Many Asian countries are beginning to see the potential of having a vibrant and robust startup ecosystem. As countries vie with one another to become the next tech startup hub of the world, startup neighborhoods are beginning to emerge in many major cities across Asia in recent years. Here’s a look at some of the most distinctive startup neighborhoods in Asia.
Ayer Rajah (Singapore)
Located in Ayer Rajah Industrial Estate is the “world’s most tightly-packed entrepreneurial ecosystem”, JTC Launchpad @ one-north. Fondly known as Block 71 among the locals, it currently houses more than 250 startups and 30 incubators and accelerators under its roof.
Website: http://www.launchpad.sg/
Cyberjaya (Malaysia)
Cyberjaya is a city in Malaysia that is reviving itself to be the Silicon Valley of Malaysia. In 2014, the Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC) was launched to provide the necessary support for startups and nurture a vibrant entrepreneurial hub in the region.
Website: http://mymagic.my/en/
Gangnam, Seoul (South Korea)
Located in Seoul’s Gangnam district is the street of Teheran-no, dubbed as South Korea’s Silicon Valley. Teheran-no is dotted with promising startups, incubators, accelerators and innovation centres amid Internet giants such as Google and Amazon. The three main entrepreneurial clusters along the street are Google Campus Seoul, D.Camp and Maru180.
Website: https://www.campus.co/seoul/en, http://www.dcamp.kr/,
http://maru180.com/
Koramangala, Bengaluru (India)
Koramangala is a small neighbourhood located in the city of Bengaluru (formerly known as Bangalore), India. It has one of the highest number of startup offices in India, with the neighbourhood also housing co-working spaces, venture capital firms and networking spaces such as Tech Hub.
Hyderabad (India)
The city of Hyderabad is now home to India’s largest tech incubator, T-Hub. Launched in November 2015, T-Hub aims to deliver more startup success stories in India and create one of the tightest and most vibrant entrepreneur communities in the world.
Website: http://www.t-hub.co/
Ekkami, Bangkok (Thailand)
Known for its hip cafes and shops, Ekkami district is also home to a number of co-working spaces for budding startups. Some of these spaces include Hubba, PAH Creative and Ma:D.
Innoway (China)
A government-backed startup village located in Zhongguancun district, Beijing, housing more than 300 startups along a 200-metre strip. Startups could take advantage of the well-developed network of incubators, accelerators and venture capital firms available in the village. Zhongguancun district is regarded as the Silicon Valley of China and is the hub of major local and multinational tech companies such as Xiaomi and Google,
Slipi, Jakarta (Indonesia)
Locally known as the “Slipicon Valley”, Slipi is a district located in West Jakarta and is home to over 50 tech startups, including e-commerce giant Tokopedia and online fashion store BerryBenka. The area also hosts a number of digital agencies, incubators and venture capital firms, providing easy access for startups to conduct their business activities.
Website: http://www.slipiconvalley.id/about/
Shibuya, Tokyo (Japan)
The Shibuya district in Tokyo is well-known to be as an innovation and tech hub, attracting budding startups and multinational giants such as Amazon and Google. Affectionately known as the “Bit Valley”, the Shibuya district is also home to a number of startup incubators, accelerators and venture capital firms, including CyberAgent and NHN.