Going international

• 500-backed Indonesian e-commerce marketplace Bukalapak has set up its first international research and development center in Melbourne, Australia.
• According to the article, this move is part of the company’s effort to tap into the global talent pool. President Teddy Oetomo said, “Melbourne’s tech ecosystem is an ideal base for Bukalapak to establish this tech hub, which enables Indonesia’s tech talent to work together with tech professionals from Australia and around the world.”
• In addition to creating full-time jobs, it will also explore partnership opportunities with local universities.
• Bukalapak launched its first innovation center in Bandung, Indonesia in 2019 in partnership with the Bandung Institute of Technology.
• Read the full story on DealStreetAsia.

Moving towards global sustainability

• Vikas Garg, CEO and founder of 500-backed abillion, was invited on a podcast to talk about the startup’s platform that helps people around the world live more sustainably.
• abillion, which claims to be the world’s fastest-growing platform for vegan and sustainable living, started from Vikas’ desire to create something that inspires people at a global level.
• He shared that 60% of monthly users on the platform are actually not vegan or vegetarian, but are meat-eaters looking to experience the sustainable lifestyle.
• Of abillion’s future plans, Vikas revealed that the startup is planning to build a platform that helps entrepreneurs start and grow businesses within the sustainability space.
• “We are creating the first-ever consumer-to-consumer marketplace focused on everything vegan, plant-based, and sustainability that’s going to be launching in the first half of next year.”
• Listen to the full podcast here.

Entering a new territory

• 500-backed superfast Internet startup Transcelestial has partnered with Glocomp Systems to bring wireless laser communications to Malaysia.
• According to a company statement, this collaboration will give the industry an alternate option to fiber optic cables, an infrastructure-intensive solution that requires physical wires between buildings, cell towers, or street-level poles.
• A representative of Glocomp said that this will forge a new path for wireless connectivity in Malaysia that could mean a much faster rollout of Internet upgrades.
• Under the partnership, the two companies are exploring opportunities with existing telecom and enterprise clients to trial the new solution first-hand.
• Read the full article on The Edge Markets.