Dear reader,
The recent report by Tracxn highlights a significant downturn in startup funding across Southeast Asia in the first half of 2024.
With a staggering 65% decline, funding dropped to US$1.6 billion from US$4.5 billion in the same period last year. Late-stage funding experienced the most severe hit, plummeting by 86% compared to H1 2023. Early-stage investments and seed-stage financing also saw notable reductions.
Despite these challenges, there were some bright spots: acquisition activity increased, fintech remained a leading sector, and Singapore continued to dominate in total funds raised.
Noteworthy funding rounds included ANEXT Bank and GuildFi, each securing over US$100 million. While no new unicorns emerged, and IPO activity slowed, the commitment of key investors like East Ventures, 500 Global, and SEEDS Capital underscores a resilient, albeit cautious, investment landscape.
As the region navigates these funding challenges, the focus remains on strategic investments and sectors poised for growth, like fintech and high-tech industries.
Sainul,
Editor.
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NEWS
Funding in SEA sees 65% plunge in H1 2024; late-stage deals worst-hit
Late-stage funding fell 86% to US$421M in H1 2024 from US$3B in H1 2023 and US$1.3B raised in H2 2023; Only three IPOs took place, a decline from seven in H1 2023 and four in H2 2023.
Prosus writes off its 9.6% stake in India’s Byju’s
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The investor is Asia Fund X; The company plans to use the funds to support its carbon reduction tracking initiatives and expand beyond Malaysia and Singapore into high-growth regions such as Taiwan and Japan.
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They’ll receive US$20,000 in grants during the four-month business optimisation programme designed to accelerate their growth; They will also benefit from personalised mentorship from experts across different functional areas within PepsiCo.
Luckin Coffee to arrive on Malaysian shores with local partner — sources
Luckin Coffee will be roping in a Bursa Malaysia-listed firm as its local partner armed with an ambitious store expansion plan in the next five years; Luckin operates 18,590 stores worldwide, excluding vending machines, as of March 31 this year.
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Multi (previously Remotion) is a startup developing an enterprise-focused, video-first collaboration platform; The deal is technically an acqui-hire and that most of Multi’s team — around five people — will join OpenAI following the deal’s close.
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The Singapore programme seeks to assist over 55K startups with growth and scaling; Participants will benefit from six months of waived expense management fees, 3% cashback on Airwallex Borderless Cards, up to S$20,000 in fee-free payments, Google Cloud credits worth up to S$250,000, up to three months of Xero subscription, and discounted HubSpot subscriptions.
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