Ecosystem Dynamics: China vs Southeast Asia

In the second part of our conversation with Blake Larson and Alexander Le, the three ex-Rocket Internet Alumni dive deeper into the fragmented Southeast Asian tech ecosystem, reflecting on how it has evolved since the days of Rocket Internet. 

They share their firsthand insights on navigating the fragmented markets in the region and the lessons they've learned from their expansive global experiences.

The second part of this series highlights:

• Rocket Internet’s impact on tech development in Southeast Asia;

• Challenges Southeast Asia’s fragmented markets pose for scaling tech operations;

• How tech giants in the region, like Lazada and Grab, have tackled fragmentation issues;

• Importance of resource allocation when scaling globally;

• The future of tech scalability in the region.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

1:01 Rocket Internet’s Impact on SEA

5:20 Fragmented SEA vs. China

10:00 Infrastructure is key for expansion

16:20 Rocket Internet’s data-driven expansion approach

24:15 Tips for young founders

Featured materials:

Seeing the Unseen, Jianggan Li, Guoli Chen

E91: Founders walk a lonely road: conversation with Blake Larson & Alex Le (1/3), The Impulso Podcast