Women start-up founders that are making waves across Asia

From an online payments firm to a socially conscious one, Tech in Asia profiles women entrepreneurs that are making it big in the Asian start-up ecosystem

We’ve all heard of the success stories in China, Japan and Singapore. But what about the other countries that aren’t necessarily in the media’s spotlight? Let’s zoom in on the emerging gems of this vibrant continent!

Anu Sridharan

Country: India

Company: NextDrop

Position: Founder

Anu Sridharan, founder, NextDrop. Image via Tech in Asia

Anu Sridharan was 23 years old when she became CEO of the social-oriented startup NextDrop. Founded in Hubli, a town approximately 500 kilometres from Bengaluru, the start-up allows Indian residents in the urban areas to track the availability of piped water through SMS. Working with operators in the field, NextDrop sends text messages 60 minutes before water arrives in your tap, while also offering utility boards the tools to better manage and track leakages in water supply.

Anu has a Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering and a Masters in Civil Systems Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. She served as the Education and Health director for a water/sanitation project in the slums of Mumbai, India called “Haath Mein Sehat”, where she piloted a successful volunteer recruitment and community-training model.

Nabilah Alsagoff

Country: Indonesia

Company: Doku

Position: Founder and COO

Nabilah Alsagoff, Founder and COO, Doku. Image via Tech in Asia

Launched in 2007, DOKU is Indonesia’s leading e-payment solutions provider. The company’s COO, Nabilah Alsagoff, had 15 years of experience in developing customer-centric marketing concepts, IT services and sales programs for diverse companies and industries.  She graduated from Murdoch University in 1990 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Comparative Literature.

Alsagoff came up with DOKU right after the Bali terrorist attacks in 2002 when she was working on a tourism website. A Malaysian company was servicing payments for transactions, so Alsagoff formed a similar concept for Indonesia. It has also partnered with financial service brands including VISA, Mastercard, Mandiri, e-Pay and BRI. 

This is an excerpt from Tech in Asia. You can read the full article here.