Grab, gojek close in on terms for merger; They have narrowed their differences of opinion, though some parts of the agreement still need to be negotiated; Under one structure with substantial support, Grab co-founder Anthony Tan would become the CEO of the combined entity, while gojek executives would run the new combined business in Indonesia under the Gojek brand. Bloomberg

Is the future of retail in AI?; Google and Facebook are largely AI machines. On the ad side, both are pushing to give more control to their AI (and out of your hands); Amazon already uses AI to guide their delivery driver routes; And in a world of AI-driven drones and self-driving cars, how far off are we where a customer can get an order in hours without a single human touching it? Inside Retail

The holiday edit: Zalora CMO on how to tap social media to induce consumer shopping behaviour; Jo Bjordal says livestream e-commerce will continue to become a more important sales channel in Southeast Asia as the markets mature; SEA is a mobile-first region, with most countries ranking high in mobile phone ownership ratio and use of mobile in their communications. e27

How Singapore’s Scalo Technologies helps global startups expand into SEA through its unique investment model; More than 500 startups, including companies from the Southeast Asia region, are in Scalo’s funnel and are at different stages of consideration; It has made its maiden investment of US$3M into Russian firm Megarender. e27

N-Squared Ecommerce to expand its footprint across SEA with its Series A; Investors include KKP Capital, Siam Alpha Equity, Chanwanich Group, AHMP and ECG-Research; The Thai firm owns several online D2C brands and an e-commerce distributor for over 130 brands in six countries across the region. e27

Tazapay raises US$3.2M from Sequoia India, Surge, Saison Capital; It is a cloud-based trade management platform for SMEs to safely conduct cross-border commerce; The funds will be used for product development, hiring talent and expansion to new markets in SEA. e27

Otoklix to expand its O2O solutions for automotive aftermarket in Indonesia with US$2M+ financing; Investors include Surge, GK Plug and Play, Founders of Kopi Kenangan; Otoklix is targeting 500 partner workshops, 100K monthly cars serviced, 75% wallet share of partnered workshops total procurement by December 2021. e27

Sembrani Nusantara Fund (SNF) invests US$2M in Indonesia’s made-to-order drinks brand Haus!; Haus! claims it has 100+ outlets across Greater Jakarta and Bandung, and sells 1.5M cups a month; BRI Ventures-backed SNF recently hit the first close at US$10M. e27

Neuroglee bags US$2.3M in pre-seed funding to strengthen fight against Alzheimer’s; Investors include Japan’s Eisai, Biofourmis CEO Kuldeep Singh Rajput; The Singapore startup is building evidence-based, prescription digital therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. e27

Extracurricular activities learning platform Kyt bags US$2.5M; Investors are Surge, Titan Capital, angel investors; Over 1,000 students have taken a course or attended workshops with Kyt; It has 20+ teachers, with plans to increase this to 500 over the next 12 months. e27

How Singapore is cementing its position as SEA’s fintech hub; There are currently 1K+ fintech startups in Singapore, mainly focussing on payment, lending, investment and personal finance; Singapore as a fintech hub has grown thanks to a proactive regulatory framework and policies that promote a sustainable financial services ecosystem. Tech Collective

iMedia acquires Malaysia-based Chinese language portal Moretify; Based on Google Analytics data, from Jan to Oct, Moretify recorded an average of 3.1M page views and acquired over 800K monthly users; Over the past 3+ months, iMedia has acquired OhMedia, Ittify, Goody25 and BeautifulNara. e27

Digital payment firm VNPay becomes Vietnam’s second startup unicorn; VNPay, which manages a network of payment systems using QR codes in major cities, is currently partnering with over 40 banks and 20K companies; It has 15M+ monthly users who access its app to transfer money, pay utility bills and buy bus tickets; Vietnam targets having 5 unicorns by 2025. Retail News Asia

Indonesia’s Pintek secures investment; Investors include Finch Capital (lead), Accion Venture; Pintek provides financial access to all communities and educational institutions and their suppliers; It has partnered with 190+ educational institutions and has distributed credit to customers across more than 26 provinces. e27

Indonesia’s Desty raised seed funding from East Ventures; It provides a single platform for individuals to sell their products; Its Desty Page is a service that creates landing pages optimised for link in bio at social media accounts, while Desty Store allows users to easily create an e-commerce store complimentary to marketplaces. e27

Why SEA desperately needs innovation in HR and how Veremark accelerator is facilitating it; HR Tech has seen investment treble from US$1.8B in 2017 to nearly US$6B in 2019 by VCs globally; However, only a fraction of that comes from SEA as a region despite the fact that exit multiples at 7x sales on average are significantly higher than most marketplaces, content or e-commerce businesses. e27

Addressing the logistics challenges of transporting the COVID-19 vaccines in and out of Asia; To ensure glitch-free vaccine distribution, it is vital to organise all aspects of the process, which is possible with the help of cloud technology and the mobilisation, task management, and people interaction expertise of companies like Salesforce. e27

The 3 questions that will help maximise every entrepreneur’s productivity; For any entrepreneur, growth should be the primary focus and purpose; There are vital decisions to be taken as to how the business can enter and establish a presence in new markets, how the existing product line can be expanded to serve customers better, and also to bring in more revenue. e27

6 ways sentiment analysis is changing the e-commerce experience; How often do you give a thought to the fact that customers love being heard?; You must listen to what they say about your brand; Your customer is not a paid influencer and has got no reason to tell lies; Rather, customers are very objective in their criticisms about a product or service. e27

Grab launches delivery-only supermarket in Malaysia; GrabSupermarket currently services the Klang Valley, delivering over 2,500 products including household goods, pantry essentials, beauty and health essentials, and freshly sourced produce; This new development by the super app comes after the COVID-19 outbreak has fuelled demand for home deliveries. TechInAsia

Eat Just gets regulatory nod to sell lab-grown chicken meat in Singapore; The company said that its new product meets quality validations and was confirmed to be safe and nutritious for human consumption; Eat Just is the US-based company behind egg alternative Just Egg, which is made with turmeric and mung bean protein. TechInAsia

Restaurant industry has yet to tap full potential of technology, say industry players; Restaurateurs are urged to invest in technology so they can collect, protect and integrate data points from all their systems to derive long-term value for the company. SGSME

NOW inks 5G rollout deal with Nokia in Philippines; NOW Group will adopt Nokia’s 5G standalone tech which provides for overall faster broadband, compared to the 5G non-standalone seen in many countries where radio networks are only overlaid on existing 4G networks; The partnership comes at a time when Philippine telcos are urged to provide better services and faster internet connectivity in the new normal. ABS-CBN

Malaysia’s green energy solutions startup JM Newton secures US$700K+ via ECF Ata Plus; 11 investors participated in the campaign which was oversubscribed by 954%; It claims its eco-friendly and green-qualified systems and solutions have been applied to a range of shopping centres and hypermarket chains in the country. e27

Vietnam reports successful 5G pilot tests; State-run Viettel Group’s Viettel High-Tech Industries Corporation and Vingroup’s VinSmart Research and Manufacture JSC in October agreed to develop a 5G gNodeB base station system; 5G speed on Vsmart smartphones using Sub6 band is ~8x higher than 4G. Open Gov

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Since we launched e27 Pro early this year, Connect is one of the most loved features by Pro members.

As the name implies, Connect helps Pro members build their network and connect directly via the e27 platform to investors for fundraising, partnership, and even mentorship opportunities. And allow us to flex a bit: e27 Pro launched with 300 investors who are actively looking for investment opportunities joining Connect, and is yielding a 91 per cent response rate for connections.

The good news is, we have been building upon that initial 300 investors and we’re happy to share this list of the ten latest investors to join Connect. Another good news? This is just the first one.

Ready? Here we go:

Bluechilli
Stages: Seed
Verticals: Finance, Logistics/Supply Chain, Entertainment
Investment range: Not specified
Straight from Bluechilli: BlueChilli helps talented founders build businesses using their purpose-built methodology designed to accelerate a startup’s path to launch, growth and scale. Leveraging the hindsight and experience of serial entrepreneurs, lean startup experts and startup mentors in our program, in addition to selected business tools, BlueChilli helps founders build highly investable, scalable and well-designed businesses that are enabled by technology.
Connect with them

Gemba Capital
Stages: Series A
Verticals: All
Investment range: USD 35K to USD 150K
Straight from Gemba Capital: We believe adoption of technology across all sectors will be led by startups thereby disrupting many industries and creating value for customers and all stakeholders.
Connect with them

Holland Park Capital
Stages: All
Verticals: All
Investment range: USD 100K to USD 5M
Straight from Holland Park Capital: Holland Park Capital is a capital provider and advisor based in London, Amsterdam and Singapore with a focus on hedge funds and scalable fintech platforms.
Connect with them

Also read: Sustainability: the new business reality

Moat Ventures
Stages: Seed, Series A
Verticals: All
Investment range: USD 10K to USD 200K
Straight from Moat Ventures: All of our capital is internal, meaning that we don’t have to raise funds from LP’s. This creates unique opportunities, as it removes the burden of timeframes from our equation. We are focused on the long term, and aim for successful long term partnerships.
Connect with them

nfinitiv Venture Capital
Stages: All
Verticals: All
Investment range: USD 100K to USD 5M
Straight from nfinitiv Venture Capital: Our team comprise of industry experts who have demonstrated outstanding skills and knowledge in their field of expertise. They have been on the front-line of start-ups. In that sense, they immediately understand the challenges and opportunities and provide real added value based on this expertise and experience.
Connect with them

Quest Ventures
Stages: Seed, Series A
Verticals: Automotive, E-commerce, Finance, Mobile, Real Estate, Transportation,
Investment range: Not specified
Straight from Quest Ventures: Quest Ventures is a leading venture fund for technology companies that have scalability and replicability in large internet communities.
Connect with them

Shift Ventures (Thailand)
Stages: Series B and above
Verticals: E-Commerce, Finance, Logistics/Supply Chain, Saas, and more
Investment range: USD 50K to USD 20M
Straight from Shift Ventures: They invest in technology startups and high-growth companies in various industries globally. They always look for great teams with amazing ideas that are disrupting traditional industries with the internet and technologies. They provide hand-on support for all of our portfolio companies from funding, business development to exit planning and execution.
Connect with them

Also read: 500 Startups, Monk’s Hill, others join forces to form Vietnam Venture Capital Alliance

SKTA Innopartners
Stages: All
Verticals: All
Investment range: USD 1M to USD 5M
Straight from SKTA Innopartners: Innopartners’ Accelerator funds and accelerates core technology startups. We focus on helping entrepreneurs with innovative ideas in hardware and enterprise networking. In addition to matching early stage companies with strategic partners, Innopartners will provide the legal and financial support as well as the business tools to ensure that innovative ideas emerge market-ready.
Connect with them

Smile Group
Stages: Seed, Series A, Series B
Verticals: Advertising, Consumer, E-Commerce, Gaming, Retail
Investment range: Not specified
Straight from Smile Group: We partner with fast-growing companies for their expansion and invest in disruptive companies.
Connect with them

Startup Big Boss
Stages: Seed, Series A, Series B
Verticals: Internet of Things
Investment range: Not specified
Straight from Startup Big Boss: StartUp Big Boss provides customized startup acceleration for big ideas to effectively transform into a real business.
Connect with them

Watch out tomorrow for the second part of this list!

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Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash

The post Building your investor network? Here is the first part of our active investors list in SEA appeared first on e27.

One of the most notable updates in the Southeast Asian tech startup ecosystem is the number of new funds and upcoming investments being announced throughout November.

On November 26, 37 VC firms announced their commitment to invest more than US$800 million over next three to five years in the Vietnam startup ecosystem, once again securing the country’s position as the next big thing in the region when it comes to tech investment.

Indonesia has been a popular destination for investors, and in November, local VC firms are showing up their teeth with their latest funds. Interestingly, these VCs are those with ties to state-owned enterprises: Telkom’s MDI Ventures returned with their US$40 million fund, the result of its collaboration with Finch Capital while BRI Ventures announced the first close of their US$10 million funds. This one included Southeast Asian tech giant Grab as one of its investors.

November also saw the debut of completely new firms. The-Wolfpack, an early-stage startup fund in the direct-to-consumer (D2C) sector, was launched in Singapore with a US$5 million fund. In addition to them, Singapore-based Beamstart, the company behind global entrepreneurial platform and resource database beamstart.com, is launching a US$10 million digital accelerator fund for Southeast Asia.

Another country that has gathered attention in November was the Philippines. In the past, there had been concerns regarding the country’s ability to produce a unicorn startup like others in the region. But these investors and their focus might provide new hope: New Wave, a subsidiary of Philippines-based IP E-Game Ventures, has signed an agreement with Malaysia’s boutique investment firm Emissary Capital to set up a US$50-million fund for ASEAN startups.

In addition to that, Gobi-Core Philippine Fund also disclosed an investment in local live-streaming startup Kumu. It is also set to invest in a total of seven startups by end-2021.

Also Read: Neuroglee bags US$2.3M in pre-seed funding to strengthen fight against Alzheimer’s

Myanmar also gained attention as Ascent Capital closes its debut Myanmar-focused fund at US$88 million.

Hustle Fund, a US- and Singapore-based pre-seed VC investor, has also hit the first close of its second fund at US$30 million.

Funding history in November

At this rate, we no longer need to be convinced about the ability of Southeast Asian tech startup ecosystem to get through the pandemic; investments continue to trickle into the region despite challenges here and there.

As always, some verticals –such as fintech– were more popular than the rest. A recent Startup Genome report had named Jakarta and Singapore as the top global fintech ecosystem, and this is strengthened by the number and size of deals in the ecosystems.

In November, in addition to a relative newcomer such as Finantier with its undisclosed pre-seed funding round, we witnessed funding announcements from major names such as Kredivo (a US$100 million funding round), Investree (US$15 million) and LinkAja (US$100 million in Series B).

Both companies are aiming to further strengthen their support to local SMEs. This also confirmed various predictions of fintech being one of the most resilient verticals during the pandemic.

Talking about big names, Indonesia-based unicorns such as gojek (with state-owned mobile operator Telkomsel as an investor) and Bukalapak (with Microsoft as an investor) had also been reported to raise funding.

Other popular sectors that had also raised fundings in November included edutech (Kyt, LingoAce, and AOne), logistics (Pickupp, Logisly), proptech (Aqwire), healthtech (Alodokter), and biotech (Krosslinker).

Some of the more unique verticals have also announced funding rounds in November.

There were plenty of investments being made in sectors related to the F&B industries: MadEats (which counted Tinder co-founder as investor), Mangkokku (a US$2 million funding round), Food Market Hub (a US$4 million Series A), and Hi So (which includes an ex-Senator of Japan as an investor).

Also Read: JM Newton secures US$700K+ in crowdfunding to help enterprises save energy using its green-tech solutions

The COVID-19 pandemic itself has been seen as a “wake-up call” for the F&B industry to start adapting and transforming itself digitally. These funding announcements might be an indication of actions taken by both investors and industry players.

Another segment that has gotten popular during the pandemic is media and content. We saw major funding announcements by theAsianparent; there were also announcements from Quintype and Sociabuzz.

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Image Credit: Chronis Yan on Unsplash

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Habitat for Humanity, an international non-profit focusing on eradicating poverty housing, has unveiled the 10 startups joining its newest accelerator programme in Southeast Asia.

Coined “ShelterTech”, the programme seeks to advance housing solutions for low-income families in the region.

An initiative of Habitat’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter, ShelterTech provides mentorship, masterclasses and connections to investors and partners for businesses with the potential to tackle affordable housing challenges.

The regional accelerator — which joins existing ones in India, Kenya, Mexico and the Andean region — will be conducted online, with an increased focus on solutions that work in the context of the current pandemic.

Also Read: How Gaza’s only accelerator nurtures tech startups amid political unrest

Participants will go through an intensive programme comprising technical training, refinement of business models, product demonstrations and personal mentorship from housing sector experts.

Advisors of the ShelterTech accelerator include Steve Melhuish, Co-founder of PropertyGuru; Slater Young, Founder and CEO of Liteblock; and Tean Ly, Managing Partner at Seeva Capital.

Upon graduation from the accelerator, startups will have the opportunity to network with industry players and meet investors for fundraising opportunities.

As per a press note, the programme will be anchored by Villgro Philippines, an early-stage impact investor, in collaboration with Global Urban Village, a Southeast Asia-focused consulting and seed investment company.

Here’s a snapshot of the 10 startups:

AffordAble Abodes

A Malaysian social impact enterprise seeking to promote the construction of affordable and environmentally-sound, low-cost housing.

Billion Bricks

A Singapore startup developing a self-financing solar home solution.

Cubo Modular

A Philippine startup focused on creating a modular housing solution to provide dignified living to low-income workers.

Gradana

An Indonesia-based proptech and fintech platform for property and real estate financing and mortgage.

Also Read: tryb Group invests in Indonesian proptech startup Gradana

My Dream Home

A Cambodian startup which aims to create affordable construction materials for local communities.

Nay Yar Housing

Pounamu

A Myanmar bamboo design and construction startup committed to the development of the local bamboo industry.

Sampangan

An Indonesian startup which utilises a carbonisation technology unit to convert waste into carbon sustainably.

Social Light

A Philippines-based WiFi monetisation solution provider which aims to expand connectivity to low-income communities.

TapEffect

A social enterprise established to bring clean water to households across Cambodia using piped water networks.

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Image Credit: Photo by yatharth roy vibhakar on Unsplash

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Due to today’s unique circumstances, various aspects of real-life activities have been deeply affected by the global health crisis. One particular area that has changed drastically is the sports world. The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo have been postponed to summer of 2021, meanwhile, the NBA has relegated its games to an isolation zone at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida, aptly called the “2020 NBA Bubble”. Amidst the myriad of challenges in the sporting world, however, one key area that has seen heightened growth is esports.

Whether you’re a hardcore gamer or an amateur enthusiast enjoying mobile games from the periphery of the competitive gaming world, chances are, you have picked up an esports hobby or two in this lifetime. Recently, the esports world has seen a major spike, skyrocketing to unprecedented heights due to most major economies imposing movement restrictions in 2020, encouraging many mobile users to pick up remote hobbies they can enjoy during their spare time at home.

With the rising interest in esports and gaming, especially during the global lockdown situation, the Esports Players League (ESPL) will be working with HyperX as strategic partners to bring high-quality and exciting competitive gaming to the amateur gamer community of PUBG Mobile. Esports not only has emerged as one of the largest sports genres globally now, but it also has fast become a popular digital entertainment choice for smartphone users.

ESPL, a global esports tournament and platform provider that focuses on creating mobile and online ecosystems for amateur esports communities globally, has partnered with gaming peripherals specialist HyperX to organise a free to register PUBG Mobile tournament.

“At the very core of ESPL, we strive to lay the foundation of amateur esports serving players who are casual all the way to aspiring professional esports athletes. Our mission is very much in-line with HyperX’s focus on serving all gamers. We are excited to bring ESPL’s next big tournament to PUBG Mobile fans.”, commented Michael Broda, CEO of ESPL.

Also read: Building your investor network? Here is the first part of our active investors list in SEA

The HyperX Elite Cup

The online-only esports tournament, HyperX Elite Cup, will be hosted on ESPL’s online platform at espl.gg and will be managed by ESPL. The tournament will have an attractive prize pool worth up to US$6,000 in cash prizes and HyperX products.

HyperX is the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the world’s largest independent memory manufacturer, with the goal of providing gamers, PC builders, PC, console. and mobile power users with high-performance components.

With a presence across Southeast Asia, South Asia, South America, and Europe, ESPL seeks to bring the HyperX Elite Cup to amateur gamers across Southeast Asia.

The game title that the tournament will compete on will be the popular Battle Royale game, PUBG Mobile. PUBG or PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is an online multiplayer battle royale game developed and published by PUBG Corporation, a subsidiary of South Korean video game company Bluehole. The game is based on previous the 2000 Japanese film Battle Royale, and expanded into a standalone game under the creative direction of game designer, Brendan Greene.

By facilitating grassroots participation in what is a rapidly expanding esports market not only in Southeast Asia, South Asia, South America, and Europe, ESPL has direct access and exposure to a large, valuable, and often overlooked segment of the esports market.

With its eyes set on Amateur gamers from across the world, the HyperX Elite Cup is set to bolster and embolden the global esports community by inviting more participants to take on the journey towards competitive and remote gaming experience.

Also read: Fun, games, and health for seniors with Looxid Labs’ LUCY

A formidable team behind a formidable event

With such a pivotal event redefining the global esports landscape, it comes as no surprise that the team behind the HyperX Elite Cup is also represented by the best industry players specifically catering to the best interest of mobile gamers everywhere.

For 16 years, the HyperX mission has been to develop gaming products for all types of gamers — high-speed memory, solid state drives, headsets, keyboards, mice, charging accessories for console players, USB flash drives, and mousepads — to the gaming community and beyond. The award-winning HyperX brand is known for consistently delivering products that deliver superior comfort, aesthetics, performance, and reliability.

HyperX gear is the choice of celebrity ambassadors, pro gamers, tech enthusiasts, and over-clockers worldwide because it meets the most stringent product specifications and is built with best-in-class components. HyperX has shipped over 70 million memory modules, 10 million gaming headsets and one million keyboards worldwide.

On the other hand, global esports tournament organisation ESPL is launching a global footprint across 16 countries in its initial phase, covering Asia, Europe, and the Americas. ESPL’s central focus is on mobile esports, with PC and console-based video games also featured on its diverse network of quality esports content. ESPL is managed by its headquarters in Singapore and regional offices in Cologne and Los Angeles. Currently still in its first phase, ESPL is rapidly expanding its presence into other continents as well.

This partnership calcifies HyperX Elite Cup’s role not only in delivering the best quality esports tournament for all interested participants, but also ensures that the event encompasses a large audience of amateur players from many parts of the world.

How to join HyperX Elite Cup

Tournament registrations for the HyperX Elite Cup – PUBG Mobile is open from the 4^th of December 2020, while the tournament itself is poised to begin on the 28th of December 2020. Both the Semi-Finals & Grand Finals will be live-streamed on ESPL’s & HyperX’s channels in both English and Malay. There will also be other fun exciting activities and giveaways during the period of the tournament so watch out for them on ESPL’s official Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, & Instagram pages.

Interested participants can register for a tournament slot at at ESPL.GG.

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