This week’s Southeast Asian tech startup scene is buzzing with innovation!

From revolutionising industries like aquaculture and logistics to building the future of finance and entertainment in the metaverse, startups are tackling a wide range of challenges.

Dive into this roundup to discover funding news for companies like eFishery, Mober, iPiD, and Botsync, among others.

eFishery (Indonesia)

Founded in 2013, eFishery is an aquatech company providing digital co-operatives for fish and shrimp farmers. It offers an integrated aquaculture ecosystem that provides access to technology, supporting over 70,000 fish and shrimp farmers in 280 cities across Indonesia.

Its solutions also include access to financial institutions worth more than US$40 million and a platform to sell fish and shrimp crops.

The company has three main objectives: to address food security through aquaculture, to overcome fundamental challenges in the aquaculture industry by providing affordable technology, and to reduce social and economic inequality through an inclusive digital economy.

Funding raised: US$30 million
Round: Loan
Investor: HSBC Indonesia.

Gogoro (Taiwan)

Founded in 2011, Gogoro is a smart mobility and sustainable urban transportation company. It seeks to change how urban energy is distributed and consumed. Its battery swapping and vehicle platforms offer a smart and sustainable long-term ecosystem for urban mobility.

Gogoro’s mission is to put smart, portable electric power within reach of every urban rider globally. Its ecosystem is AI-powered and cloud-connected to deliver accessible energy solutions on an open, turn-key platform.

Funding raised: US$50 million
Round: Not specified
Investors: Gold Sino Assets.

iPiD (Singapore)

iPiD (International Payment Identity) offers payee verification and identification solutions. Founded in 2021 by a team of former Swift executives, iPiD is a fintech company aiming to enhance the security and convenience of global payments. Its flagship offering, Validate, tackles the escalating issue of fraud and failed payments within the payment industry by confirming payee names and bank account details. This solution enhances customer experience and combats authorised push payment (APP) fraud.

Funding raised: US$5.3 million
Round: Pre-Series A
Investors: Monk’s Hill Ventures, Quona Capital, QED Investors, Jungle Ventures, 1982 Ventures, Saison Capital, and Resolution Ventures.

Botsync (Singapore)

Botsync is a robotics startup that develops integrated automation solutions. Founded in 2019, the startup streamlines manufacturing operations through system-agnostic no-code integration solutions (syncOS) and a suite of autonomous MAG Mobile Robots, integrating cross-platform operations from different automation systems all on one platform.

Through its flagship syncOS Integrator platform, Botsync also integrates different automation systems. It features pre-built integration with major robotic and automation products, allowing users to easily connect different robotic systems without having to write any integration code.

MAG Mobile Robots replace forklifts, trolleys, pallet trucks, and other equipment to eliminate manual operations between machines and automate intralogistics operations.

Funding raised: US$5.2 million
Round: Series A
Investors: Capital 2B, Betatron Venture Group, IvyCap Ventures, AppWorks, Iterative, Wong Fong, ZB Capital, Nalin Advani, and Ascend Angels.

Mezzofy (Hong Kong)

Mezzofy is a coupons-as-a-service (CaaS) startup. Launched in 2016, Mezzofy has built a ready-made digital coupon infrastructure that helps businesses issue, distribute and process their digital coupons efficiently. Its CaaS model allows corporations to use the product immediately without investing an upfront cost in developing their own platform from scratch.

Corporations can also integrate with their existing mobile apps, CRM, POS, or ERP systems via Mezzofy API.

Funding raised: US$2 million
Round: Not specified
Investors: Isola Capital, Ooosh Tech Lab, and ITVF.

Elevate (Dubai and London)

Elevate is a consumer fintech startup. Originally started in 2021 by Keenan and Youcef Oudjidan, Elevate (formerly known as Bloom) provides people in Bangladesh, Egypt, the Philippines, and Pakistan with FDIC-insured US bank accounts. This enables remote workers to receive their wages directly into their US bank accounts, utilise their debit cards for purchases, and transfer funds to their domestic bank accounts at highly competitive rates.

Initially trying to provide local USD accounts, Elevate realised that insured accounts based in the US were superior because no money is required to receive payments. In addition, consumers receive the security historically reserved for US customers. This also simplifies receiving payments from US employers and platforms like Deel, Upwork, Toptal and Fiverr.

Funding raised: US$5 million
Round: Debt
Investors: Negma Ventures.

The Sandbox (Hong Kong)

The Sandbox is a user-generated content (UGC) metaverse platform and subsidiary of open metaverse company Animoca Brands. An immersive metaverse platform, it allows users to play, create, and monetise unique experiences alongside their favourite brands, IPs, and celebrities across gaming, entertainment, music, art, and other aspects of culture.

The startup leverages Web3 technologies to fully enable end-user creation and creator economies by providing players and creators with “true ownership” of their assets, creations, and rewards in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Funding raised: US$20 million
Round: Strategic
Investors: Kingsway Capital, Animoca Brands, LG Tech Ventures, and True Global Ventures.

Mober (Philippines)

Mober is a green logistics company. Established in July 2015, Mober aims to drive the transition to green deliveries in the Philippines. It helps businesses decarbonise their delivery processes with solutions that avoid upfront costs, promoting a future where business meets sustainability.

To support its long-haul operations, Mober plans to place pocket charging points across Luzon’s northern and southern regions. The company sources its EVs directly from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), customising each vehicle to meet specific operational needs for optimal efficiency and reliability.

The company’s clients for its EV-powered delivery services include multinational corporations like IKEA, Kuehne+Nagel, Nespresso, Monde Nissin, Nestle, Maersk, and SM Appliance Center.

Funding raised: US$6M
Round: Not specified
Investors: Clime Capital.

Better HR (Myanmar)

Better HR is a human resources tech startup that offers a cloud-based enterprise solution to streamline HR processes for small and medium-sized companies. This includes tracking attendance, leave, and overtime and managing payroll.

Currently, Better HR’s tailored payroll services are available in Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. To expand its reach and impact throughout the region, the company plans to use the new funds to open additional offices in other key Southeast Asian markets.

Funding raised: Undisclosed
Round: Not specified
Investors: Blibros and Satori Giants

McEasy (Indonesia)

Founded by Hendrik Ekowaluyo and Raymond Sutjiono in 2017, McEasy aims to change the Indonesian logistics sector’s reliance on paper and pen. The company noted that around 85% of operators still use this old-fashioned method, resulting in disjointed services, unprofessional driver conduct, and low customer satisfaction.

Its logistics management system comprises real-time vehicle tracking software, a transportation management system, and a fleet management app, among other features.

Funding raised: US$11 million
Round: Series A
Investor: Granite Asia and East Ventures.

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Image Credit: 123RF.

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