
And we have another interesting story primed to be published BUT, as our editorial approach is based on traditional journalism values, we are waiting for some final pieces of fact-checking before we do so. Watch for it on Monday.
 
In the meantime, I am sweating bricks here, hoping the story is not broken by someone else!
 
Another thing that has me in cold sweat is our upcoming conference, What’s Next, on Sept 29 at Cyberview Lodge & Spa. This being our inaugural conference, I have already stumbled a few times in the run-up to the big day, but have found willing hands to pick me up and give DNA a boost.
 
Here’s a huge hug to the 15 organisations that have agreed to share news of the conference with their databases! Not a single organisation I asked has turned DNA down.
 
This is incredibly humbling and gratifying because two of the organisations have C-level databases and said they would first have to evaluate the conference to gauge if it would be of value to their members.
 
Both came back to me saying they would be happy to share What’s Next details with their priceless database.
 
And that is the one thing we have not stumbled on: The content of the conference.
 
I believe that this is the first conference, in Malaysia for sure, that brings together brick-and-mortar chief executive officers (CEOs), tech company CEOs, startup founders, and startup-focused venture capitalists.
 
It is also the first conference that is focused not on technology per se but on the business impact of technology – and by ‘technology’ here, we are talking about mainly digital-based and mobile technologies, not your enterprise heavy lifting systems.
 
And it is this focus on the business impact and on large brick-and-mortar companies that allows me to welcome our second sponsor, Malaysia’s leading big data and analytics player Fusionex International Plc.
 
Sharing why Fusionex has come in to partner with DNA, its cofounder and managing director Ivan Teh, says: “We live in an exciting era where we’re seeing a convergence of various technologies and disruptive ideas.
 
“I believe that DNA is at the forefront in driving such thinking. As such, we are delighted to work with DNA as a partner for ‘What’s Next’, and hope to share our vision and views on today’s rapidly changing, constantly innovating world – from a Fusionex lens!”
 
Teh adds that he hopes some great ideas might emerge that will energise participants at What’s Next.
 
“You never know if a spark of inspiration could lead to something amazing for the betterment of the industry and society,” he adds.
 
Fusionex joins Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) as sponsors.
 
Finally, but not least, I am also happy to welcome Wei Chuan Beng, founder and group managing director of Redtone International, to What’s Next, where he will be a panellist on The Disruptors … Caution! Dead Ends, Pot Holes & Sink Holes ahead! Discussion.
 
Do get your tickets if you have not yet. Time is running out with the conference just 10 days away.
 
And, do check out the stories I have highlighted as my favourite, among all the stories we have brought you from three countries this week. There is just so much going on in the ecosystem in South-East Asia!
 
Have a restful weekend and good week ahead.
 
Editor’s Picks:
 
Jakarta task force keeping an eye on Uber … and GrabCar
 
Outsourcing M’sia to local players: Go regional, or drown in the AEC
 
Piracy is biggest Netflix competitor in Singapore: Lawyer
 
The 6 laws of digital transformation, according to SingPost
 
Dragging corporate secretarial services out of the dark ages
 
Not enough green, too much apathy in data centre industry
 
Will the Force Touch be strong with new smartphones?
 
 
Previous Instalments:
 
Week in Review: The Internet, messaging apps and elections
 
Week in Review: Small fish will eat the big fish
 
Week in Review: Bank CEO joins What’s Next conference lineup
 
Week in Review: GrabTaxi has left the SEA ecosystem

Week in Review: What’s next for disruptor Tony Fernandes?

 
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