Keep on truckin’

FAS Maritime Magazine | Maiden Issue
Photography by Arabella Paner

Amidst a daunting modernization program, fuel price hikes, and turnaround delays, the men behind this humble but mighty industry forge on

From bananas to bicycles to beer, consumption levels are breaking records. Even amidst inflationary pressures, figures from the World Bank point to private consumption being among the Philippines’ main economic drivers, having grown at a moderate 7.3 percent in 2017 and contributing 10.3 percent (or $31.3 billion) to the same year’s GDP. This, a steadily growing economy, and the exponential rise of e-commerce in the country—payment solutions firm PayPal predicts Filipinos will be spending P121 billion on online shopping in 2018—mean more goods are waiting to be moved.

As the Philippines is lightyears away from self-driving trucks, the country needs more men like Misae Cagubgub hauling freight and making deliveries. Continue reading “Keep on truckin’”

Yen Kuok: The Guiltless brand of luxury

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Inc. Southeast Asia | Tycoons 2.0
Photo c/o Guiltless

“Always think like the sneakiest version of yourself,” says Yen Kuok in an interview with Inc. Southeast Asia.

Sitting comfortably behind her desk at the Hong Kong headquarters of Guiltless—the luxury marketplace selling pre-loved (second-hand) and off-season designer clothing, handbags, shoes, jewelry, watches, and lifestyle products she founded in 2015—Kuok is recalling the one lesson her father, Malaysian sugar baron Robert Kuok, taught her about running a business. “Anticipate and imagine the worst-nightmare customers you could have—those out to get you, cheat you, and manipulate their way around your system. Put yourself in their shoes and if you can beat yourself at that game, then you’re likely set.” Continue reading “Yen Kuok: The Guiltless brand of luxury”

Zilingo: The e-merchant of small things

Inc. Southeast Asia | Beauty Killers
Photo by Joel Lim

Any shopaholic worth her salt has made the pilgrimage to Southeast Asia’s most vibrant weekend market: the busy and bustling sensory overload that is Chatuchak along Bangkok’s Kamphaeng Phet 2 Road. Continue reading “Zilingo: The e-merchant of small things”

Context clues: Mark Britt of iflix on what it takes to successfully go native

Inc. Southeast Asia 19 July 2017

What gets this co-founder out of bed in the morning? Piracy, leading the entertainment revolution, and ‘little Raspberry Pis’ tracking Internet telemetry across 10 emerging markets Continue reading “Context clues: Mark Britt of iflix on what it takes to successfully go native”

Go public or stay private? Five unfiltered growth lessons from Trivago’s CEO

Inc. Southeast Asia | 25 July 2017

Rolf Schromgens dishes out the costs and benefits of taking his company public

Continue reading “Go public or stay private? Five unfiltered growth lessons from Trivago’s CEO”

Vroom to grow: This Cambodian start-up enables seamless transit in Southeast Asia

Inc. Southeast Asia | 7 April 2017

BookMeBus is every traveler’s ticket to the touristic wonders of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam Continue reading “Vroom to grow: This Cambodian start-up enables seamless transit in Southeast Asia”

How to create a truly original start-up in Asia

Inc. Southeast Asia 20 January 2017


A Filipino tech entrepreneur from Silicon Valley shares his thought process on creating start-ups that disrupt the status quo
Continue reading “How to create a truly original start-up in Asia”