Emtek invests US$375M in Grab, forms alliance to accelerate Indonesian MSMEs’ digitalisation
Both Emtek and Grab will explore potential collaborations across logistics and e-commerce, in financial services, telemedicine, advertising & digital media; Grab has also completed its investment in Emtek; In April, there were reports that Grab acquired a 4% stake in Emtek.
Nium adds US$200M more to its war chest to become SEA’s latest unicorn
Investors include Riverwood Capital (lead), Temasek, Visa, Vertex, Beacon VC, and Rocket Capital; Nium will use the money to improve its payments network infra, drive innovative product development, and accelerate growth in the Americas.
E-grocer HappyFresh bags US$65M co-led by Naver, Gafina
Other investors are STIC, LB, and Mirae Asset Indonesia and Singapore; The Jakarta-HQs HappyFresh delivers fresh, high-quality groceries to thousands of customers in SEA’s major cities; In 2020, traffic claims to have grown by 10-20x across the three countries it operates in.
How Philippine cloud kitchen industry is piggybacking on the country’s unique food culture, shifting customer behaviour
The industry is still in the early stages in the Philippines and is behind neighbouring Singapore and Indonesia, but it is growing fast; Local startups operating in this space are Kraver’s Canteen, MadEats, and CloudEats, and GrabKitchen.
Big Tech vs data protection laws in Asia: Who is compromising?
Big Tech companies such as Apple, Facebook, Alibaba have been in a battle with Asian governments as data localisation heats up in the region over the past few years; Data ownership is becoming a part of the geopolitical competition that will shape the 21st century.
EDBI, SEEDS Capital inject US$147M into 25 startups through its Special Situation Fund for Firms (SSFS)
The investments are intended to help these businesses expand their market and develop new products over the following three years; The SSFS support will end when the funds are fully committed or by 31 October 2021.
AI-powered digital comics startup INKR bags US$3.1M led by Monk’s Hill
Other investors are Stu Levy, founder and CEO of TokyoPop, and David Do, MD of VI Management; INKR’s personalised content recommendation engine enables readers to access more than 800 localised manga, manhua, webtoon, and graphics novels across different genres on any device.
Hoow Foods raises US$2.2M in pre-Series A
Investors are Farquhar VC (lead), TRIVE Ventures, and private investors; Hoow Foods uses AI and ML to build an in-house platform called RE-GENESYS; The platform features a database of critical information on food ingredients and their physicochemical properties.
Pitch deck for dummies: A compilation of top tips and advice from the community
While there are many factors that contribute to the success of a fundraising process, you want to make sure that you are doing each stage right. And that includes creating a high-quality pitch deck.
Philippine digital financial solutions platform NextPay raised US$1.6M
Investors include Golden Gate Ventures, Gentree Fund, 1982 Ventures, Saison Capital, and Facebook and Twitter backer Goodwater Capital; It will use the money to introduce digital banking solutions to MSMEs; The startup positions itself as an alternative to bank accounts for small businesses and entrepreneurs in the Philippines.
Malaysia
Logistics and supply chain firm iStore iSend bags ‘7-figure USD’ from Japanese investor Kuroneko Innovation Fund
It is an extension of its US$5.5M Series B, co-led by Gobi Partners and EasyParcel; It will use the money to expand into Thailand, Vietnam; Currently, iStore iSend deals with over 30 foreign FMCG brands and 300 local brands across markets like Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.
Malaysia
E-commerce logistics company Epost attracts US$1.4M from Warisan Quantum Management
The company plans to utilise the newly raised capital to enhance its product and expand the platform across SEA; Currently, its services are available across Malaysia, China, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Brunei, with 13 e-commerce fulfilment warehouses located at key locations throughout SEA.
Singapore
No-code AI robotics programming platform Augmentus raises funding from Cocoon Capital
Augmentus’s proprietary technology incorporates an easy-to-use graphical interface that eliminates the need for coding enabling up to 17 times faster programming and integration across various industrial applications.
Wavemaker joins Bangladeshi edutech startup Shikho’s US$1.3M round
Other investors are Anchorless Bangladesh, LearnStart, and Teachable CEO Ankur Nagpal; Shikho offers students academic courses that come with resources and tools to help them with “school-leaving” exams.
Fast-growing Aussie insurtechs choose Singapore as gateway to SEA
Citing the city-state’s strategic location, high digital adoption, vibrant ecosystem of industry stakeholders eager to embrace cutting-edge tech, combined with the support of Accelerator programmes, startups such as ActivePipe, Gruntify, ProofTec and Truuth, view Singapore as the gateway to the region.
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Image Credit: Grab
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