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Today’s top tech news, April 10: Golfing startup Deemples secures US$105K funding

Also, Coins.ph collaborates with Western Union for global remittance access in the country, and public transport startup TRON launches operation in Indonesia

Malaysia-based golfing startup Deemples raises US$105K funding [Press Release]

Deemples, an app-based golfing startup, announced yesterday that it has raised US$105,000 funding, rounding up a total of US$270,000 funding it has received.

Deemples said it plans to use the funding solidify their position in their existing market across five Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, The Philippines, and Brunei.

Furthermore, the company that was launched in 2017 as a platform to help golfers find golf buddies continues to fulfill its mission to make golf “more accessible and breaking the stereotype of elitism surrounding the sport”.

Deemples allows users to find a golf partner to play with and enable them to organise games at preferred locations and time slots. “Golf was the one thing that made me look forward to every weekend. However, it was difficult to find people to play with as my schedule with golf friends didn’t always match. To solve this problem, I decided to build the Deemples Golf App that helps golfers find each other and get on a course for a round, regardless of when and where,” said Deemples Co-Founder and CEO David Wong.jw

Western Union partners with Coins.ph to bring better remittance access to the country [Eji Insight]

Philippine e-wallet provider Coins.ph, that’s recently acquired by Go-Jek, announces its partnership with Western Union to help opening up access for Filipinos to receive international and domestic money transfers directly from Western Union’s global network.

Coins.ph said it will integrate Western Union into its e-wallet app to allow users in the Philippines to receive and hold international money transfers initiated from Western Union’s digital network, and directly deposited into Coins.ph e-wallets.

Also Read: AirTrunk closes US$332M funding, launches data centre in Singapore

“There are many overseas Filipino workers who send money back home regularly and are always looking for additional remittance options,” said Coins.ph co-founder and chief executive Ron Hose in the press statement. “By pairing Coins.ph’s payments technology with Western Union’s expansive global network, we are giving Filipinos a seamless choice to receive money digitally, on the go.”

Together with Moneygram, Western Union will provide support for around 10 million Filipinos working or residing overseas, as announced by the Philippines’ central bank,

TRON launches in Indonesia, provides on-demand public transport service [Deal Street Asia]

TRON, an on-demand public transportation provider, has announced its launch to the Go-Jek and Grab-dominated Indonesia.

The platform is operated by Teknologi Rancang Olah Nusantara in collaboration with global share mobility solutions provider Via. It allows users to request a 15 person shared van in real-time using its mobile app, which then will direct the passengers to a nearby virtual pickup point indicated in the application.

TRON said that its service is similar with public minivans, which used to be the intra-city transportation of choice for many Indonesians, before being slowly replaced by GOJEK and Grab.

The new service will begin with 150 vehicles in the city of Bekasi, on the outskirts of Jakarta.

TRON application will work in affiliation with Digiasia Bios, an Indonesian fintech player with three licensed services with its cashless payment service, KasPro as the payment option for TRON passengers.

Cambodia launches a government-funded business startup centre [Khmer Times]

Techo Startup Centre, a new startup incubation centre located in the Royal University of Phnom Penh, is the latest government initiative to support young entrepreneurs and aid government plans to transform Cambodia into a digital economy.

The facility was officially launched on Monday by Aun Pornmoniroth, Deputy Prime Minister, and Hangchuon Naron, the Minister of Education. It is said to be focussed on skills students need to succeed as tech entrepreneurs in the digital age and to foster the creation of new tech startups and SMEs through a clear support programme.

Also Read: Indonesian recruitment platform Ekrut raises pre-Series A funding round

The centre was built with government funds and covers an area of 6,720 square metres.

“The new Techo Startup Centre is a place where students will be able to carry out internships, do research and have access to mentors. It will connect universities to the labour market and the private sector to prepare ahead of globalisation and the impact of Industrial Revolution 4.0,” said Minister Pornmoniroth.

Coca-Cola Amatil to invest in Indonesia’s startups [The Sydney Morning Herald]

Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) has showcased its interest in emerging startups in Indonesia and has said that it’s looking to invest in tech companies in the country before the spike it can have triggered by the recent signing of a free-trade deal.

The ASX-listed company based in Australia has launched its venture capital program Amatil X a year ago with US$10 million to invest in companies.

The company will launch a program in Jakarta to extend its search, working with a local startup accelerator to scout out potential investments.

“You’ve just got to look at the size of the population – and a very young population,” said CCA’s group director of partners and growth, Chris Sullivan.

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