Early-stage
Deal focus: SensorFlow’s coronavirus pivot
With hotel occupancy falling - and demand for its energy management solution taking a hit - SensorFlow moved quickly to make the revenue model sustainable. The company is now targeting vertical and geographic expansion
RTP Global leads round for Indian B2B agritrading platform
Bijak, an Indian business-to-business (B2B) platform for trading agricultural commodities, has raised $12 million in a Series A funding round led by RTP Global.
Chinese oatmeal brand Wangbaobao gets $14m Series B
Chinese oatmeal brand Wangbaobao has raised approximately RMB100 million ($14 million) in a Series B round led by consumer-focused BA Capital. Existing investors Source Code Capital, Vertex Ventures and Decent Capital re-upped.
Q&A: Zenysis Technologies' Jonathan Stambolis
Zenysis Technologies develops artificial intelligence-enabled systems that help governments improve healthcare management. CEO Jonathan Stambolis explains how demand has increased in response to COVID-19
Vietnam e-commerce enabler OnPoint raises $8m
OnPoint, a Vietnam-based start-up that provides corporate clients with e-commerce support services, has raised an $8 million Series A round backed by Korea’s Kiwoom Investment.
Coronavirus & Australia VC: In SaaS we trust
Enterprise services start-ups with recurring revenue are well positioned, but mid-cap players could become vulnerable
Thailand’s InVent invests in Singaporean insurtech Igloo
InVent, a corporate venture capital firm affiliated with a Thai telecom operator, has led a $16 million funding round for Singaporean insurtech Igloo, formerly known as Axinan.
Coronavirus & Southeast Asia VC: Unpleasant surprises
Start-ups in Southeast Asia have few capital sources, so it helps that the region’s VCs are well-funded – assuming they are ready to invest
Coronavirus & North Asia VC: Diverging fortunes
Speed of response to COVID-19 has led to differing outcomes for VC investment in Korea and Japan. But structural issues are also a factor
Coronavirus & India VC: Struggling to work
Investors don’t expect business activity in India to resume until the second half. Many start-ups will be desperate for capital before then
Coronavirus & China VC: Bifurcation point
China might be emerging from the grip of COVID-19, but many start-ups face a long battle. This is when VCs find out who the winners are
Korean digital food trading platform raises $11m
Tridge, a Korean international trading platform for agricultural products, has raised $11 million in a Series B round from SoftBank.
China cancer diagnosis player ChosenMed gets Series B
ChosenMed, a Beijing-based tumor detection company has raised a Series B round of more than RMB100 million ($14 million) led by state-owned Shanghai Lianhe Investment.
Lightspeed leads $20m round for India conversational AI platform
Lightspeed Venture Partners and Lightspeed India Partners have led a $20 million Series B round for Indian conversational artificial intelligence (AI) provider Yellow Messenger.
Matrix, CICC back Chinese optical chip pioneer
Lightelligence, a US and China-based manufacturer of optical chips, has raised a $26 million Series A round led by Matrix Partners China and China International Capital Corporation (CICC).
Tenaya Capital leads Series A round in Indonesia’s Kargo
Indonesian logistics platform Kargo Technologies has finalised a IDR504 billion ($31 million) Series A round led by Tenaya Capital, formerly the venture arm of Lehman Brothers.
Hong Kong online banking start-up Neat raises $11m
Neat, a Hong Kong-based financial services start-up targeting digital entrepreneurs, has raised an $11 million Series A round with support from Visa.
Matrix leads Series A for Indian quiz app
Zupee, a live quiz-based gaming app in India, has raised $8 million in a Series A round led by Matrix Partners India.
Southeast Asia VC: Different strokes
Ahead of an expected increase in LP interest, Southeast Asian VCs vie to stand out from the crowd by fine-tuning strategies to capture the virtues of both generalists and specialists
Hostplus backs $19m Series B for Australia's Myriota
Hostplus, an Australian superannuation fund known for its VC activity, has backed a $19.3 million Series B round for local space technology start-up Myriota.
Cross-border tech pollination: Mutually assured disruption
Southeast Asia and Latin America are trying to leverage complementary aspects of their start-up ecosystems, much like China and Africa before them. These endeavors are not as straightforward as they might seem
Deal focus: A digital protector for the cloud era
Inspired by the Korean word for tiger and how it symbolizes protection, cybersecurity start-up Horangi wants to ensure Southeast Asia’s growing pack of digital cubs are well-guarded
China's Haier raises $134m for industrial internet platform
COSMOPlat, an industrial internet platform developed by Chinese home appliance giant Haier Group, has raised RMB950 million ($134 million) in Series A funding led by the state-owned China Structural Reform Fund.
Openspace co-leads $17m round for Indonesia's TaniHub
TaniHub, an online marketplace for farm products in Indonesia, has raised more than $17 million in a funding round led by Openspace Ventures and Intudo Ventures.