Tag Archives: Philippines
Gojek, Google and Grab CEOs back Vietnam’s stock trading app Anfin’s US$1.2M round
Anfin, a stock trading app for retail investors based in Vietnam, has raised US$1.2 million in a seed funding round from investors, including Global Founders Capital (GFC) and First Check Ventures. New investors, including the US-based The Goodwater Capital, also participated. According to the company, the CEOs of Gojek, Zalora, Stripe, Google, and Grab also […]
From Philippines to South Korea: A guide to a busy election year
The U.S. and China have been squabbling over which of the two superpowers has the superior brand of democracy. President Joe Biden in December hosted the first-ever Summit for Democracy, an online gathering of leaders from more than 100 hand-picked countries. China, which wasn’t invited, sought to undercut Biden’s virtual gathering by publishing a paper […]
Borzo acquires Indian delivery service NOW to strengthen its position in APAC
Borzo, a global same-day intracity delivery service for businesses, has acquired NOW, an Indian company providing 90-minutes delivery service. Following the acquisition, The Netherlands-based Borzo intends to improve its presence in Asia and give more customised delivery choices to its clients. Meanwhile, as an independent brand, NOW will benefit from Borzo’s knowledge and activities in […]
Southeast Asian startups to watch in 2022
As someone who covers Southeast Asia startups and funding stories, the best word I can think of to describe 2021 is “whoa!” This was the year that global investors not only started to pay close attention to the region’s tech ecosystems, but also began putting real money into them. Backed by international LPs, Southeast Asia-focused […]
Top news that grabbed the headlines in SEA startup scene in 2021
The Gojek-Tokopedia merger was the biggest event of 2021 The year 2021 has been challenging for the startup world. With the spectre of the COVID-19 pandemic still lurking, many businesses had to cease operations that affected millions of jobs worldwide. However, amidst all this, the startup world also witnessed some positive developments — the birth […]
Top 17 non-funding news that changed the startup ecosystem in 2021
The Gojek-Tokopedia merger was the biggest event of 2021 The year 2021 has been challenging for the startup world. With the spectre of the COVID-19 pandemic still lurking, many businesses had to cease operations that affected millions of jobs worldwide. However, amidst the crisis, the startup world also witnessed some positive developments — the birth […]
World’s best rice from Vietnam gets trademark in EU, UK
By Thi Ha  December 24, 2021 | 10:22 pm PT A person looks at a pack of ST25 rice in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran The E.U. and the U.K. have approved the trademark for ST25, the Vietnamese rice variety that was adjudged the world’s best in 2019, within five months of […]
Travel clients continue spending amid Omicron: TCS
The client spending in the travel segment has not halted because of the Omicron threat in the last few weeks, a senior executive at said on Thursday. The largest software exporter, which bagged a multi-year deal from airport hospitality services provider Plaza Premium Group (PPG) recently, will endeavour to keep profit margins in the travel […]
Shifting the global paradigm of wealth management with digital assets
The coronavirus pandemic has changed the entire global economy. As a result, many businesses closed down and several industries faced downturns, affecting populations around the world. In the Philippines, the unemployment rate rose to 8.9 per cent in September 2021 –the highest recorded data for 2021. Similar trends have been faced by countless nations across […]
OnMic, Vietnam’s answer to Clubhouse, scores seed funding from Touchstone Partners
(L-R) OnMic co-founders Lam Kim, Trung Nguyen, and Khanh Nguyen OnMic, a voice-chatting and streaming platform targeting the young population in Vietnam, has secured an undisclosed amount of seed funding from Vietnam-focused VC firm Touchstone Partners. OnMic was established in June 2021 by Lam Kim (CTO), Khanh Nguyen (CEO), and Trung Nguyen (CGO). It is […]
Monster.com raises about Rs 137 crore in funding led by Akash Bhanshali, Mohandas Pai
New Delhi: Business services provider on Wednesday said group firm Monster.com, an online talent platform, has raised up to Rs 137.5 crore in a funding round led by Akash Bhanshali of Volrado Venture Partners and Mohandas Pai of Meridian Investments. Quess Corp also participated in the funding round. After the funding round, Monster.com is valued […]
2021 policy and initiative highlights: A foundation for SEA startup funding
Two thousand and twenty-one has been a terrifying year for the COVID-19-affected — both businesses and individuals. However, we must admit that the year also served as one of the most extraordinary periods for Southeast Asia. The year witnessed the birth of several unicorns and a flurry of exits. While patience and perseverance played a crucial role in […]
Ecosystem Roundup: Iris Capital forms US$38M debt fund, Granite Oak plans SEA-focused fund, Sleek bags US$11M
Startups in Philippines could raise US$2B over the next 3 years There’s now a clear direction of how the startup community will continue to progress, according to a report by Gobi-Core Philippines Fund; This includes the country’s new wave of technopreneurs, the preference for camels over unicorns, and the rise of the entertainment and crypto […]
SMEs’ booster towards financial health (Part 1): Equity financing
SMEs are a driving force in SEA’s economic development. Across each country in the region, these businesses account for an average of 97 per cent of all enterprises, employ 69 per cent of the total workforce, and contribute to 41 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Even though they play such a vital role in […]
Singapore’s SME services platform Sleek adds US$11M more to Series A round
Sleek co-founders Adrien Barthel and Julien Labruyere Sleek, a Singapore-based startup providing incorporation and accounting services for SMEs and entrepreneurs, has announced a Series A extension, bringing its total funding raised in this round to US$25 million. EDBI and existing investors participated in the round that came in both equity and debt. This tranche comes […]
E-commerce enabler aCommerce files for IPO in Thailand
aCommerce co-founder and group CEO Paul Srivorakul E-commerce enabler aCommerce has filed for an initial public offering (IPO) in its home country Thailand, say multiple news reports. The company plans to list its shares on the main board of the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET). It looks to sell up to 40 per cent of […]
1982 Ventures hits US$12.5M initial close of Fund I, to back 30 seed-stage startups
1982 Ventures, a Southeast Asia-focused early-stage VC firm based in Singapore, has announced the initial close of its first seed-stage fund with US$12.5 million in committed capital. The fund targets to raise a total corpus of US$15 million. Investors who participated in this first tranche are: US-based fintech unicorn Carta. Genting Group’s venture arm. US […]
Bukalapak, BRI Ventures back Yield Guild Games SEA’s US$15M financing round
Evan Spytma, CEO and co-founder of YGG SEA Philippine company Yield Guild Games Southeast Asia (YGG SEA), the regionally focused sub-DAO (decentralised autonomous organisation) owned by YGG, has raised US$15 million over two rounds of funding. The seed round of investment, which took place in August, was led by the parent company and Infinity Ventures Crypto, […]
Why Vertex Ventures invested in Grab when it was still MyTeksi?
As Grab listed on NASDAQ through a US$40B SPAC deal with Altimeter Growth Corp., we strolled down memory lane and reminisced the company’s early days. Beyond any doubt, Grab has indeed disrupted several sectors and developed strong moats across multiple markets. Many of us know Grab as Southeast Asia’s SuperApp. However, this wasn’t always the […]
Grab poised for Nasdaq debut after delay, COVID-hit quarter
Grab Holdings will make its Nasdaq debut on December 2, after shareholders approved its special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) deal with Altimeter Growth. The IPO comes following an initial delay and a third-quarter report last month that saw Grab clock wider losses of $988 million. Grab said in a statement Thursday it completed its merger […]
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