For startups worldwide, global expansion is an ambitious but necessary step toward sustained growth. However, the journey to international markets differs depending on where a company originates. While startups from mature ecosystems like Silicon Valley or Europe often scale with established playbooks, startups from Asia face two distinct paths—those from highly heterogeneous regions like Southeast Asia, and those from more homogeneous markets like Korea or Japan.
Southeast Asia is a region of diverse cultures, fragmented regulations, and varied economic conditions. Unlike companies from homogeneous markets, startups here must navigate localization from day one—even within their own countries. This inherent adaptability gives Southeast Asian founders a competitive edge when expanding internationally. However, they also face unique constraints, such as limited access to global capital, nascent regulatory frameworks, and varying levels of infrastructure maturity.
On the other hand, startups from more homogeneous markets like Korea or Japan often scale with a highly refined but locally optimized business model. While this approach can lead to dominance in a domestic market, it can present challenges when expanding globally. These companies may struggle with adapting to diverse consumer behaviors, operating in less structured regulatory environments, and localizing leadership styles beyond their home-country playbooks.
The key lessons outlined in this article reflect how Southeast Asian startups have successfully overcome these hurdles, providing a blueprint for entrepreneurs globally—whether they are coming from fragmented emerging markets or more mature, centralized economies.
ABC’s of Going Global: 8 Key Lessons from Southeast Asia’s Fastest Growing Global Companies
Going Global Starts with a Shift in Mindset
The first step to global expansion is moving beyond a pseudo-global approach, where execution is centralized and markets are treated as homogeneous. Instead, startups should adopt a global-from-day-one mindset. This means decentralizing execution, adapting strategies to fit each market’s unique context, and enabling local leadership to drive growth. Successful global startups recognize that expansion is not just about entering new markets—it’s about leveraging the strengths of each market to maximize outcomes.
Going global starts with a shift in mindset
The ABCs of Going Global: 8 Case Studies
A – Adaptable Leadership Stems from a Strong Playbook
Case Study: Carro
Carro, a leading Southeast Asian automotive marketplace, showcases the importance of having a foundational business playbook while remaining flexible in execution. The company tailored its go-to-market (GTM) strategies for each new market, from launching a joint venture with SoftBank in Japan to acquiring Beyond Cars in Hong Kong. By maintaining a consistent technological backbone—using car valuation, underwriting, and quality assessment data—Carro successfully adapted to different market dynamics and regulatory landscapes.
A – Adaptable leadership stems from a strong playbook
B – Best-in-Class Products Catered to a Global Audience Build the Foundations of Market Expansion
Case Study: Intellect
Intellect, a mental healthcare platform, scaled internationally by developing best-in-class products and forming key partnerships. Starting as a B2C app, it evolved into a leading B2B provider by integrating with healthcare institutions and multinational corporations. With over 4 million users across 100+ countries, Intellect’s success highlights the importance of product excellence and strategic partnerships in driving global adoption.
B – Best-in-class products catered to a global audience build the foundations of market expansion
C – Compliance is a Moat: Navigating Corporate and Regulatory Requirements as a Competitive Advantage
Case Study: Finmo
For fintech startups, compliance is often seen as a barrier to growth—but Finmo turned it into a competitive edge. By securing key financial licenses across Singapore, the US, Australia, and New Zealand, Finmo built a global payments infrastructure that enables seamless cross-border transactions. With a founding team experienced in risk management and compliance, the company leveraged regulatory expertise to drive international expansion.
C – Compliance is a moat. Ability to navigate corporate and regulatory requirements give you a market expansion edge.
D – Data Flywheels Turn Distribution Strategies into Revenue Expansion Opportunities
Case Study: Surfin
Surfin demonstrates the power of data-driven expansion. By leveraging fintech transaction data, the company developed financial products tailored to underserved markets across Africa, Asia, and South America. With a user base of over 60 million, Surfin’s strategy highlights how a strong data foundation can create new revenue streams and unlock access to financial services in emerging markets.
D – Data flywheels turn distribution strategies into revenue expansion opportunities
E – Ecosystem-Driven Expansion Leverages Industry Partnerships for More Cost-Effective, Cross-Border Distribution
Case Studies: Dr. Clear Aligners, Eezee, Konvy
Industry partnerships play a crucial role in global expansion. Dr. Clear Aligners expanded through collaborations with clinics and dentists, Eezee integrated with ERP systems to scale enterprise procurement, and Konvy leveraged global beauty brands to penetrate Southeast Asian markets. By aligning with existing ecosystems, these startups reduced costs and accelerated international growth.
E – Ecosystem-driven expansion leverages industry partnerships for more cost-effective, cross-border distribution
F – Focus on One Core Product, But Develop Flexibility with Use Cases
Case Study: FileAI
FileAI’s approach to expansion underscores the importance of product focus combined with adaptability. As a file processing and AI automation platform, the company initially expanded in East Asia and ANZ, before preparing for a US launch in 2025. By refining its sales narrative and adapting its ideal customer profile (ICP), FileAI ensured that its core offering remained relevant across different markets.
F – Focus on one core product, but develop flexibility with use cases
G – Global Talent and Capital Can Move the Needle for Highly Localized Startups with Large Opportunities
Case Studies: Tonik, AwanTunai
Access to global talent and capital can be a game-changer for startups tackling localized problems. Tonik, a digital bank in the Philippines, benefited from leadership with experience in European and Indian banking markets. Similarly, AwanTunai leveraged global data science expertise to scale its supply chain financing solutions. By combining local market understanding with international expertise, these startups built scalable financial inclusion models.
G – Global talent and capital can move the needle for highly localized startups with large opportunities
H – Hyperlocalization is Built Through Domain Expertise
Case Study: WIZ.AI
Conversational AI company WIZ.AI exemplifies the importance of hyperlocalization. With a presence across 15+ countries, WIZ.AI customizes its technology—such as automatic speech recognition and vertical LLMs—to different linguistic and cultural contexts. Its approach to building localized R&D and sales teams ensures that its products resonate with users in diverse markets.
H – Hyperlocalization is built through domain expertise
Final Thoughts: What Global Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Southeast Asia and Beyond
Southeast Asian startups have succeeded globally not by merely replicating their domestic success but by embracing adaptability, compliance, and hyperlocalization from day one. While startups from developed markets often benefit from access to larger initial funding pools and established regulatory pathways, those from emerging ecosystems like Southeast Asia must be highly agile and resourceful to scale beyond borders.
For companies from more homogeneous markets like Korea or Japan, expansion can present its own set of challenges—including the need to shift from a standardized domestic model to a more flexible international approach. Companies from these countries often need to invest more in localization and talent diversification to compete effectively in global markets.
For entrepreneurs worldwide looking to expand, the key takeaway is this: going global is not about imposing a fixed model but about evolving with the markets you enter. Whether it’s through adaptable leadership, compliance mastery, ecosystem-driven partnerships, or data-powered distribution, startups that prioritize flexibility and localization will be best positioned for international success.
By learning from Southeast Asian startups that have successfully navigated these challenges, founders across the world—whether from dynamic emerging markets or structured, high-growth economies—can build expansion strategies that are not just global, but truly sustainable.
Subscribe to read the rest of the article
Paulo Joquiño is a writer and content producer for tech companies, and co-author of the book Navigating ASEANnovation. He is currently Editor of Insignia Business Review, the official publication of Insignia Ventures Partners, and senior content strategist for the venture capital firm, where he started right after graduation. As a university student, he took up multiple work opportunities in content and marketing for startups in Asia. These included interning as an associate at G3 Partners, a Seoul-based marketing agency for tech startups, running tech community engagements at coworking space and business community, ASPACE Philippines, and interning at workspace marketplace FlySpaces. He graduated with a BS Management Engineering at Ateneo de Manila University in 2019.
Home
Publications 
Podcasts 
Search