LATEST ISSUE

In this issue, we explore how COVID-19 pushed us to explore happiness, gratefulness, and finding meaning and passion in work. We also explore some of the key themes defining the tech world today: data privacy, climate tech, social media, and more.

Our cover story chronicles the entrepreneurial journey of NBA star Spencer Dinwiddie, whose belief in cryptocurrency has inspired him to pioneer a whole new kind of influencer marketing.

PAST ISSUES

This ‘Back to Basics’ is a bit different from how we usually do things. Instead of examining technologies, we’re covering innovation from another perspective: disruption through effective execution. Some of the startups we interviewed may not harness deeptech, but they are spearheading change through a new take on a traditional business model. In our cover story, we interview the co-founders of Zilingo–a soon-to-be ‘unicorn’ that is digitizing the ecommerce supply chain for small vendors and factories throughout Southeast Asia. Although the company launched with the simple idea of connecting independent merchants to consumers, it has since become a launchpad for the small business owners to grow and thrive, elevating the lives of those working in the region’s informal economy. In this issue, we also dive into the reinvention of consignment and rental models in the retail space, how urban farming can transform cities, unchartered territory for mobile gaming, and why ‘Googling’ may become a thing of the past

In this issue, we focus on how globalization has accelerated innovation, and–in turn–enabled more cultural cohesion through shared experiences. In our cover story, we explore the idea of borderless commerce through our interview with Airwallex Co-founder Lucy Liu. The Australia-founded fintech startup is laying the foundation for new financial infrastructures that make it possible for businesses of all sizes to expand globally. We also look ahead to examine defining technologies of the next decade, how to succeed as a consumer brand in the 2020s, and what we can expect as the ‘Streaming War’ heats up. As always, we speak with thought leaders and analyze topics that are sure to spark your interest, such as crypto theft and the relationship between tech and warfare. To our readers: thank you for your ongoing support and encouragement. We always welcome your feedback and look forward to hearing from you. Wishing everyone a great start to the new year–from all of us at Jumpstart.

The Future Cities Issue | More than half the world’s population resides in cities, and the most rapid rate of urbanization is expected to take place between now and 2050 (PRB). The surge of city-dwelling, especially in developing countries, has made sustainable socioeconomic and environmental growth more critical than ever. We cover several innovative solutions to examine how tech can quell some of the problems plaguing urban life, reshaping the way we communicate, shop, work, and travel.

We interview a company on the verge of revolutionizing traditional addressing systems and discuss the most striking example of urbanization–megacities. On the flip side, we dissect more menacing technologies like deepfakes and dis- cuss how forensic geneaology can alleviate the burdens of rising crime rates for investigators and law enforcement.

In the cover story, we speak with Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, who hope to realize their vision for the future of money through their leading cryptocurrency exchange platform, Gemini. Having made waves in

The Jumpstart Awards Issue | Just under a year ago, we announced the inaugural #JumpstartAwards, which is our way of tipping our hats to the movers and shakers in Asia-Pacific’s #startupecosystem. Hundreds of nominations and a handful of interviews later, we’re finally able to share the winners with you.

The Investment Issue | In the startup world, conversations begin and end with valuation and fundraising, where numbers and mythical creatures act as parameters for success. This issue examines how startup investment has matured, including the surge of thematic funds, diversification of funding sources, and measuring social impact. Whether it’s microfinancing in Kenya or investing a billion dollars in an artificial intelligence-enabled future, capital return is only one element of what investing can achieve.

Metamorphosis | We uncover defining transformations of startup strategies, market trends, and the individual. Whether it’s learning how to reinvent your brand story to capture a lifelong audience, impress your friends with quantum computing knowledge, or take back control of your tech use, this issue is all about new ideas to inspire new ways of seeing the world. The next issue will be distributed in April 2019.

ICO, IPO & Blockchain — The Buzz is wearing off | At Jumpstart HQ in Hong Kong, we get inundated daily (including weekends) with emails, messages and press releases full of buzzwords, in particular ICO, IPO and blockchain (Is there anything that can’t be linked to it? Yes, but you wouldn’t know from all the buzz around it). For this issue, we decided to face these buzzwords head on to see what’s behind the buzz and what’s actually going on in Asia when it comes to these words. Turns out, the answer is: a lot.

TravelTech — Going Beyond Discounts | The total contribution of travel and tourism to the global economy was US$8.27 trillion in 2015, according to Statista, while global tourism revenue was US$1.27 trillion. Worldwide, the tourism industry has experienced steady growth almost every year. International tourist arrivals increased from 528 million in 2005 to 1.19 billion in 2015. Figures were forecasted to exceed 1.8 billion by 2030. TravelTech is evolving rapidly, moving on from offering discounts to helping with travel planning, providing ways to make transfer money and purchases while visiting other countries, and enhancing the travel experience in a wide variety of ways including the use of virtual reality (VR) as well as augmented reality (AR). Asian TravelTech startups are keen and plentiful, the market and financial rewards are there, the investors are interested, and the consumers are set to reap the benefits. Enjoy reading this issue of Jumpstart magazine, and safe travels!

FinTech — It’s about much more than Money | In FinTech, some Founders and companies are driven to make things like personal financial management easier and simpler to understand, while others want to help people save on remittance fees when they send money overseas to help their families, or make buying and selling services, goods and even properties easier while reducing things like fees, middlemen and delays. These are just a few examples, there are many more.

We hope you enjoy reading this issue about what some FinTech entrepreneurs and their companies are doing in Asia, and around the world. It’s an interesting time to be involved in finance and related services, and the financial rewards are there, to be sure.

Things can always be better, and it’s great to see that there are many people involved in FinTech who aren’t just there to make money.

AI & Robotics — No reason to panic, yet | In this March/April issue of Jumpstart magazine, we’ve scoured the region to bring together articles about what’s being worked on to help improve our lives – not just right now, but also in the future. Much of this is thanks to AI companies such as SenseTime, which began in 2014 when a group of 11 university colleagues in Hong Kong banded together to create a framework for computer vision and deep-learning technologies. Robots have long captured our imaginations, and finding out more about what’s happening in Asia when it comes to them has been an eye opener. There are several articles in this issue about robots, which are proving far more useful than just working on assembly lines at factories. Some are helping us grow more food, while others are helping make life better for people with illnesses and disabilities. Our May/June issue’s theme is FinTech, and we welcome editorial contributions from across the region.

Living in Smart Cities — Asia Leading the Move | There’s no doubt that technology rules our lives today. It also rules our cities, and many companies providing Smart City products and services are starting up. One reason why our cities need to be smarter is that so many people are or will be living in them – an estimated 70% of the world’s population by 2050. This issue is about Smart Cities. We have gathered contributions from around the region to discuss various aspects of what’s happening now, as well as in the future. An article from Australia shows how food will be grown in urban areas. In Hong Kong and beyond, the FinTech startup TNG Wallet is making waves, attracting investment (US$115 million Series A), and extending its reach across Asia and beyond.

Confronting Gender Issues — What it means to be Female in the Startup Ecosystem | Our genders are a part of our identities. In this issue, female startup founders talk about their identities and their successful (or unsuccessful) stories. They share how they have navigated through gender-based problems such as the male-orientated startup culture, sexism in the workplace and the “motherhood penalties” to stand where they are today. We believe that it is high time that a space is created for women in the startup scene to show the world that they exist and are a force to be reckoned with. Join us in creating this safe space and open discourse for all.

Hong Kong VS Singapore VS China — You’re Good, I’m Better | In this issue, Jumpstart has invited experts from the Hong Kong, Singapore and China startup ecosystems to examine the unique characteristics of their startup headquarters and founding locations. If you have ever wondered if one of these startup environments fare better than the rest, this is the issue made specifically for you. The startup CEOs and managing directors from each location will prove to us which location is good… and which better.

Proudly Made in China — Insider Look into Chinese Manufacturing | “Made in China” is a phrase well-known to the world. For big businesses and corporate companies, manufacturing in China is a given. For startups and entrepreneurs, manufacturing in China may feel like a minefield. Given the proximity of Hong Kong to Shenzhen, and the network of startups that have blossomed over the years, Jumpstart has the opportunity to get insider tips from those who are experienced and familiar with the unique Chinese market. In this issue, you will hear from startup CEOs, manufacturing supervisors, factory owners, cooperate business leaders and lawyers on their Chinese Manufacturing 101s. With a little push in the right direction, navigating this road will not be a difficult feat for startups.

Supersize Your Startup — A Look into Accelerators and Funding | The startup scene has grown a lot in the past few years in Hong Kong. As the city grows as a startup and tech hub, the resources have grown as well. Over the years, the number of accelerators, government programs/resources, mentors, investors, entrepreneurs, and co-working spaces has exponentially increased. Is all this growth helpful and where do you even start?

In this issue, we take a deeper dive to assess the real-life experiences of people who have participated in accelerators in Hong Kong, Singapore, China, and the U.S. and see how they stack up. From people who have participated in the programs to those running these accelerators, you can get a different perspective on the impact of accelerators and whether they would be the right choice for you.

How I F*cked Up My Startup — 5 stories of startup failure and what we can learn from them | Saying startups are easy couldn’t be further from the truth. The media is always pushing out successful stories, but we rarely hear about how many wrong turns they took before they got there. While there is much to learn from the success stories, there is just as much, if not more, to learn from the stories of how things didn’t go as planned.

In this edition of Jumpstart, we share some of these untold stories and what you can learn from them. We hope these insights will help you in entrepreneurship and in life.

What Hong Kong Startups should know about SEO | “A majority of startups should be investing their [time] in SEO, unless they have a good reason not to,” said Joshua Steimle, an SEO guru, when we were chatting about this issue of Jumpstart Magazine. One of the biggest challenges that startups face is raising awareness of their business. Online, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is one of the best ways to get “free” traffic through high ranking of relevant phrases. With 93% of online searches starting with a search engine, and 70% of all clicks going to organic traffic (not paid search) – why not be where the action is?

Insider’s Guide to Growth Hacking | It’s no longer enough to create a website, solicit e-mail addresses, and turn on a Facebook “like” campaign. Growth comes fro data-driven processes that requires creativity, perseverance and collaboration with others. These are key elements of what is called “growth hacking,” which is the focus of the current issue.

50+ Free Tools to Launch and Build Your Startup | Discover 50+ free startup tools that entrepreneurs can use to build their business. Also, how to validate your business idea, how to navigate conflicting mentor advice, news briefs, new coworking spaces, why are there so many free digital tools and how to optimize your free shipping promotion.