The gist: Alibaba pumps US$353M into Lazada
More details: The move comes after Alibaba announced plans to break up its operations into separate business units; This will involve Lazada falling under the e-commerce giant’s Global Digital Business Group, which also includes AliExpress, Trendyol, and Daraz.

The gist: Taizo Son’s new VC firm The Edgeof acquires SoftBank Ventures Asia
The objective: The Edgeof aims to tackle pressing global challenges, such as climate change and sustainability, through innovative initiatives; It aims to be Asia’s leading VC and ecosystem builder, helping alpha startups expand across borders and grow exponentially.

The gist: Messaging protocol LayerZero nets US$120M for Asia expansion
The product: LayerZero is a messaging protocol that enables interoperability and facilitates cross-chain messaging across various blockchains; It has deployed over 30K contracts on its testnet and 3,500 on its mainnet, with more than 10K unique applications.

The gist: Philippine startup Pickup Coffee raises US$26.7M Series A1
The investors: Go Ventures, Openspace Ventures, and Kickstart Ventures
The product: Pickup Coffee is focused on making premium beverages more accessible; Its beverages are already available via GrabFood and Foodpanda; A Pickup Coffee app is in the works and would be rolled out soon.

The gist: Vietnamese online coding school MindX nets US$15M Series B
The investors: Kaizenvest, Aksorn, Mynavi Corporation, and Wavemaker
More details: MindX claims to have trained 35K-plus students, and expanded its offerings to include blockchain and data analytics courses.

The gist: Philippine HR-tech firm Sprout Solutions nets US$10.7M funding
The investors: Cercano Management, GSR Ventures, AFG Partners, Integra Partners
More details: Sprout’s human resources analytics platform offers solutions for recruitment, onboarding, payroll, data insight, and performance monitoring, among others.

The gist: SC Ventures invests in Singaporean fintech startup BetterTradeOff
The product: BetterTradeOff offers a DIY platform for consumers, a SaaS solution for financial advisers, and a white-label platform for financial institutions; It will use the capital for tech enhancements and geographical expansion.

The gist: Indonesian edutech firm Cakap bags funding
The investors: MDI Ventures and Heritas Capital
The plans: The company will use the funds to develop its blended learning — a mix of online and offline classes.

The gist: Indonesia’s medical records digitalisation startup Zi.Care bags US$2M
Lead investor: Oriza Greenwillow Technology Fund
The plans: The firm will use the fresh funds to improve and expand its services; As of Q1, Zi Care’s services had been used in more than 100 hospitals.

The gist: Vietnam’s Amanotes invests in Swedish startup Reactional Music
The details: Amanotes has over 2.8B downloads and 100M+ monthly active users across 30+ music games and mobile apps; Reactional Music lets gamers personalise their personas and gameplay with their favourite music.

The gist: TikTok deleted 7.6M videos from Indonesia in Q4 2022: report
More details: Globally, the number of videos taken down was 85.7M, or 0.6% of the total videos published throughout the quarter; This marked an improvement from Q3 2022, which saw the deletion of 110.9M videos.

The gist: Nium appoints ex-ZaloPay, PayPal head as executive VP
More details: Anupam Pahuja will focus on the firm’s expansion within Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa from Nium’s Singapore headquarters, reporting to CEO Prajit Nanu.

The gist: Axie Infinity’s VP for games to step down
More details: Philip La said in a LinkedIn post that it is time to “move on to the next chapter in my career”; He added that he’ll be taking some time off before he starts his new venture.

Features, authored articles, and Echelon updates

Equatorial Space is on a mission to make space launches cost-effective, eco-friendly, risk-free
The Singaporean startup is working on Dorado, a responsive launcher designed to deliver small payloads into suborbital trajectory by mid-2024.

How du-it aims to empower SMEs with its Shariah-based BNPL platform
du-it describes itself as a BNPL platform designed as a solution-based platform for SMEs and MSMEs in Malaysia; It recently launched a crowdfunding campaign to support the development of the platform.

‘Awareness level about the potential benefits of energy efficiency is low in SEA’
TablePointer Founder Jason Tang says the company will partner with financing institutions to offer attractive financing options and differentiate itself through its data-driven approach.

15 frontrunners closer to competing in the 2023 TOP100
From our diverse pool of applicants, get to know these 15 exciting startups that are a step closer to competing at this year’s TOP100.

Six exhibitors to wow you at the 2023 Echelon Asia Summit
Check out the exciting innovations of Anapi, Buyandship, fewStones, INK IDÉE, Parlon, WAOHire and more at Echelon!

How to shape Singapore’s attractiveness in deep and frontier tech
The frontier tech sector in Singapore needs to produce more promising research ventures that are geared towards commercialisation and international growth.

How to balance rapid growth and sustainability as a startup founder
By focusing on building a strong community of loyal customers who value your product or service, you can achieve sustainable growth over the long term.

How tech upgrades could address Singapore’s labour shortage in hawker centres
Discover how tech upgrades can help Singapore’s hawker centers navigate the ongoing labor shortage, improving efficiency and accessibility.

How to embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion in DeFi and Web3
In 2021, tech companies had less than 29 per cent women and 22 per cent ethnic minorities across all functions; Certain areas, like cybersecurity teams, had an even lesser representation for these groups, 12 per cent each.

Are the glory days of direct-to-consumer brands over?
Tech stocks were down 35-40 per cent in 2022, and DTC stocks were down 85-90 per cent. As a rule of thumb, valuations mechanically go down when interest rates rise.

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Echelon Asia Summit 2023 brings together APAC’s leading startups, corporates, policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to Singapore this June 14-15. Learn more and get tickets here. Echelon also features the TOP100 stage, where startups can pitch to 5000+ delegates, among other benefits like connecting with investors, visibility through the e27platform, and other prizes. Join TOP100 here.

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NusaTrip, a Jakarta-based online travel agency and a unit of Nasdaq-listed Society Pass Inc. (SoPa), has acquired the Vietnamese online B2B hotel platform VLeisure.

The financial details remain undisclosed.

With this, NusaTrip gains an operational foothold to expand its B2C and B2B businesses in Vietnam. At the same time, VLeisure will leverage SoPa’s capital and NusaTrip’s technology to market its hotel management SaaS products to small-to-medium-sized hotels initially in Vietnam and then to the rest of Southeast Asia.

VLeisure Founder and MD Phan Le commented: “With SoPa’s rapid growth in 2021 and 2022 and NusaTrip’s position as a leading IATA-licensed travel platform in Indonesia, VLeisure now is able to access our parent companies’ infrastructure of capital, technology, marketing, and customer support, allowing VLeisure to better serve our Vietnam-based customers and accelerate growth in our hotel business. VLeisure’s trip planning, booking capabilities, and hotel technology expertise complements Nusatrip’s existing travel services to deliver a more personalised user experience.”

NusaTrip will continue to acquire online and offline travel agencies in Southeast Asia as it builds a regional travel platform servicing the booming SEA travel market.

Also Read: Ex-CTO drags Society Pass into court for “breaching employment contract”, seeks over US$1.3M in damages

Founded in 2011 in Ho Chi Minh City, VLeisure is an online marketplace for hotels, airlines, and travel agencies, empowering regional and international OTAs by distributing their travel products. It claims to have an inventory of over 650,000 registered hotels. VLeisure also services small-to-medium-size hotels with customer booking and revenue collection software solutions.

Founded in 2013, NusaTrip has over 1.2 million registered users, 500 airlines and 200,000 hotels connected with over 80 million unique visitors.

The VLeisure acquisition comes at an opportune time for NusaTrip with the dramatic rebound in the SEA travel market from the depths of the Covid pandemic.

According to Web In Travel, gross bookings in 2025 will reach 94 per cent of the record 2019 levels. And according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the tourism sector expects to welcome 110 million tourist arrivals in 2023, valued at US$27 billion, representing 5.7 per cent of Vietnam’s projected 2023 GDP of US$469 billion.

Founded in 2018, SoPa is a data-driven loyalty, fintech and e-commerce ecosystem in Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. It is an acquisition-focused holding company operating six interconnected verticals (loyalty, digital media, travel, telecoms, lifestyle, and F&B.

Besides NusaTrip and VLeisure, SoPa operates Thoughtful Media Group (Thailand), Gorilla Networks (Singapore), Leflair.com (Vietnam), Handycart.vn (Vietnam); and Mangan.ph (Philippines).

Society Pass completed an IPO and began trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker SOPA in November 2021.

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Echelon Asia Summit 2023 brings together APAC’s leading startups, corporates, policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to Singapore this June 14-15. Learn more and get tickets here. Echelon also features the TOP100 stage, where startups can pitch to 5000+ delegates, among other benefits like connecting with investors, visibility through the e27platform, and other prizes. Join TOP100 here.

The post Society Pass unit NusaTrip acquires Vietnamese travel marketplace VLeisure appeared first on e27.

Singapore-based early-stage VC firm Oriza Greenwillow Technology Fund has committed to investing US$2 million in Indonesian startup Zi.Care, which digitises medical records for hospitals.

The Jakarta-headquartered electronic medical records (EMR) startup is eyeing a total of US$3 million in this Series A round. Several other regional VCs will also be invited to participate.

Also Read: How big data in healthcare influences better patient outcomes

The startup will use funds to strengthen its focus on increasing digitalisation in the health sector.

Zi.Care started as an app focusing on helping and increasing the penetration of digitalisation in Indonesia’s health sector. Until Q1 2023, it operated more than 100 hospital units.

Both Zi.Care and Greenwillow will continue to support the Indonesian government, especially the Ministry of Health to be able to synergise in increasing digitalisation in the health sector.

In Indonesia alone, there are more than 3,300 hospitals, 10,000 clinics and 270 million patients.

Loh Wai Keong, Managing Partner of Oriza Greenwillow Technology Fund commented: “We believe that Zi.Care’s EMR solution has huge growth potential in the Indonesian healthcare industry and will be crucial in digitising the public health services for medical professionals and patients.”

Also Read: These former aCommerce execs are building an ‘Amazon’ for healthcare in Southeast Asia

In 2021, the health-tech startup earlier raised funding from Iterative VC (US), Greenway Grid Global VC (Japan), HLM Tokyo (Japanese Healthcare Company), Muhammadiyah Endowment Fund, and Telkomsel.

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Echelon Asia Summit 2023 brings together APAC’s leading startups, corporates, policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to Singapore this June 14-15. Learn more and get tickets here. Echelon also features the TOP100 stage, where startups can pitch to 5000+ delegates, among other benefits like connecting with investors, visibility through the e27 platform, and other prizes. Join TOP100 here.

The post Indonesian e-medical records startup Zi.Care attracts US$2M funding appeared first on e27.

Singapore-based fintech startup BetterTradeOff, which aims to make financial planning accessible to everyone, has secured an undisclosed sum investment from SC Ventures, the VC arm of Standard Chartered Bank.

BetterTradeOff will use the capital for technological enhancements and geographical expansion.

“We invested in BetterTradeOff because the solution helps people to proactively plan their future, addressing scenarios such as inflation or recession,” said Alex Manson, Head of SC Ventures.

BetterTradeOff leverages technology to simplify financial planning, making it possible for anyone, regardless of net worth or financial acumen. It claims its interactive and visual platform makes it easy for users to see and understand the impact of different decisions while simulating various financial situations, such as purchasing a new home or planning for retirement.

Also Read: Why SC Ventures believes in building innovation from within

The company offers three business lines — a free, do-it-yourself, financial planning platform for consumers; a SaaS solution for financial advisers; and a white-label, API-based enterprise platform for financial institutions.

The BetterTradeOff platform is used by customers in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, the Philippines, the UAE, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the US.

In 2021, BetterTradeOff partnered with Standard Chartered Bank to provide Singaporean customers with comprehensive financial planning via the bank’s portal and mobile app.

Last October, Dutch Financial Services Provider Achmea made a minority investment in BetterTradeOff.

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Echelon Asia Summit 2023 brings together APAC’s leading startups, corporates, policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to Singapore this June 14-15. Learn more and get tickets here. Echelon also features the TOP100 stage, where startups can pitch to 5000+ delegates, among other benefits like connecting with investors, visibility through the platform, and other prizes. Join TOP100 here.

The post SC Ventures invests in Singaporean financial planning startup BetterTradeOff appeared first on e27.

The 2018 North American Bitcoin Conference happened at a strip club in Miami. 87 speakers shared their views on the present and future of the blockchain-powered industry. But only three of them were females. 

This shows how emerging domains, like DeFi and Web3, are prone to inheriting the ‘bro culture’ dominating the tech industry. Notably, tech and finance, two of blockchain’s main areas of disruption, have a history of inadequate inclusivity.

In 2021, tech companies had less than 29 per cent women and 22 per cent ethnic minorities across all functions. Certain areas, like cybersecurity teams, had an even lesser representation for these groups, 12 per cent each. 

There’s also around a 6.9 per cent pay gap in favour of white employees, while women own merely five per cent of all tech startups in the US. 

However, new standards are steadily emerging in DeFi and Web3. There is a growing dedication among innovators to champion diversity, equality, inclusion, and belongingness (DEIB) from the get-go. 

Anna Arpilleda, the Head of People at Archblock states, “The opportunity to create a diverse environment starts with our recruitment approach and process—each and every employee plays a role in actively supporting this. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds across various industries and functions to apply for roles.” 

Also Read: Why investing in women entrepreneurs is a smart move for the future

She adds that decentralised finance can provide access to new opportunities regardless of background and physical location.

Where DEIB stands now

Rob Behnke, the CEO of blockchain security solutions firm Halborn, says, “Decentralised finance came about only five years ago. But that said, these have already become truly global phenomena, already promoting financial inclusion in several countries.”

Behnke’s analysis is spot on. Yet, it’s crucial to take stock of the current state of DEIB in DeFi. This’ll provide a reality check for industry stakeholders to channel their efforts in the right direction. And thus make these emerging domains genuinely progressive in the long run.

About nine per cent of US citizens owned cryptocurrencies in 2022. Nearly 74 per cent were males, while females represented only 26 per cent. The US thus has the widest gender gap in crypto ownership among 26 countries surveyed by Statista. Vietnam, however, had a fairer balance: 55 per cent male ownership vs 46 per cent female.

Quartz found that only 8.5 per cent of the 378 venture-backed crypto startups launched between 2012 and 2018 had female Founders or Co-Founders. This didn’t change until 2022 when 90 per cent of all crypto startup founders were males. They also received 95 per cent of the total funding, signalling VCs’ greater interest in supporting male-led firms. 

Besides gender, ethnic and racial minorities have also faced instances of bias and discrimination in crypto. When CryptoPunks launched Meebits in 2021, Bloomberg reported how dark-skinned and female Meebits sold for roughly 30 per cent less on OpenSea, vis-à-vis the fairer CryptoPunks.

The above facts reveal a long way to go before ‘everybody feels welcome, represented, and heard’ in DeFi and Web3. Yet thankfully, innovators in this space increasingly realise the business case for DEIB. 

Also Read: Bridging the gender gap and boosting women entrepreneurship with embedded finance

According to McKinsey & Company, gender-diverse companies have 48 per cent better performance than their peers with non-inclusive policies. Similarly, ethnic and cultural diversity increases profitability by almost 36 per cent. 

Arpilleda resounds with these findings when she says, “DEIB is not just the ‘right thing to do’—it’s a creator and driver of business value. So, at Archblock, we’re committed to building an inclusive work culture and environment across our teams in Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Hong Kong, Australia, and the US.”

Harvesting change from the grassroots

“In a decentralised economy, grassroots is all there is and all that matters,” says Behnke. He also points out how folks can access easy, permissionless loans using cryptocurrency despite having low credit scores in traditional finance—an example of how these assets can transform financial inclusion. 

Inadequate internet access is still a significant obstacle for underserved communities to access DeFi and Web3 fully. It should instead be considered a ‘basic human right’ in Behnke’s view. But even with billions unable to benefit from emerging technologies like blockchain, there’s a lot that’s inherently good about their evolution. 

Both Arpilleda and Behnke, like many others, consider DeFi’s open-source nature a key means to inclusivity. It helps break traditional barriers, letting everyone participate in the digital revolution. DAOs create a true meritocracy, for example, so that community members can be decision-makers irrespective of their gender, race, ethnicity, or geographical background.

This becomes clearer because 23 per cent of Black Americans and 16 per cent of Hispanic Americans are crypto owners, vis-à-vis 11 per cent of White Americans. Likewise, 26 per cent of LGBTQA+ community members in America own some digital currency. 

Globally, Chainalysis has shown that Southeast Asian countries, like Vietnam, were among the biggest crypto and blockchain technology adopters in 2021. Also, when people in this region, especially women and the youth, faced massive livelihood loss during COVID-19, they increasingly turned to crypto-based modes of income. 

These aspects highlight DeFi’s immense potential to serve people from unstable economies, especially in times of crisis. That’s also why DeFi protocols are currently a go-to means for settling remittances across borders, especially from the West to the South.

In Arpilleda’s words, “DeFi’s most significant contribution has been to provide financial services to people in locations with limited banking infrastructure and volatile currencies. Individuals from frontier or emerging markets can now invest in or borrow stablecoins pegged to stronger, stabler currencies. DeFi enables novel lending methods and revenue streams to help small businesses and entrepreneurs in emerging markets.”

Overall, the decentralised and community-driven promises of the DeFi and Crypto space are aligned with DEIB goals. I look forward to seeing things progress as there is more adoption and younger generations join the workforce.

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Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic

Join our e27 Telegram group, FB community, or like the e27 Facebook page

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Singapore has finally regained normality. Major events and global tourism are back, locals are crowding streets and squares as much as before the pandemic. It’s a sigh of relief for the plagued F&B sector that scrambled to maintain essential services during COVID-19. Many establishments had to shut down due to a lack of foot traffic.

Today, outlets suffer from a manpower crunch. By last June, total employment in Singapore had rebounded to 99.5 per cent of the pre-COVID-19 levels, according to the Ministry of Manpower. Labour costs have become an issue that weighs particularly on the F&B sector. 

Hawker centres, food courts, and restaurants are experiencing shortages and higher wages for dishwashing and cleaning. A renegotiated wage model between employee representatives, unions, and the government, will see the base salaries of cleaners go up to between SG$1,570 and SG$2,210 in 2023. It will increase by at least SG$170 each year until 2028.

That is bad news given the razor-thin margins in the sector. Food courts in particular will need to look for further efficiencies in the way they are run. A solution could be tech.

The coming tech revolution

There are centralised dishwashing services that already contribute to an increase in productivity. These highly specialised and automatised cleaners for plates and bowls are experienced in handling big volumes and heavy loads. They are also more ecological by optimising energy and water usage. Their work is reducing pressure on the individuals that are doing the job manually, in many cases senior citizens. 

The dishwashing services market in Singapore was estimated to be valued at SG$30.9 million in 2020, with currently 10 firms sharing the pie, according to Euromonitor. The market size is expected to reach SG$75 million by 2024. The industry enjoys government support, as it increases automation and efficiency.

Also Read: How to balance rapid growth and sustainability as a startup founder

Cleaning robots are another innovation that will bring visible benefits as the tech improves. Marketstudyreport.com predicts that the global market will be worth US$3.5 billion by the end of 2026, with a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of seven per cent throughout the 2021-2026 period. While you might already see them across the city, there are still frequent hiccups that developers are trying to resolve. We expect public acceptance to grow, as people realise how useful they can be.

A little help from a friend

The newest models require minimal human intervention. They are capable of maintaining and cleaning themselves at the docking station and recharging in a few minutes. With the latest sensor tech, they are able to map out the area to cover it most efficiently. At the same time, they can also be run remotely by an assistant. 

State-of-the-art robots are connected to the cloud and automatically updated with the latest software. It allows for real-time monitoring and efficient remote management. But connectivity also makes them vulnerable to hackers, which is why these machines have to comply with the control standards set by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).

With device security becoming an issue, the danger of malevolent actors potentially gaining access to restricted areas and spying on sensitive installations is real. Can local manufacturers fill the gap and become trusted partners?

Expect these robots to learn and improve, to become more nimble and accurate and to perform increasingly complex tasks that a human won’t be able to carry out. Robots will result in higher workplace safety, reducing health risks for employees.

AI and machine learning are likely to dominate the coming decade. It might soon visit you at your local hawker centre.

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Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic

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Early this week, energy-efficiency-as-a-service (EEaaS) startup TablePointer announced an over US$2.3 million oversubscribed seed funding round led by Wavemaker Partners, AgFunder, and ENGIE Factory. The Singapore-based firm will invest the money to develop new features and product modules and foray into new markets in Southeast Asia.

e27 had a quick chat with Founder Jason Tang about the challenges in the energy management solutions industry and how the company tackles them with its cutting-edge solutions.

Excerpts:

Can you tell us more about your energy-efficiency-as-a-service solution and how it works?

Our energy-efficiency-as-a-service solution leverages Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to collect energy data and machine learning algorithms to identify opportunities for energy efficiency. The solution involves the installation of devices that monitor operational activities and energy usage, then using data analysis and machine learning to identify areas where energy can be saved, and regulate the customers’ equipment for energy savings.

TablePointer also provides ongoing support and maintenance for these devices.

How does TablePointer differentiate itself from other energy management solutions in the market?

Our USP is that we offer a subscription-based model that eliminates upfront costs and guarantees energy savings for clients. We also emphasise a data-driven approach that continuously monitors and optimises energy consumption.

What are some of the challenges that you face in the energy management industry, and how do you plan to address them?

Some of the challenges we face include low awareness about the potential benefits of energy efficiency and limited access to capital for energy efficiency projects.

Also Read: TablePointer raises US$2.3M to enter new markets with its IoT, AI-based energy efficiency solutions

To address these challenges, TablePointer plans to educate potential clients about the ROI of energy efficiency, partner with financing institutions to offer attractive financing options and differentiate itself through its data-driven approach.

Can you walk us through some of the key features and product modules that you plan to add?

An enhanced analytics dashboard for customers, advanced IoT solutions for additional kitchen equipment, and improved data analytics algorithms.

Which markets in Southeast Asia are you targeting for expansion, and why? How do you plan to scale in these new markets?

TablePointer is targeting several markets in Southeast Asia for expansion — especially markets with significant potential for energy savings and home to many businesses that are looking to reduce their energy costs and improve their sustainability practices.

To scale the business in these new markets, TablePointer will need to invest in additional sales and marketing resources, as well as local partnerships and collaborations to better understand the needs of each market.

Can you discuss some of the key partnerships or collaborations that TablePointer has formed to date?

We have formed partnerships with several key players in the energy management industry, such as ENGIE, one of the world’s largest energy services companies, as well as a leading IoT and software technology provider. These partnerships help to ensure that our solution is compatible with the latest technologies in the market.

What is TablePointer’s long-term vision for the energy management industry, and how do you see the company contributing to that vision?

TablePointer’s long-term vision for the energy management industry is to create a more sustainable and efficient energy ecosystem, where businesses can easily and affordably reduce their energy consumption and costs.

To achieve this vision, TablePointer plans to continue investing in cutting-edge technology and analytics capabilities, while also working closely with customers to understand their needs and develop customised energy-saving strategies.

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Echelon Asia Summit 2023 brings together APAC’s leading startups, corporates, policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to Singapore this June 14-15. Learn more and get tickets here. Echelon also features the TOP100 stage, where startups can pitch to 5000+ delegates, among other benefits like connecting with investors, visibility through the e27platform, and other prizes. Join TOP100 here.

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Vietnam’s music games publisher Amanotes has invested in the pre-Series A funding round of Swedish startup Reactional Music.

Other investors in the round are Butterfly Ventures and angels, including Kelly Sumner, a former chairman of Mediatonic, CEO of Red Octane, and CEO of Take 2 Interactive.

This round follows a number of seed rounds at the Stockholm headquartered Reactional.

Reactional Music lets gamers personalise their personas and gameplay with their favourite music. It is a rules-based music engine and delivery platform that connects the music and games industries commercially and creatively.

Also Read: ‘Play long-term games and do not optimise for the short term’: Vaibhav Aggarwal of Coinbase

Reactional is working on several pilot projects. The Reactional Engine is also used in a commercially available game for PS5 and PS VR2. The platform will be live in 2023.

It also completed multiple music rights agreements with commercial and production rights holders, including Hipgnosis Song Management.

Founded by two passionate music and tech lovers Bill Vo and Silver Nguyen, Amanotes is a mobile music games publisher with over 2.8 billion downloads and 100+ million monthly active users. Since 2014, 30+ music games and mobile apps were published under its name.

The games market is expected to surpass US$200 billion in revenue in 2023. In-game purchases accounted for 74 per cent of all games revenue in 2021, around US$129 billion.

Currently, in-game music revenues account for less than 0.001 per cent of the total market. In 2023 the total number of global gamers is expected to pass three billion.

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MindX, an online coding school in Vietnam, has secured US$15M a Series B financing round, led by Kaizenvest.

Aksorn, Mynavi Corporation, and Wavemaker Partners also joined the round.

The edutech startup will use the money to grow its platform, expand its reach into smaller cities and rural areas, as well as to create more educational content.

Established in 2015, MindX prepares users for technology careers by providing access to virtual or in-person classes. It claims to have trained 35,000-plus students of different ages.

Also Read: The future of edutech: Personalising learning for all

According to the firm, it has tripled its geographical footprint to over 32 campuses in Vietnam since the Series A investment round in 2021.

Additionally, MindX has expanded its offerings to include blockchain, data analytics, and UI/UX design courses.

The edutech company now aims to connect Vietnamese tech workers with employers worldwide. It has partnered with over 200 companies in countries, including Thailand, Singapore, and Australia, to provide global access to Vietnam’s digital workforce.

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e27’s Regional MeetUp 2023 seeks to gather regional disruptors and innovators and bring the latest insights on the regional tech startup ecosystem straight into their respective homes — and we’re heading next to Vietnam.

It’s happening at the WeWork E. Town Central, Ho Chi Minh on Thursday, 13 April. What to expect, you might ask?

The e27 MeetUp in Vietnam features a fireside chat with the topic “Southeast Growth Series: How can Vietnam’s tech ecosystem grow sustainably and where are future growth drivers”, with speaker Linh Thai, Founder and CEO of Skills Bridge and Shark Tank Vietnam investor; and moderator Thaddeus Koh, co-founder at e27.

Also read: Meet these 10 startups that are saving lives

This event is an excellent opportunity to connect with the local tech startup community at Ho Chi Minh, share insights with experts and your peers, and potentially get free tickets to the Echelon Asia Summit happening on June 14-15 in Singapore.

The e27 MeetUp is also a great opportunity to explore how you can work with the e27 community – and e27 – to help you achieve your goals.

This is an invite-only event. If you would like to be a part of it, leave us your details in this form.

This event is brought to you by e27, in partnership with WeWork and WebEngage.

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