In 2024, Asian startups are navigating a challenging landscape marked by high inflation, limited VC funding, and higher interest rates.
The slow economic recovery has further impacted their operations, posing significant obstacles to growth.
Despite these hurdles, a handful of new Asian companies are shining with rapid expansion.
Growthschool
5-year search growth: 3400%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2020
Location: Karnataka, India
Funding: $5M (Seed)
What they do:
GrowthSchool provides on-demand video content and offers career-focused programs created in collaboration with top industry leaders. Their programs cover various areas such as marketing, product development, design, business, technology, and data. As of 2023, GrowthSchool has served over 400,000 learners with the support of 400+ mentors from renowned brands like Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Coca-Cola. They have an impressive library of 4,000+ learning content pieces to help individuals advance their careers and skills.
Empuls
5-year search growth: 220%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2018
Location: Karnataka, India
Funding: - (Bootstrapped)
What they do:
Emplus is an employee engagement platform that provides an online space to appreciate and support employees. It caters to remote and hybrid work settings, focusing on employee retention and fostering a winning culture while streamlining HR processes. The platform offers various features to engage employees, including surveys, perks for overall wellbeing, and recognition awards for performance, leadership, and long service. As of 2023, Emplus has been used by 150,000 employees and has garnered over 1,000 global customers, including companies like Pepsi, Bosch, and Adobe.
DhiWise
5-year search growth: 1400%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2021
Location: Gujarat, India
Funding: $9.5M (Series A)
What they do:
DhiWise is a programming platform that helps developers transform their designs into developer-friendly code for mobile and web applications. The platform automates the application development lifecycle and generates readable, modular, and reusable code instantly. DhiWise enables developers to build various types of apps, including ecommerce mobile apps, productivity applications, and company intranets. The platform boasts over 69,000 users from well-known companies like Morgan Stanley, Wix, and Siemens.
Clinikally
5-year search growth: 5700%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2021
Location: Haryana, India
Funding: $600k (Seed)
What they do:
Clinikally is an online platform that connects dermatologists with users for skin and hair care services. It aims to reduce waiting times by offering quick online consultations and personalized treatment plans. Additionally, the platform provides free delivery of prescribed medications. As of 2023, Clinikally has onboarded over 1,000 dermatologists and served more than 1,000,000 users.
Locofy
5-year search growth: 4400%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2021
Location: Singapore
Funding: $7.2M (Pre Seed)
What they do:
Locofy is a plugin that allows you to create designs in Figma or Adobe XD and then converts those designs into frontend code for web and mobile using AI acceleration. It enables users to build full apps, screens, components, and design systems, saving development time. The major achievement of Locofy includes being used by big companies like VMware, Google, Amazon, Hootsuite, and Zoom, with over 172,000 projects utilizing the platform as of 2023.
One AI
5-year search growth: 507%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2021
Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
Funding: $8M (Seed)
What they do:
One AI transforms documents into structured, actionable data, seamlessly integrating it into various products and services. Their AI technology can process text, audio, PDF, and video files without any size limits. It can be easily integrated into different products, enabling various use cases like ecommerce review analysis, chatbot emotion detection, and sales conversion. As of 2023, One AI has gained the trust of companies like HubSpot and gov.uk and has been featured in reputable publications such as TechCrunch and Forbes.
Smile API
5-year search growth: 200%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2021
Location: Singapore
Funding: - (Bootstrapped)
What they do:
Smile API offers a single API that provides lenders and HR professionals access to recent, verified, and comprehensive data about borrowers. The data includes information on employment, income, assets, and school. Unlike traditional credit data, Smile API offers greater coverage and real-time access, making background checks faster and more efficient. The company has been recognized as a top developer API company in Southeast Asia and has been mentioned in The Manila Times.
Meson
5-year search growth: 186%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2021
Location: Singapore
Funding: $4M (Seed)
What they do:
Meson is a cross-chain platform designed for stablecoins, offering lower costs and faster transaction speeds in just 1 to 2 minutes. Participants have complete control over their funds and take safety concerns into their own hands. The Meson Protocol has been audited by Trail of Bits, a renowned security firm. Notable achievements include attracting investments from BAI Capital and M77 Ventures. As of 2023, the platform has facilitated 1.5 million transactions with a total volume of over $2 billion.
WriterZen
5-year search growth: 99X%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2021
Location: Singapore
Funding: $1.3M (Seed)
What they do:
WriterZen is an all-in-one SEO tool that simplifies the content lifecycle from creation to conversion. The tool offers features like Topical Authority, Keyword Explorer, and an AI writing assistant to assist users in optimizing their content for search engines. WriterZen has received recognition from reputable publications like Mashable and Entrepreneur. As of 2023, the platform has clustered 8 million keywords, gained over 10,000 active users, and discovered more than 20,000 topics to help content creators enhance their online presence.
Topmate
5-year search growth: 620%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2021
Location: Karnataka, India
Funding: $750K (Seed)
What they do:
Topmate is a tool that allows creators, experts, and mentors to connect with their audience, share knowledge, and monetize their time. With Topmate, you can offer 1:1 sessions, prioritize direct messages, host webinars, bundle services, sell digital products, and answer follower queries. The platform empowers individuals to leverage their personal brand, share expertise, and monetize their time effectively. As of 2023, Topmate boasts 10,000 creators and has facilitated the sale of 300,000 services, providing a valuable platform for creators to engage with their followers and generate income.
Wrapping Up
Tech startups in Asia are changing the game with their creative ideas.
These companies are pushing the limits of what's possible, addressing real-world challenges with ingenious solutions. Amid challenges, the force of artificial intelligence shines as a key accelerator of growth.
In a world connected by technology, these startups are more than just businesses; they represent the dynamic spirit of progress, proving that the future is both limitless and inspiring.