Too often we find ourselves in conversations regarding Southeast Asia’s tech scene at extreme ends of euphoria and pessimism.
“This is a region of 600M people with economic growth at breakneck speed – surely there will be a slew of massive companies”
“Look at public market outcomes and foreign investors fleeing the region. We’re doomed”
At Lightspeed, we feel that it’s an appropriate time for an honest retrospection and have written up some of our thoughts in the report below. We believe that the euphoria of the past has led to unrealistic expectations. With a deeper understanding of Southeast Asian consumers and the region’s fundamentals, founders and investors will have a better chance at executing against the still-exciting opportunity in the region.
Southeast Asia: Resetting Expectations
Errata: There were errors on slides 15 and 31 in the previous version of the report. These slides have been updated for improved clarity.
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