If just one thing could define emerging economies it 's a young population -- and no other place reflects this more directly than in the world of tech startups . `` If you look at Vietnam or Cambodia or Myanmar , they do n't suffer from the up-ended triangle that we all suffer from in the West of too many old people and too few young people , '' said Napoleon Biggs , a Hong Kong-based digital media specialist . Venture capitalists and startup funds are now circling South East Asia looking for ideas to invest in . He said groups like Rocket Internet from Germany were very good at identifying `` clones , '' or emerging market copies of internet ideas that have originated elsewhere . `` They raise significant amounts of money and they 're not embarrassed about cloning because they say it 's all about execution , which it is . '' Frontier markets are where these investors are seeing the greatest returns . `` They 've gone into places like Myanmar with a vengeance , '' Biggs said . `` They are bringing western business savvy and they find a local partner to make it happen . '' One recurring feature of emerging market startups is that they are often aimed at solving specific problems in a country . `` In the West , the internet is often slagged off as a place where people waste their time , '' said Biggs . `` In emerging economies , it 's more likely to be specifically engineered to overcome an existing problem . '' Click through the gallery above to see some of Asia 's most innovative companies chosen by Napoleon Biggs , angel investor Simon Squibb , analyst Xiafeng Wang of Forrester and Ping Wong of the Hong Kong Internet Society . Read this : The social apps taking China by storm . Read this : Can Alibaba topple the Silicon Valley giants ?
Startups in emerging markets are designed by and aimed at a young population . They have the potential to be very successful, but they need capital for growth. Rocket Internet has a large presence in frontier markets such as Myanmar . Emerging economies are more likely to develop ideas that overcome specific problems .