In a year of market shifts and pivotal moments, the Southeast Asian tech ecosystem has once again proven its resilience. At e27, we’ve had a front-row seat to this remarkable journey, and as we close out 2025, I want to share not just our accomplishments, but the deeper story of what we’ve built together, and where we’re headed.
Over the past 11 years, we’ve evolved our understanding of what it means to truly serve Southeast Asia’s tech ecosystem. This year, we made a significant shift in our vision and mission. Read more about why we changed our vision and what we’re committing to moving forward.
2025 by the numbers: What we built together
This year, we moved beyond talk and focused on tangible action. The results speak for themselves.
Product & platform innovation
We launched Milestones, a feature that fundamentally changes how founders tell their stories. Rather than static profiles, founders can now showcase key business achievements – funding rounds, product launches, partnerships, user milestones—directly on their e27 profiles. We received 700 milestones from founders celebrating their wins, from Good Bards’ collaboration with e2i on AI Advantage to Deep Insight Labs’ partnership with Causality.AI. This simple innovation has profound implications. It gives investors a real-time window into company momentum. It gives founders a platform to celebrate progress. And it transforms e27 from a directory into a living, breathing record of the ecosystem’s growth.
This is what product innovation in service of the ecosystem looks like: building tools that create genuine value for all stakeholders.
Events that bring the ecosystem together
Our flagship Echelon in Singapore and Philippines, and the focused Flux series brought together 12,000 attendees across Southeast Asia in 2025. These events drive real business outcomes – from deal-making and strategic partnerships to thought leadership conversations that shape the future of Southeast Asia’s tech ecosystem.
Also read: Building real traction: Echelon Singapore 2026 introduces demo stage
Content that drives accountability
Our editorial team didn’t shy away from the tough stories in 2025. We covered the Indonesian Chromebook scandal, the TaniHub whistleblower case, the CXA shutdown, and countless other stories that demanded transparency and accountability. With over 1,200 articles published by 700+ active contributors, we’ve become the trusted source for what’s really happening in Southeast Asia’s tech scene.
But we didn’t stop there. We launched Writing Sprints, a new initiative designed to amplify more voices from the community. These sprints bring together 40+ contributors at a time to collaborate, learn, and publish. It’s our way of democratizing the narrative and ensuring that the ecosystem’s stories are told by the people living in them.
Partnerships that create real impact
We believe that our success is inextricably tied to the ecosystem’s success. That’s why partnerships are at the heart of everything we do. In 2025, we worked with over 80 partners across Southeast Asia, from global brands like Lenovo, Alibaba Cloud, and Meta to innovative startups and foundations.
We co-organized an AI-focused event with Manus AI and HubSpot for Startups that brought together active participants in Singapore. We launched the first-ever Meta Llama Incubator Programme in Singapore, designed to drive AI adoption among local SMEs and startups. We supported Prudence Foundation’s Safe Steps D-Tech Awards, giving climate and health tech companies a regional platform to showcase their solutions. And we partnered with Megaworld to co-develop a new launchpad for the Philippine startup ecosystem.
These aren’t vanity partnerships. They’re strategic collaborations that create tangible value for founders, investors, and the broader ecosystem.
Also read: Beyond the hype: Why Echelon is evolving to drive Southeast Asia’s AI future
The gaps we see, the vision we hold
While we’re proud of these accomplishments, they also reveal the work that lies ahead. For every company we’ve supported, there are thousands more building in the shadows. For every market we’ve reached, there are countless others waiting for their moment. For every story we’ve told, there are voices from underrepresented communities that deserve to be amplified.
This is not a failure of effort. It’s a reality of scale. And that’s precisely why our mission for 2026 is one of intentional expansion and deeper impact.
2026: Moving beyond our established hubs
We are not just scaling e27. We are scaling our collective commitment to building a more equitable and powerful tech ecosystem for all. Our focus for 2026 is built on three pillars:
Broader reach: We will be launching new initiatives to support startups and SMEs in emerging markets across Southeast Asia. There are dozens of cities and regions with incredible entrepreneurial energy that haven’t had the same level of support as Singapore or Manila. That changes in 2026.
Inclusive growth: We are committed to creating more platforms and opportunities for underrepresented founders and companies – women, SMEs, and founders from tier-2 and tier-3 cities, founders from non-traditional backgrounds. The ecosystem is stronger when it’s inclusive, and we have a responsibility to make that happen.
Deeper impact:
Also read: Why we changed our vision after 11 years: Building a unified Southeast Asia
The invitation
Building this ecosystem is not something e27 can do alone. It requires the commitment of founders, investors, partners, government agencies, and community leaders across the region. If you share our vision and want to be part of this mission, we want to hear from you.
The future of Southeast Asia’s tech ecosystem is not something we predict. It’s something we build, together.
Thank you for being a vital part of this journey. Here’s to 2026.
—
Want updates like this delivered directly? Join our WhatsApp channel and stay in the loop.
The e27 team produced this article
We can share your story at e27 too! Engage the Southeast Asian tech ecosystem by bringing your story to the world. You can reach out to us here to get started.
Featured Image Credit: e27
The post The numbers behind our ecosystem: e27’s 2025 impact and our 2026 mission appeared first on e27.