Welcome to Charted Sea!
Welcome to Charted Sea! Explore our mission to enhance e-commerce data insights across Southeast Asia. Learn about our origins, current innovations, and the future vision that drives our growth in the digital commerce landscape.
About Charted Sea
Early Experiences
Charted Sea was founded with the mission to empower companies to efficiently scrape e-commerce platforms in Southeast Asia at scale. The company was influenced by the founder's experience as a software engineer at Lazada, a leading e-commerce platform in the region, where he not only observed the rapid market growth, but also the technological gap in term of data-driven technologies compared to more mature markets such as Europe or North America.
Charted Sea's offerings were initially part of a broader side project that utilized web scraping as a foundational technology. Seeing potential in this aspect, Marc extracted the web scraping component and showcased it on Apify. This move attracted users who were interested in similar functionalities but needed them to scale effectively for larger operations.
Vision and Growth
Today, Charted Sea is at the beginning of its journey. Positioned in the Greater Bay Area, we enjoy strategic advantages from our proximity to Southeast Asia and access to an extensive talent pool. These benefits are instrumental as we plan our next steps.
While we remain dedicated to offering robust e-commerce data solutions, we are actively working to broaden our service offerings to include additional e-commerce platforms. Simultaneously, we aim to expand our geographical reach to encompass more regions across Asia, enhancing our ability to deliver comprehensive market insights.
- Founded
- 2024
- Domain
- E-commerce
- Region
- Southeast Asia
- Office
- Hong Kong
Founder
Marc Plouhinec
Founder
Shenzhen, China
Marc Plouhinec is a French IT engineer whose passion for computers and electronics started in his childhood. During his studies at École des Mines d’Alès, he undertook a three-month internship in Nanjing. This experience profoundly shaped his outlook, eventually leading him to settle in China, where he also met his future wife. After earning his master's degree in 2008, Marc launched his career in Shanghai, immersing himself in software development while enjoying the city's vibrant culture and nightlife.
In 2009, seeking to enhance his skills, Marc moved to Luxembourg, one of Europe’s top-paying countries. There, he worked in various industries, including finance and administration, for renowned organizations like BNP Paribas and the European Institution. This experience was invaluable, allowing him to learn from skilled colleagues and well-organized companies.
In pursuit of more dynamic opportunities, Marc moved back to China in 2018, settling in Hangzhou to join Alibaba Cloud as a Solution Architect. There, he supported major international clients like BMW and Ikea in optimizing their cloud computing strategies. His career then led him to Alibaba's Lazada, a leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia, where he was struck by the rapid market growth—a key inspiration for founding Charted Sea. During this time, he also deepened his understanding of Chinese corporate culture and improved his language skills through evening courses.
In 2023, amid significant personal life changes, including the birth of his first child, Marc dedicated himself full-time to transforming his side projects into what is now Charted Sea, a venture born from his deep industry experience and entrepreneurial spirit.