Why Canva, Heaps Normal and Square Peg are betting on Southeast Asia
Some of Australia's brightest startups are building out significant presences in Southeast Asia, lending weight to the government's push to expand ties in the region.
When it comes to identifying a market opportunity, the government is probably the last place Australian startup founders and VC will look for advice. But the latest push to use the startup sector to strengthen our surprisingly weak economic ties with Southeast Asia has been backed by experts, and founders already building out presences in the region.
Design software giant Canva, which opened an office in Manila in 2014 with eight people, now has over 850 employees in Southeast Asia across everything from design to marketing, customer service, operations, HR/People, legal, and finance.
Ingrid Jenkins, a People Leader at Canva, says the team across the region plays a critical role in their continued growth as the Philippines and Indonesia are its two fastest-growing markets. “It’s incredible to see how far the local startup community has come over the last few years and the amazing continued innovation coming out of the city — it’s growing faster than ever,” says Jenkins of Manila.
Andy Miller, CEO and co-founder of Australian alcohol-free beer company Heaps Normal, which is expanding into Southeast Asia, says numerous factors make it an attractive market. He cites a rising middle class of increasingly affluent consumers looking for high-quality products and geographical proximity that enables efficiencies on exporting freight from Australia.
