Asaya

What Asaya does

Asaya Group is a Singapore-headquartered consulting and advisory firm founded in 2019 that helps Western companies enter and scale across Southeast Asia. The firm is structured around four core verticals — Education, Media, Retail, and Tech — each anchored by a named regional specialist partner (Mullen Lowe, GEA, Igloo, and 6ixty 8ight, respectively). Its service portfolio spans market intelligence, media consulting, go-to-market strategy, recruiting, cross-border M&A advisory, and fundraising facilitation, delivered primarily through direct senior-led engagements from its Singapore office and augmented by the partner network for specialized execution.

The business operates a professional services revenue model: bespoke advisory engagements priced per scope, with no public pricing or subscription packaging. The firm has additionally established Faeda Ventures as an in-house investment vehicle that deploys capital alongside clients, converting Asaya from a pure advisor into an aligned capital partner. There is no proprietary technology platform; the offering is entirely human-delivered advisory augmented by a curated network of partner agencies across the region. Client base spans early-stage startups (e.g., Smartick, Wegow, Playtomic) through mid-market firms (Placebo Media, Indaru, Ampliva) to publicly listed enterprises (The Global College, Proeduca), covering roughly 30+ engagements in total.

Geographically, Asaya serves clients expanding into the SEA-5 (Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines) and has extended into China, India, and Pakistan. The firm is privately held, bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding rounds, and led by founders Juan Figar De Lacalle (Co-founder/Partner) and Alejandro Vazquez-Guillen (Founder/Chairman), with Javier Hernandez joining as Partner and CDO in 2022 to lead Media, Adtech, and Retail. The 11-50 person team operates from 133 Cecil St, Keck Seng Tower, Singapore, generating revenue through professional fees and, prospectively, equity participation via Faeda Ventures.

Name

Asaya

Legal name

Asaya Group

Website

https://asayagroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Asaya Group is a Singapore-based consulting firm that helps Western companies expand into Southeast Asia across Education, Media, Retail, and Tech verticals via market intelligence, strategy, recruiting, M&A advisory, and fundraising services, supplemented by an in-house investment vehicle (Faeda Ventures).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Entry Consulting

NAICS

Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Marketing Consulting Services (541613)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAOAG

Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships Advisory (JVs, Alliances, Carve-outs)

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/M&A, Transaction & Restructuring Advisory

SECONDARYFSAEAGAJ

Industry-Specialist / Sector-Focused M&A Advisory

Financial & Insurance/Financial Advisory, Brokerage & Intermediation/M&A Advisory & Corporate Finance

SECONDARYBPAHAOAL

Capital Markets Advisory (IPO Readiness, SPAC, ECM/DCM Advisory)

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/M&A, Transaction & Restructuring Advisory

Keywords

• Market entry consulting
• Southeast asia expansion
• Go-to-market advisory
• Market intelligence services
• Strategic advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Strategic Advisory and Consulting Services: Asaya provides consulting services to Western companies seeking to expand into Southeast Asia. Services include market intelligence, media consulting, strategy development, recruiting support, M&A advisory, and fundraising facilitation. Revenue is generated through professional service fees for advisory engagements.
2. Investment Capital (Faeda Ventures): Asaya has set up Faeda Ventures to support entrepreneurs and can invest directly alongside clients as they scale operations in Asia. This represents a co-investment model where Asaya provides capital along with operational support for Asian market entry.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Asaya Group is a Singapore-based market entry consultancy that helps Western companies expand into Southeast Asia. Its core offering spans market intelligence, media consulting, strategy development, recruiting, M&A advisory, and fundraising services, organized around four verticals — Education, Media, Retail, and Tech — and supplemented by Faeda Ventures for direct co-investment alongside clients.

Product overview

Asaya Group is a market growth partner and consulting firm (not a SaaS/platform product company) that helps companies expand into Southeast Asia. The company offers a unified suite of professional services organized around four industry verticals (Education, Media, Retail, and Tech), supported by cross-cutting capabilities including Market Intelligence, Media Consulting, Strategy, Recruiting, M&A Advisory, and Fundraising Services. Faeda Ventures serves as the company's investment arm for direct capital deployment. The offering is structured as a portfolio of specialized advisory services rather than a software platform with modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Market Intelligence Southeast Asia market intelligence services that study consumer behaviors, competitive dynamics, and regulatory environments at a granular level across the region, for Western companies planning regional expansion.
• Media Consulting Consulting services helping publishers, agencies, and brands adapt brand messaging and creative for Southeast Asian audiences through culturally localized media campaigns.
• Strategy Services Market entry and expansion planning services tailored to Southeast Asia's complexities, including go-to-market strategy development and regional expansion roadmaps for Western companies.
• Recruiting Services High-touch recruiting service securing exceptional local talent in Southeast Asia through regional recruiter partner networks for companies entering the region.
• M&A Advisory Cross-border merger and acquisition advisory services specific to Southeast Asia, including regulatory navigation and due diligence support for inbound transactions.
• Fundraising Services Capital-raise advisory connecting startups and companies with investors across Southeast Asia and globally, supporting fundraising campaigns for Asian market expansion.
• Education Vertical Solutions Specialized advisory for colleges, universities, corporations, and educational service providers covering student recruitment, retention, alumni relations, and fundraising in Southeast Asia.
• Media Vertical Solutions Advisory services for publishers, agencies, and brands focusing on market research, distribution strategy, industrial partnerships, and go-to-market strategy for the Southeast Asian media and ad-tech industry.
• Retail Vertical Solutions Strategy development for retailers (offline and online) driving growth, competitive advantages, and value-creation opportunities, including eCommerce operations, retail-tech, supply chain, and marketplace distribution in Southeast Asia.
• Tech Vertical Solutions Partnership with tech startups and established tech companies to analyze market entry options and assist with go-to-market initiatives including strategy and sales support for Southeast Asia.
• Faeda Ventures Venture investment vehicle set up by Asaya to support entrepreneurs, co-investing directly alongside clients in their Asian operations and providing operational support for market entry.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30+ clients served ranging from startups to publicly listed companies
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Mullen LowecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMullen Lowe is a global advertising agency network. Gonzalo Olivera serves as Partner representing Mullen Lowe in the Media vertical, providing specialized expertise for media and advertising clients expanding into Southeast Asia.
• 6ixty 8ightcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPaulino Moreno serves as Managing Director for Southeast Asia at 6ixty 8ight, partnering with Asaya in the Retail vertical to support Western brands expanding into Asian retail markets.
• GEAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeil Christie serves as Partner at GEA in the Education vertical, bringing expertise to educational institutions and organizations seeking to expand into Southeast Asian markets.
• IgloocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMario Berta serves as Managing Director at Igloo in the Tech vertical, supporting tech startups and players expanding into Southeast Asia with localized expertise.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• L.E.K. Consulting: Global strategy consulting firm with strong Asia-Pacific presence advising on market entry, M&A, and growth strategy. Overlaps with Asaya's SEA advisory mandate but serves primarily larger enterprise clients.
• Bain & Company: Global strategy consulting firm with deep SEA presence, advising multinationals on market entry and growth. Competes for high-end SEA market entry engagements that Asaya also targets.
• Kearney: Global management consulting firm with established SEA strategy and operations practice serving multinational clients. Competes with Asaya for enterprise SEA market-entry mandates but at far larger scale.
• Roland Berger: European-origin global strategy consultancy with a dedicated Asia practice covering SEA market entry and operations. Comparable in advisory scope but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach than Asaya.

Direct peers

• YCP Group: Singapore-headquartered professional services firm offering market entry, strategic consulting, and M&A advisory across Asia. Highly comparable to Asaya in geographic focus, service mix, and target clientele (Western companies expanding in Asia).
• Sannam S4: Market entry and business advisory firm operating across India and Southeast Asia, where Asaya CEO Juan Figar also serves as Education Global Industry Expert. Closely comparable in education-vertical market entry advisory and SEA/India geographic focus.
• Solidiance (now part of YCP): Pan-Asia management consultancy advising multinationals on growth strategy, market entry, and sector expansion across SEA. Comparable to Asaya in target client base and SEA growth advisory positioning.
• Dezan Shira & Associates: Asia-focused business advisory and market entry firm helping multinationals set up and operate across China, ASEAN, and South Asia. Directly comparable to Asaya in advisory scope and cross-border SEA entry focus.

Regional players

• Fiducia Management Consultants: Singapore-based boutique consulting firm offering market entry and corporate services to foreign companies expanding into Southeast Asia. Comparable to Asaya in regional focus and SME/startup target clientele.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Asaya