#Asia 12 startups in Asia that caught our eye

asian startups weekly list
Here’s our newest round-up of the featured startups on our site this week. If you have startup tips or story suggestions, feel free to email us. Enjoy this week’s list!

1. MetroResidences | Singapore (Startup Profile)

Singapore-based MetroResidences rents out fully furnished apartments to corporate travelers, offering up to a 40 percent discount on branded providers. The startup takes care of setting up and styling the apartments, as well as the viewing, leasing, and maintenance checkboxes. In exchange, it charges owners property management and marketing fees; no commission on rentals or user booking fees.

2. Saleswhale | Singapore (Startup Profile)

Founded in 2015, Saleswhale specializes in automated sales assistants. The startup wants to improve sales processes for businesses. It’s created an automated assistant system that follows up on sales leads and takes care of the first stages of communication before routing them to a human salesperson.

3. Itemku | Indonesia (Startup Profile)

Virtual goods marketplace Itemku lets people buy and sell items that exist or are used in games, and takes a cut of the sale. It now counts 200,000 virtual goods posted on its site, and its gross merchandise volume and revenue have been rising by an average of 30 percent monthly.

4. Acudeen | Philippines (Startup Profile)

Acudeen wants to service more small businesses by paying their invoices on behalf of corporations, using its credit line from a partner bank. It plugs into corporations’ accounting software to validate the invoices of their suppliers. Upon validation, it disburses the money to suppliers in three working days, getting rid of the painful wait for funds.

5. Squad | India (Startup Profile)

SaaS startup Squad brings a new form of outsourcing to today’s internet companies. Its cloud-based software breaks down business processes into efficient workflows. It brings in automation wherever possible using machine learning along with human intervention wherever required for a smoother workflow. And finally, it outsources work to an army of human contractors.

6. Zen Rooms | Singapore (Startup Profile)

Zen Rooms is a hotel booking platform for cost-conscious travelers. The startup partners with budget hotels to build a network of rooms that it spruces up to provide a standardized service. In exchange, it takes a commission out of each successful booking.

7. Pico | China (Startup Profile)

Virtual reality startup Pico is tackling the mobile segment of VR hardware, where headsets rely on the processing power of smartphones. Its devices offer an untethered VR experience that’s more convenient and accessible for the average consumer.

8. First Circle | Philippines (Startup Profile)

Fintech startup First Circle gives loans to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), based on its own credit scoring process that factors in multiple data sources, such as social media, ecommerce transactions, and banks. The assessment period takes only 24 hours, and after that funds become available immediately. Average loan size is US$10,000, and the loan period typically lasts three months.

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