In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Southeast Asia’s startup ecosystem has faced a surge in failures, driven by multiple interwoven factors. Many startups found it increasingly difficult to secure follow-on funding as investor sentiment shifted towards established ventures or more resilient sectors. This financing drought left younger or less proven companies unable to sustain operations.
Secondly, weakened demand for certain products compounded these financial challenges, especially in industries like travel, hospitality, and retail, which were directly impacted by lockdowns and shifting consumer behaviour. Many startups saw their user bases decline as regional economies slowed, further eroding their financial stability.
In addition to these external challenges, some startups were plagued by internal issues, including allegations of financial irregularities and corporate misgovernance. Investigations into financial mismanagement and unethical practices at several companies revealed cracks in governance structures, damaging investor confidence and forcing closures.
This combination of capital scarcity, reduced product demand, and governance issues has reshaped the Southeast Asian startup landscape, underscoring the need for rigorous financial practices and adaptable business models.
We have compiled below a list of high-profile shutdowns in Southeast Asia in the past five years:
TaniHub
TaniHub was an e-commerce platform that connected farmers to businesses.
Founders: Miftahul Choiri, Michael J. Sugianto, and William Setiawan
Country: Indonesia
Founding year: 2015
Funding raised: Over US$90 million
Investors: Temasek, Openspace Ventures, Intudo Ventures, MDI Ventures, BRI Ventures, MDI Ventures, Add Ventures, BRI Ventures, Flourish Ventures, Tenaya Capital, UOB Venture Management, Telkomsel Mitra Inovasi, and Vertex Ventures.
What led to the failure: TaniHub lost its market share after the COVID-19 outbreak, leading to high operational costs and complexity.
Octopus
Octopus connected users to local waste collectors.
Founders: Hamish Daud, Moehammad Ichsan, Dimas Ario, and Niko Adi Nugroho
Country: Indonesia
Founding year: 2020
Funding raised: US$5 million
Investors: Openspace Ventures and SOSV
What led to the downfall: Financial crisis, allegations of fraud, harassment, and misconduct.
Sorabel
An online retailer offering multi-category products.
Founders: Lingga Madu, Ariza Novianti, and Jeffrey Yuwono.
Country: Indonesia
Founding year: 2014
Funding raised: US$27 million
Investors: Ncore Ventures, Shift., Kejora Capital, Gobi Partners, Convergence Ventures,
Alpha JWC Ventures, Media Nusantara Citra, SMDV, 17Live, Golden Equator Capital, Korea Investment Holdings, Mavcap, InterVest, Captii Ventures, and Openspace Ventures.
What led to the failure: COVID-19 hit the business significantly and it didn’t have the cash reserves to survive the crisis.
Zilingo
It provided supply chain management solutions for fashion businesses.
Founders: Ankiti Bose and Dhruv Kapoor
Country: Singapore
Founding year: 2015
Funding raised: US$343 million
Investors: Sequoia Capital, Temasek, Burda Principal Investments, EDBI, Sofina, SIG, Dahlia Invest, Amadeus Capital, Beenos, Beenext, Angel Capital Management, Beeble Brox, Venturra Capital, Draper Associates, Wavemaker Partners, DG Ventures, Digital Garage, R R Ventures, DG Incubation, Rocnation, Koru Partners, and Dahlia Investments & Consulting.
What led to the failure: Financial irregularities, corporate misgovernance, and workplace harassment.
Propzy
An online listing platform for residential properties.
Country: Vietnam
Founding year: 2014
Funding raised: US$35.2 million
Investors: GAW Capital Partners, Next Billion Ventures, RHL Ventures, FEBE Ventures, Insignia Ventures Partners, RSQUARE, Breeze Investment, SBVA, Stonebridge Capital, GS Shop, Frontier Digital Ventures, TNB Aura, Colopl Next, and Pine Venture Partners.
What led to the failure: The impact of COVID-19 and the unstable global financial situation.
GoBear
GoBear was a comparison platform for financial products.
Also Read: GoBear shuts down amidst decreased demand for its financial products, services
Founders: Andre Hesselink, Frank Stevenaar, Ivonne Bojoh, and Marnix Zwart.
Country: Singapore
Founding year: 2014
Total funding raised: US$97 million
Investors: Walvis Participaties and Aegon.
What led to the failure: The company failed to raise funds to continue operations.
HappyFresh
HappyFresh was an online grocery platform in Southeast Asia.
Founders: Markus Bihler and Fajar Budiprasetyo
Country: Malaysia
Founding year: 2014
Total funding raised: US$97 million
Investors: Innoven Capital, Mars Growth Capital, Naver Financial, Mirae Asset, Singha Ventures, Grab, and others
What led to the failure: The platform underwent a restructuring exercise following the mounting debt crisis.
Kaodim
An online marketplace for multiple local services, including plumbing, decoration, yoga instructions, pest control, and more.
Founder: Fui-Yu Choong
Country: Malaysia
Founding year: 2014
Total funding raised: US$11.6 million
Investors: Square Peg Ventures, East Ventures, KK Fund, Venturra Capital, 500 Global,
Beenext, RISE, Koru Partners, Kadima Group, SIG Venture Capital
What led to the failure: The prolonged COVID-19 lockdowns and fear of virus transmission killed the home services industry overnight.
CoHive
CoHive provided managed co-working spaces. The company offered private offices, co-working spaces, meeting rooms, creative studios, and more.
Founders: Jason Lee, Carlson Lau, and Ethan Choi
Country: Indonesia
Founding year: 2015
Total funding raised: US$37 million
Investors: Stonebridge Capital, H&CK Partners, Stassets Investment, Kolon Investments, Tigris Capital, STIC Investments, Naver, East Ventures, SMDV, Sinar Mas Land, Insignia Ventures Partners, Intudo Ventures, Z Venture Capital, SBVA, AC Ventures, and Agaeti Venture Capital
What led to the downfall: The long-term effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, the high availability of office space, and the lack of financing opportunities.
Fabelio
It was an online furniture retailer.
Founder: Marshall Tegar Utoyo
Country: Indonesia
Founding year:2015
Total funding raised: US$20 million
Investors: AppWorks, Endeavor, MDI Ventures, Aavishkaar Capital, Venturra Capital, Spiral Ventures, 500 Durians, KK Fund, Grupara Ventures, Silk Bridge Partners, and Kolibra Capital.
What led to the downfall: The impact of COVID-19 and the failure to raise additional funding.
BlinQ
BlinQ was an online marketplace of fashion products.
Founder: Bob Chua
Country: Singapore
Founding year: 2017
Total funding raised: US$2 million
Investors: Blackbird Ventures and Square Peg Capital.
What led to the failure: No details available.
IsItUp.com
Isitup.com offered a cloud-based fixed asset management solution.
Founder: Andrew Diamond
Country: Malaysia
Founding year: 2015
Total funding raised: Undisclosed
Investors: Gobi Partners, 8capita, 500 Durians, and Mavcap.
What led to the failure: No details available.
Mio
A group-buying platform for groceries and fresh produce.
Founders: Trung Huynh
Country: Vietnam
Founding year: 2020
Total funding raised: US$9 million
Investor: Jungle Ventures and Golden Gate Ventures.
What led to the downfall: Weak unit economics.
Also Read: ‘Mio shutdown was a strategic decision, not a forced one due to lack of funds’
Thinkphi
It provided cloud-based solar-based solutions for smart cities.
Founders: Priya Choksi and Samit Choksi
Country: Singapore
Founding year: 2015
Total funding raised: US$1.42 million
Investor: Khattar Group Companies.
What led to the downfall: No details available.
Oxfordcaps
OxfordCaps was an online marketplace for student accommodation.
Founders: Annu Talreja and Priyanka Gera
Country: Singapore
Founding year: 2017
Total funding raised: US$15.3 million
Investors: Brand Capital, Kalaari Capital, Bennett, Coleman, Trifecta Capital, 500 Global, Times Internet, 500 Durians, Readymix Holding, ReadyVentures, Velocity Ventures
What led to the downfall: Oxfordcaps began downscaling its operations a few months after the pandemic began due to severe financial stress.
Toastme
Toastme was a cross-border money transfer platform to send money to the Philippines.
Founder: Aaron Siwoku
Country: Singapore
Founding year: 2014
Total funding raised: US$2.4 million
Investors: Aetius Capital, Pepper, 1776 Ventures, ACE & Company, Wise, One Zero Capital, Startupbootcamp, and OMNIBRIDGE INVESTMENTS
What led to the failure: COVID-19 hit the business.
Toko Talk
Toko Talk was an app-based solution provider to create online stores.
Founder: Jen Liu
Country: Indonesia
Founding year: 2018
Total funding raised: US$3.2 million
Investors: Altos Ventures and ManagementAccess Ventures.
What led to the downfall: No details available.
Omnilytics
Omnilytics provided data analytics and reporting solutions for retail industries.
Founders: Kendrick Wong, Sylvia Yin, and Nikolai Prettner.
Country: Malaysia
Founding year: 2014
Total funding raised: US$2.98 million
Investors: East Ventures, 500 Global, and InvestIdea.
What led to the downfall: No details available.
CarPal
CarPal was an app-based platform providing on-demand, B2C hyperlocal delivery services.
Founder: Maarten Hemmes
Country: Singapore
Founding year: 2014
Total funding raised: US$3.5 million
Investors: RB Investments and SM Global Financial.
What led to the downfall: No details available.
PicMix
PicMix was an Indonesian mobile application that offered users photo and video editing and social sharing.
Founders: Calvin Kizana and Sandy Colondam
Country: Indonesia
Founding year: 2012
Total funding raised: US$3 million
Investors: Gobi Partners, Erajaya, Mavcap, and Launchpad Accelerator.
What led to the downfall: No details available.
Apvera
A data-driven insider threat intelligence provider
Founder: Eric Meyer
Country: Singapore
Founding year: 2013
Total funding raised: US$1.5 million
Investors: ACP, SPRING Singapore, Nest Ventures, muru-D, Central X, MAX Burgers, DBS Accelerator, CyLon, Seeds Capital, Innovation Nest, August One, and Plug and Play APAC.
What led to the downfall: No details available.
TruStory
TruStory was an online retailer of apparel for women.
Also Read: ‘Sell things with repeat purchases and uses’: Warren Leow speaks about Amazing Fables shutdown
Founder: Preethi Kasireddy
Country: Malaysia
Founding year:
Total funding raised: US$3.3 million
Investors: True Ventures, Pantera Capital, Kindred Ventures, Homebrew, Wonder Ventures,
Abstract Ventures, Ausum Ventures, and Dream Machine.
What led to the downfall: No details available.
Shox Rumahan
A social commerce startup that provided home appliances at a competitive price.
Founders: Sonat Yalcinkaya and Maria Octavyani Manao
Country: Indonesia
Founding year: 2018
Total funding raised: US$8 million
Investors: Ephesus United, AC Ventures, Teja Ventures, SGInnovate, and Partech
What led to the failure: Financial losses.
Flexible Pass
It offered an online platform for fitness passes.
Founder: Sully Bholat
Country: Myanmar
Founding year: 2017
Total funding raised: US$1 million
Investors: Seed Myanmar, Trust Venture Partners, Nest Tech, e-navik, and Founder Institute.
What led to the downfall: No details available.
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