Southeast Asia’s startups are rewriting the playbook on team building. In 2025, remote-first work and AI tools are no longer just pandemic measures; they’re strategic game-changers. From Manila to Ho Chi Minh City, founders say the shift isn’t just about where people work, but how and why.
In this human-centric transformation, flexibility and empathy are as important as tech.
Driven by cutting costs and winning talent, many SEA startups now view remote-first as a deliberate growth strategy. A recent analysis finds that 74 per cent of CFOs worldwide plan to permanently move at least five per cent of their workforce to remote roles, and SEA companies report 15–30 per cent savings in rent and overhead when they scrap the office.
One founder observes that without an HQ to maintain, “remote-first can free up budget for product, hiring, and growth”. These savings are often reinvested in people and tech: better hiring tools, stronger pipelines, and up-skilling with AI.
Key benefits of remote-first:
Wider talent access across SEA, big cost cuts, and more flexible schedules. For example, Rainforest, a Singapore-based e-commerce platform, has built distributed teams in Malaysia, China, Taiwan, the Philippines and beyond. As CEO, JJ Chai notes, being “remote-first” lets Rainforest tap diverse skills and local market insight while staying lean and agile.
Opportunities:
Remote-first means hiring beyond borders, remote-friendly hubs like Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia now top global nomad charts. Your new engineer or marketer could be anywhere in SEA (or the world), fluent in asynchronous tools and eager for flexible work.
Pitfalls:
Time zone gaps and isolation can loom. Burnout is real, one study found 76 per cent of employees feel job burnout at least sometimes, and 63 per cent of SEA workers report chronic stress. Without care, “always-on” expectations may creep into a remote culture.
Building trust and clarity
A true remote-first culture isn’t just working from home (WFH); it’s a mindset. Teams replace oversight with autonomy and outcomes.
For instance, one SEA fintech ditched endless Zoom calls in favour of a simple daily Slack check-in: “What did I do yesterday? What’s today’s focus? Any blockers?” This ritual cuts meeting fatigue and lets staff focus on results.
Across startups, the secret is documentation and asynchronous collaboration. Notes, shared task boards, and backlog docs become the single source of truth. As a tech leader put it, remote work requires new accountability: instead of tracking hours, we measure outcomes.
“Did you hit your milestones? Did you document your process? These became our metrics for success,” says Nicola Sahar, former CEO of a remote healthcare startup. He stresses that remote hires must be “adults”, i.e. experienced, proactive people who own their work. He shares that his own output jumped 30–50 per cent working from home, thanks to fewer interruptions. But he warns that remote work needs “clear, documented guidelines” for process and decision-making.
Also Read: How to retain local talent as global demand for remote tech workers surges
In practice, successful teams lean on tools (Slack, Notion, Jira, Miro, etc.) not just for chat, but to record plans, decisions, and feedback asynchronously. This way, everyone – across cities or time zones – is aligned on goals and feels supported.
Talent without borders
Remote-first lets SEA startups think regional (or global) from day one. Without an office constraint, a Jakarta startup can recruit a Bangkok engineer, and a Singapore fintech can hire a Manila designer. This vastly expands the talent pool and brings in varied perspectives.
It also changes hiring priorities: many companies now screen for communication skills and self-motivation, not just tech chops. For example, Rainforest notes that recruiting across Asia yielded employees who “understand Western consumer trends” and local supply chains, a combination that its old, more local hiring couldn’t match.
Governments are even catching up. Malaysia and Singapore now mandate formal requests for flexible work, and co-working chains like Malaysia’s WORQ make it easy to plug in near home or transit hubs. These trends signal that SEA is embracing new work styles.
Digital nomad visas and hot-desking communities across Malaysia and Indonesia also help – they keep remote workers connected to real communities rather than isolated at home. This bridge between online and offline can be vital: even the most committed remote company admits some things need face time. High Five’s founder still schedules occasional in-person retreats for brainstorming and bonding, which is indeed the biggest challenge to replicate online.
Balancing tech and wellbeing
Even as they adopt AI and remote tools, SEA founders still talk a lot about people. Many leaders are conscious of the fact that there’s a major report of mental health struggles, like anxiety or burnout. They understand that entrepreneurship’s pressure can be soul-crushing without support.
This is why empathy is a byword in hiring and management. Teams often build in flexibility (no-strike zone at night, no-email weekends) and share EAP resources or peer-support groups. The goal is to empower, not exhaust, the team.
Also Read: How to manage your remote team?
Remote work can improve well-being, giving people more time with family, room to exercise, and freedom from long commutes. Every team member now enjoys “more time for what matters most” (home-cooked meals, gym sessions, family time) thanks to remote hours. But the responsibility should also be noted: without central oversight, managers must be intentional about connection.
Weekly one-on-ones, social chats on Slack, and transparent feedback keep remote staff feeling seen. Coworking events or occasional hackathons (even virtually) are used to nurture a sense of belonging. In other words, leaders steer remote cultures with human care, recognising burnout signals and ensuring people get breaks and social support.
Key risks to address:
Isolation, “always-on” fatigue, and loneliness. A Slack or WhatsApp culture can blur work boundaries, so smart teams enforce unplugged hours. They also remember: async work doesn’t mean “no check-ins.” Regular video calls or team huddles (even brief) help employees decompress and feel valued. Flexible policies, such as no-questions day offs or mental health days, are now common at progressive SEA startups.
A tech-enabled, human-led future
AI and remote work tools are transforming how SEA startups operate, but the winning edge still comes from people. As JJ Chai of Rainforest explains, they’ve used AI to boost output without cutting headcount, doing “a lot more with the same team size and less investment”.
He expects basic AI skills (like using ChatGPT) will become as universal as Excel proficiency. Yet the “human layer of judgment” remains irreplaceable: founders know that machines can help draft content or answer customers, but a team’s creativity, empathy and trust can’t be automated away.
In Southeast Asia’s fast-evolving startup scene, then, remote-first is a means, not an end. By combining smart tools with intentional culture, founders are rethinking leadership for the AI era: inclusive hiring, clear communication, and an uncompromising focus on well-being.
The region’s entrepreneurs seem to agree that ambition and balance must go hand in hand. With that people-first philosophy steering their remote-first experiments, SEA startups are well-positioned to thrive in the age of AI, together.
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Southeast Asia’s startups are rewriting the playbook on team building. In 2025, remote-first work and AI tools are no longer just pandemic measures; they’re strategic game-changers. From Manila to Ho Chi Minh City, founders say the shift isn’t just about where people work, but how and why. In this human-centric transformation, flexibility and empathy are
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