Blibli set to raise US$528M in local IPO at US$3.5B valuation
The listing is slated for November 7; It is the third Indonesian unicorn going public on the local exchange IDX, following Bukalapak and GoTo Group.
Indonesia edutech firm Binar Academy lays off 20% of employees
The decision is attributed to an uncertain global economy; According to CEO Alamanda Shantika, Binar plans to strengthen its core business, streamline operations, and optimise investment efforts.
Indonesian quick commerce firm Bananas to shut shop, plans to pivot
Bananas says it couldn’t find unit economics that worked for the company; It has also laid off 36 employees; The company is pivoting to a new business outside the e-grocery space; The firm is backed by East Ventures, YC, and MDI Ventures.
PropertyGuru forays into home services with Sendhelper acquisition
With the Sendhelper deal, PropertyGuru.com.sg will become a one-stop destination for property seekers to find, finance, own, manage and maintain their homes.
Japan’s Tokio Marine leads insurtech unicorn bolttech’s Series B round
The round values bolttech at approximately US$1.5B; bolttech, which quotes ~US$50B worth of annualised premiums through its technology-enabled insurance exchange, will use the money for global growth.
Endowus acquires Hong Kong multi-family office Carret Private Investments
With this acquisition, the Endowus group of companies will now vertically integrate to serve the needs of different client segments and look to provide superior investment and advisory solutions.
HK’s voice AI company Fano Labs nets funding from Gobi Partners-led fund
Fano Labs’s AI voice analytics system Callinter analyses all the banks’ audio records and automatically flag recordings that might contain mistakes, and misconducts; Callinter can process audio 100x faster than humans.
Love, Bonito acquires Singapore-based activewear label Butter
The deal follows Love Bonito’s series C funding last year where it raised US$50M led by a Chinese VC giant Primavera; Love, Bonito has also bought a minority stake in healthcare startup Moom Health.
Asia-focused SPAC TenX Keane raises US$60M in US IPO
The SPAC, led by Xiaofeng Yuan, who is currently the chairman of Shaanxi 38Fule Technology, will look for target businesses with valuation between US$200M and US$600M.
HK-based chat management firm ImBee bags US$5M Series A funding
The lead investor is DCM Ventures; A SaaS company, ImBee provides one central inbox for instant communication channels with business tools and workflow automation, helping brands communicate with their customers and teams.
Indonesian agritech firm Beleaf raises US$2M seed funding
The investors include Alpha JWC, Sembrani Nusantara Fund, and Arise; Beleaf sells produce such as leafy greens and melons directly to restaurants as well as individuals through supermarkets and e-commerce platforms.
East Ventures leads pre-seed round of Indonesian fintech firm Pocket
Mostly catering to young families, the Pocket platform allows for digital accounts and connected cards to be allocated to different family members with their own spending limits, reporting, and analytics.
Singapore Web3 fitness app Gritti bags US$1.7M in seed money
The investors include Lingfeng Innovation Fund, Youbi Capital, and Bixin Ventures; Gritti is a move-to-earn app that incentivises users to exercise and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
What is a Web3 browser and how does it work?
Web3 browsers like Brave allow users to access DApps, integrate cryptocurrencies and surf over the decentralized web with greater privacy and security.
How Neliti aims to help improve accessibility to scientific knowledge in Indonesia
Neliti builds a free-to-use website builder and content management system that creates web interfaces for academic content providers.
‘SEA needs to grow together and produce more quality unicorns’
Vertex Ventures SEA & India General Partner Carmen Yuen the purpose of a business is to achieve profitability. This is a discipline that all companies should have, regardless of macroeconomic conditions.
How can design-thinking promote consumer trust in the digital world
By adopting design thinking as a practice, platforms can keep themselves grounded on their users and fulfil their users’ needs for trust.
The race of Web3 and crypto infrastructure vs big tech
For Web3 to mature, there must be recognition of the value of sovereignty, and UX must continue to improve.
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Here’s the full list of the speakers for the 2022 edition, which will be co-located with SWITCH at Resorts World Sentosa from 27 to 28 October 2022. Learn more here.
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