Gift cards are big business in Vietnam

More: Vizzio board fine with CEO’s fake credentials. [Read from your browser]( Daily Newsletter Welcome to Tech in Asia's free Daily Newsletter! Get full access to our subscribers-only Daily Newsletter and other insightful analysis on the big and messy topics of Asia’s tech and startup community by [registering here](.  --------------------------------------------------------------- IN FOCUS In today's newsletter, we spotlight: - [Behind the profitable success of Got It]( - The US$1.5 million seed round of a Malaysian food startup - Other newsy highlights such as Vizzio’s board being fine with its CEO’s fake Ph.D. --------------------------------------------------------------- Hello {NAME} I grew up in a family that didn’t give presents for birthdays. Don’t get me wrong, these occasions were celebrated, but usually just with a nice meal at a restaurant. Gifts were a sort of alien concept to me for much of my childhood. Maybe it’s because of that - coupled with my perfectionist attitude when getting presents for others - that I have a mild love-hate relationship with the concept of gifting. That’s why I fully realize the potential dilemma that others might go through when thinking of getting something for me. I do have a general wishlist of items I want, but I’m not so thick-skinned as to tell people to “buy me something on this list.” The solution? Dude, just give me cash. Gift cards could also work, and it appears to be big business in Vietnam, if gifting and rewards platform Got It’s success is anything to go by. -- Winston  ---------------------------------------------------------------  THE BIG STORY [Vietnam’s Got It eyes peer-to-peer gifting as it boosts profits]( The VNG-backed rewards platform, which improved its net profit by 278% year on year in 2023, will be launching a mini-app on Zalo. --------------------------------------------------------------- TRENDING NEWS [Vizzio board backs CEO despite sham doctorate; Lee admits ‘grave misjudgment’]( The board stressed that the AI startup’s tech doesn’t hinge on a doctorate, while Lee released a statement acknowledging the severity of his error. [Meals in Minutes cooks up $1.5m to expand meal kit offerings]( The Malaysian firm said it will use the capital to support its growth across Singapore and Malaysia, as well as to enter the UK. ---------------------------------------------------------------  VISUAL STORY OF THE DAY [20 top angel investment networks in Asia]( Here's our regularly updated list of Asia's top angel investment networks. ---------------------------------------------------------------  JUMPSTART 2024 WITH SINGAPORE’S FINEST LEADERS  Join us for this closed-door roundtable and networking dinner on February 20 Singapore-based IT, data, and digital transformation leaders - are you ready for a new year of new beginnings? It’s time to break away from the norm of rigid, traditional business processes in 2024! In today’s changing market, companies must embrace the shift toward composable enterprise to remain agile and versatile as well as to keep pace with evolving demands and needs. 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