🚀 New Segment: Founder of The Week

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Here’s what we got for you:

• 🚀 Founder of the week - Ann of CandyIcons.com

• ⛵ SEAppets - PDG to invest USD $1B for data centre campuses in Malaysia and Indonesia

• 💰 SEA Deals

• 🖼️ AI Image of the day

• 🐣 Tweet of the day

Markets 📈

Founder of The Week 🚀

Founder of The Week is a new segment where I will be featuring founders/indie hackers/solopreneurs from Southeast Asia.

And I’m happy to announce that our first founder of the week is Ann!

🐣 What's your origin story?

My name is Ann, and I have a background in business development for an e-commerce company. However, in 2019, I took a leap into the tech world by transitioning into a Data Analyst role. And now, after taking a career break in May 2022, I am delving deeper into this field by learning code and creating products.

🌍 Where are you from and where are you currently based?

I hail from Vietnam, and I am currently travelling across the country without a permanent base. But my love for Da Nang is so strong, so I'm going to stay there for a while.

🚀 What's your startup/side project?

I'm working on CandyIcons.com right now. It offers both pre-generated app icons to choose from and a place to create them in your favourite styles and desired objects.

💻 Tech Stack 

• Next.js

• TailwindCSS

• Node.js

• MySQL

📣 Marketing Stack

My main sources of traffic for CandyIcons.com come from Twitter and ProductHunt, I believe they are the most effective tools for marketing my product at the moment.

But, I'm also optimistic about the potential of SEO as a future channel for marketing.

💰 How much are you currently making from your startup/side project? What's your MRR or ARR?

It's a one-time purchase product. Till now, my highest earnings per month are around $150.

I know I need to focus more on marketing 😅.

🌊 What's your thought on SEA?

Is there a community for indie hackers in SEA? If not, I'd love to have one.

It would be a great way for us to come together, share ideas and products, and support one another in the tech industry. But not exclusive - anyone can join 😅.

💡With all of your current knowledge and experience, if you were able to go back to being 20 yo again, what would you build?

I wish I had started learning to code earlier so that I could have built some side projects (I'm not quite sure what I would have built back then though).

SEAppets ⛵

1. India and Singapore have linked their digital payments systems, UPI and PayNow to enable real-time and low-cost fund transfers between the two countries which amounts to over USD $1 billion each year. Eight banks from both countries are participating in the collaboration, allowing citizens to send up to 1,000 Singapore dollars each day. This is the world's first cross-border linkage with cloud-based infrastructure and non-bank financial institutions. India is using its G20 presidency to present its digital infrastructure to other countries.

2. SEACEF, a Singapore-based fund managed by Clime Capital, has invested in EBOOST, an open-network electric vehicle charging operator in Vietnam. The investment aims to accelerate the decarbonisation of the country's transport sector and allow for more EV users. SEACEF has previously invested in other firms from Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines and is backed by leading international climate foundations and investors.

3. Anacafé, the Guatemalan National Coffee Association and ProfilePrint, a Singapore-based A.I. agrifood tech company have announced an alliance to provide Guatemalan coffee farmers with a digital platform to grade their coffee beans more effectively. ProfilePrint's A.I. technology will also be demonstrated at the 19th edition of Let’s Talk Coffee in February. ProfilePrint recently closed Series A1 funding with US-based Cargill. Anacafé is responsible for ensuring services for coffee farmers in order to create a sustainable and competitive coffee industry.s.

4. Carsome, an integrated car e-commerce platform has launched Carsome Service Centers at two locations in Malaysia. Offering pre-owned car maintenance and repair services, the centres provide a digital platform backed by Carsome standards and experts. Carsome has received support from government stakeholders and hopes to expand to its other offices in the region.

SEA Deals 💰

1. Malaysian private equity firm Bintang Capital Partners has led a USD $10 million investment in marketing technology company Involve Asia, with Orbit Capital Malaysia, 500 Global, and Monumental Productions also participating in the round. Involve Asia offers digital citizens across the region the opportunity to self-monetise and has processed over USD $1 billion in transactions. Bintang's first fund closed in early 2022 and Bintang is planning to launch a second fund.

2. Princeton Digital Group (PDG) is investing USD $1 billion to expand its data centre footprint to Batam, Indonesia and Johor, Malaysia as part of its SG+ strategy. The initial investment plan for the 96 MW capacity data centre in Batam is close to USD $1 billion and the company is exploring sustainable and renewable energy initiatives to achieve its net-zero emission goals. PDG has a total capacity of 600 MW across a portfolio of 20 data centres in five key markets.

3. CapitaLand Investment Limited (CLI) has established a China Data Centre Development Fund to invest in two hyperscale data centre development projects in Greater Beijing. These projects will add S$1 billion to CLI's funds under management and are expected to be completed in 2025. CLI has built capabilities in data centre design, development, commercial sales, and operations, and is actively seeking to grow its alternative assets platform. The two data centres will be designed and built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standards and feature eco-friendly solutions.

4. Willowmore, a Singapore-based smart access control solutions provider has secured an undisclosed amount in a Series A+ funding round led by Oriza Greenwillow Technology Fund. The startup plans to use the proceeds to expand its sales team, make additional R&D investments and strengthen its AI capabilities. Founded in 2014, Willowmore provides app-operated smart locks and has developed a strong pipeline of new hardware and software solutions to be released this year.

AI Image of The Day 🖼️

The Dalai Lama using VR

Tweet of The Day 🐣

Life is shorter than you think.

This is a reminder to have a sense of urgency and energy.

That’s a wrap for today. See you all tomorrow! 👋

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