Just six years ago, in 2013, a mobile user in Myanmar had to pay USD 250 for a SIM card—this in a country where the average annual income was less than USD 200. For most people in Myanmar, the internet was a luxury for a select few; at least, that was the case until February […]
Myanmar holds its first blockchain roundtable
July 4, 2019 by
Last week Facebook released the whitepaper for its new cryptocurrency Libra, attempting to link its social media platform with a blockchain payment ecosystem. There are some 2.6 billion Facebook users around the world, and almost 20 million in Myanmar – that’s a lot of potential cryptocurrency users. With these astonishing numbers in mind, and with […]
Start-up sees future farmers using hydroponics, smart tech
July 3, 2019 by
Ko Htet Aung Hlaing, founder of local start-up HydroPlant, wants to revolutionise farming in Myanmar. “HydroPlant is expanding its two business arms. The first one is disseminating hydroponic technology and selling the required equipment. We build greenhouses. The second is selling smart precision systems,” he said. The smart precision systems offer information that farmers need […]
The thriving co-working space industry
June 28, 2019 by
Ko Lwin Maung Maung is looking for a space in Yangon to run his business. He is a freelancer who develops web-based ap plications. After deciding to work for himself, he quickly discovered that the costliest part of his business was not investment in technology or software, but rather the high rents for office space. […]
First Myanmar RoboLeague 2019 held in Yangon
June 13, 2019 by
The First Myanmar RoboLeague 2019 was held in Theinbyu Stadium in Yangon Region on June 1, with opening speeches by Dr Myo Thein Gyi, Union Minister for Education and Mr Scot Marciel, ambassador of the United States to Myanmar. The USAID is supporting the RoboLeague competition, together with the Ministry of Education and Phandeeyar. It […]
University students take next step with ride-sharing app
May 29, 2019 by
Four tech-savvy students from universities in Yangon put their heads together to develop Lan Kyone, a ride-sharing application that helped students hitch rides to get to school on time. Now, the Lan Kyone app is being modified, upgraded and expanded for commercial ride-sharing. As it was at first aimed at university students, there was no […]
A clean-up campaign for Yangon’s air pollution
May 21, 2019 by
The SHWEDAGON Pagoda was our first stop on a mission to gather data on air quality in various locations across Yangon, which began one Sunday morning in late March. The air quality in the commercial capital seemed to have deteriorated throughout the hot season, and we wanted to know how bad it was and what […]
Kargo is disrupting logistics in Myanmar, one of the world’s most challenging countries
May 14, 2019 by
Kargo, a company that takes the spirit of Uber and brings it to the disorganized world of trucking, has raised a US$800,000 round of funding, giving TechCrunch an excuse to delve into the world of startup development in Myanmar, one of the world’s most curious countries. Ostracized from the world until its first free general […]
Myanmar: A burgeoning entrepreneurial ecosystem
May 14, 2019 by
A bit more than a decade ago, buying a cellular SIM card in Myanmar cost US$3,000 in 2001 and $250 in 2013. Fast forward to April 2019, and you can purchase a starter pack for as little as $1.10. And this is only one of the changes afoot in Myanmar, where local and international entrepreneurs […]
‘Knowledge is transformative’: UTIAS professor teaches robotics in Myanmar
April 4, 2019 by
Professor Jonathan Kelly (UTIAS) recently returned from a week in Yangon, Myanmar, where he partnered with a startup accelerator to teach robotics to 25 local university students. The teaching opportunity was part of an initiative by Phandeeyar, an organization that aims to expand the pool of tech talent in Myanmar in order to accelerate the […]
