Credit: Monetary Authority of Singapore
Kejora founder sets up new VC firm Rigel Capital
Sebastian Togelang’s new fund is headquartered in Singapore and Jakarta; Two of Rigel’s LPs are Prajogo Pangestu family and GIC; The early-stage VC firm is understood to have raised US$200M for the fund.
Joseph Phua speaks about Apple Daily Taiwan’s assets acquisition
‘We want to create a news media outlet that embraces tech in its true form’, he says; Turn Capital is actively talking with at least two other high-traffic generation sources in Taiwan and three in Asia for investments/acquisitions.
Singapore mulls tighter crypto rules for consumer protection
MAS’s considerations may include placing limits on retail participation and rules on the use of leverage when transacting in cryptocurrencies, says chairperson Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
Animoca Brands leads US$32M round of Web3 gaming firm Planetarium Labs
The South Korean firm builds a gaming ecosystem based on the Libplanet blockchain, which allows players to participate in the game network and enables the community to develop open-source content.
YGG co-founder’s gaming blockchain firm nets US$20M
Investors are Republic Capital, Crypto.com and Huobi; Oasys is also looking to expand its team and reinforce strategic partnerships with firms in the gaming and crypto industries.
London-based Nexo may buy troubled Singapore crypto firm Vauld
Earlier this week, Singapore-based Vauld said it was suspending withdrawals, trades, and deposits due to financial difficulties; It plans to buy up to 100% of Vauld and aims to accelerate its deeper presence in Asia.
Cybersecurity startup watchTowr bags US$8M pre-series A.
Lead investors are Prosus Ventures and Vulcan Capital; watchTowr will use the new funds to improve its platform and seize growth opportunities arising from markets outside of Southeast Asia.
Indonesian logistics SaaS firm McEasy raises US$6.5M
The round was led by East Ventures; McEasy’s products include real-time vehicle tracking software, a transportation management system, and a fleet management app.
Indonesia’s Kitabisa to receive US$5M from IFC
The online crowdfunding platform plans to expand its business to include Shariah insurance offerings at affordable costs; The insurance product will target the middle to lower-income segments.
Metaverse launchpad Enjinstarter raises US$5M from True Global Ventures
Singapore-based Enjinstarter launched in October 2021 as a blockchain gaming, metaverse, and entertainment-focused launchpad for initial DEX offerings and initial NFT offerings.
Crypto broker Voyager files for bankruptcy after 3AC hit
Based in the US, Voyager estimated that it had over 100K creditors; It also said both its assets and liabilities were in the range of US$1B to US$10B; Voyager is “actively” pursuing all available remedies to recover the funds from 3AC.
Kini raises US$4.3M in seed funding round led by East Ventures
Other backers are Ten13, OurCrowd, K50 Ventures, and Goodwater Capital; Kini is an early wage access platform; Kini plans to use the new funding to build a new range of HR tech products and expand partnerships.
Why Gobi Partners believes it is the right time to invest in Pakistan
The cryptocurrency, social commerce and agritech spaces offer tremendous opportunities in Pakistan, says its VP Taraec Hussein; Malaysia-based Gobi Partners is one of the most active VCs in Pakistan.
Ruangguru acquires edutech startups Schoters, Kalananti
Schoters claimed to have helped thousands of Indonesian students to study in 400 universities in 43 countries; Kalanantifocuses on providing coding courses and innovations for children aged 5-12 years old.
Indonesia’s Octopus nets US$5M funding led by Openspace, SOSV
The waste treatment company connects users to local waste collectors that will buy and pick up their post-consumer products; Octopus operates five sorting facilities and 1,700 checkpoints and claims it handles 380 tonnes of waste a month.
Iterative Capital, Eduspaze fund Indonesian language learning platform LingoTalk
LingoTalk will use the money to enhance its LingoJunior product and acquire more primary school clients across Indonesia; LingoTalk has partnered with more than 150 schools in Indonesia.
GGV Capital leads Vietnamese edutech startup Azota’s US$2.4M round
Nextrans and Do Ventures also participated; Azota is an online platform that lets teachers create and grade tests automatically; It also offers real-time exam proctoring and student performance tracking tools.
ScaleUp Malaysia to pour US$1M into 10 startups in 2022 cohort
The program, which starts in the fourth quarter of this year, will include a one-month investor readiness bootcamp, along with access to venture capital networks; The program will also offer two-year support from an external management team.
Edukasyon.ph raises bridge funding to bolster K-12 English, Maths tutoring service
Since the close of Series A in 2019- 2020, Edukasyon.ph claims to have tripled revenues and achieved profitability for its B2B division; It said it is close to reaching its first million registered users and has built a community of 8M students.
ORZON Ventures joins Thai startup Hungry Hub’s Series A round
Hungry Hub is a restaurant and hotel reservation platform for special occasions which also provides fixed-price offers and gourmet delivery services; The firm claims to have served 2M+ diners and generated over US$30M GMV.
Indonesian insurtech firm Rey secures US$4.2M funding
Investors are Trans-Pacific Technology Fund, Genesia Ventures, and RDS; Rey offers health, life, and critical illness insurance to individuals and groups; It also allows users to personalise services with the level of cover appropriate to their needs.
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