Asia Digest: Alibaba Cloud launches China gateway; Austrade-SG Landing Pad cohort

Photographer: Gilles Sabrie/Bloomberg

By Quynh Nguyen

May 30, 2019

Alibaba Cloud has launched China Gateway Program while Austrade’s Singapore Landing Pad Program unveils largest cohort  of Australia’s best startups to deepen SEA-Australia startup collaboration.

Alibaba Cloud launches China Gateway Program 

Alibaba Cloud, the data intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, on Thursday launched China Gateway Program at the Alibaba Cloud APAC Summit with eight local partners, according to an announcement.

Partners that are supporting the initiative include the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA), Enterprise Singapore, DBS SME Banking, Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCCI), SMU Academy, SGTech, Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE) and TechNode.

Through the local partners in Singapore and around the region, Alibaba Cloud will provide firms an in-depth immersion program on doing business in China, connecting them to Chinese companies and consumers via the Alibaba ecosystem.

Austrade’s Singapore Landing Pad Program unveils largest cohort 

The Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) Landing Pad in Singapore has officially unveiled its latest cohort of promising startups in the country, according to an announcement.

Eight startups across the fields of cybersecurity, fintech and HR-tech were unveiled in Singapore, where they will be undergoing a 90-day tailor-made residency program.

For this cohort, Austrade has also partnered with the Australian Cyber Security Growth Network (AustCyber), supported by the Australian government. Together both bodies look to mitigate and eliminate cyber-crime across the Asia-Pacific region.

“By connecting these startups with investors, enterprises and government agencies, we are helping them accelerate their growth internationally.,” said Taliessin Reaburn, Trade Commissioner, Austrade Singapore.

Through the efforts of the Landing Pad and Austrade, recent graduates have expanded to markets such as India, Indonesia, Nepal, The Philippines and Vietnam.

The Landing Pad has helped raise around $15.8 million. Over 50 collaborative agreements have formed, including one with a Singapore government agency.

 

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Singapore Reporter/s

In Singapore, we are looking to double our reporting team by this year-end to comprehensively cover the fast-moving world of funded startups and VC, PE & M&A deals. We want reporters who can tell our readers what is really happening in these sectors and why it matters to markets, companies and consumers. The ability to write precisely and urgently is crucial for these roles. Ideal candidates must have to ability to work in a collaborative, dynamic, and fast-changing environment. We want our new hires to be digitally savvy and ready to experiment with new forms of storytelling. Most importantly, we are looking for hard-hitting reporters who work well in a team. Collaboration and collegiality are a must.

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).   

  • A reporter to track companies/startups that have raised private capital, and have the potential to become unicorns. SEA currently has over 40 companies with a valuation of over $100 million and under $1 billion.
  • A reporter who can get behind the scenes and reveal how funding rounds are put together, or why they’ve failed to materialise. She/he in this role will largely focus on long-format stories. 
  • A journalist to track special situations funds, distressed debt and private credit (from the PE angle) across Asia.
APPLY NOW

Singapore Reporter/s

In Singapore, we are looking to double our reporting team by this year-end to comprehensively cover the fast-moving world of funded startups and VC, PE & M&A deals. We want reporters who can tell our readers what is really happening in these sectors and why it matters to markets, companies and consumers. The ability to write precisely and urgently is crucial for these roles. Ideal candidates must have to ability to work in a collaborative, dynamic, and fast-changing environment. We want our new hires to be digitally savvy and ready to experiment with new forms of storytelling. Most importantly, we are looking for hard-hitting reporters who work well in a team. Collaboration and collegiality are a must.

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).   

  • A reporter to track companies/startups that have raised private capital, and have the potential to become unicorns. SEA currently has over 40 companies with a valuation of over $100 million and under $1 billion.
  • A reporter who can get behind the scenes and reveal how funding rounds are put together, or why they’ve failed to materialise. She/he in this role will largely focus on long-format stories. 
  • A journalist to track special situations funds, distressed debt and private credit (from the PE angle) across Asia.
APPLY NOW