Could all roads lead through South-east Asia?
As the region becomes one of few places where East and West tech ecosystems co-exist, it’s sparking bold innovation and global relevance
FOR years, South-east Asia has been described as a region of potential whose time will one day come. We believe that time is now. But to see it clearly, we need to combine the old and new world lens. For those of us from the region, it’s especially exciting to see the world beginning to recognise what we’ve long known: South-east Asia is not just rising – it’s redefining.
The predominant lens, focused on demographics, trade, footprint, productivity and land, remains critically important and a source of pride. But as we look to the future, this no longer captures what drives global growth. Today’s defining resources are data, compute and risk capital. Beyond asking “Where is my cost cheaper?”, today’s entrepreneur also asks, “Where can I build and scale bold ideas?”
With this new dual lens, South-east Asia looks less like a developing region and more like a live laboratory – where technology stacks collide, consumer behaviours diverge and breakthrough models are born. What’s emerging is an engine of innovation.
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