Welcome to our Product Playbooks Podcast! A show where we dive deeper into the craft of building winning tech products specifically in Southeast Asia.
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Summary
In our very first episode, Nuno Jonet, Head of Product and Tech at Necto, discusses the challenges and opportunities of building tech products in Southeast Asia. He highlights the diverse markets within the region and the need for localization and understanding of cultural nuances. Nuno also mentions the potential for B2B SaaS businesses in Southeast Asia and the importance of digitization and AI in product development. He shares his experiences with product adaptation for the Southeast Asia market and the lessons he learned. Nuno also discusses the untapped potential of personal finance management products in the region.
In this conversation, Nuno and Vasanth discuss the challenges and opportunities in Southeast Asia, the importance of adapting products to local needs, and the impact of generative AI on product development.
They also explore the role of product managers, the skills needed for success, and the common mistakes made by founders. The key takeaway is the importance of diplomacy in product management and the need for realistic expectations in the startup world.
Key Takeaways
Southeast Asia is a diverse region with different markets, requiring localization and understanding of cultural nuances.
There are opportunities for B2B SaaS businesses in Southeast Asia, especially in areas like finance and human capital management.
SaaS products that target business digitization first (with the improved power of AI) can be a winning recipe here compared to more mature markets like US.
Product adaptation for the Southeast Asia market requires considering the customer's context and environment.
Personal finance management products have untapped potential in Southeast Asia, but the revenue model and business model need to be carefully considered. Southeast Asia is a diverse market with different cultural nuances and customer behaviors, requiring product adaptation
Generative AI has the potential to greatly impact product development, but human oversight is still necessary
Diplomacy is a key skill for product managers, as they need to bridge different perspectives and priorities
Founders should be realistic in their projections and focus on building a solid business plan
Underpromising and overdelivering is a good strategy for growth
Developing a niche specialization is important for software engineers in the age of generative AI
Sound Bites
"Southeast Asia isn't a unit, it's a collection of countries and some of them very, very different."
"There are opportunities just because of the way economics works and how other places have become very expensive."
"B2B SaaS in Southeast Asia is on a growth factor."
"Share so we can learn."
"Generative AI, everybody's favorite topic."
"It makes a developer much more productive."
Chapters
00:00 Introduction of Nuno Junet
02:41 Challenges and Opportunities in Southeast Asia
06:30 Localization and Cultural Nuances
10:31 The Potential for B2B SaaS Businesses
16:08 Lessons Learned from Product Adaptation
38:36 Navigating Challenges and Opportunities in Southeast Asia
39:01 Adapting Products to Local Needs
39:42 The Impact of Generative AI on Product Development
45:28 The Importance of Diplomacy in Product Management
51:39 Common Mistakes Made by Founders
57:22 Summarising our discussion
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