500 Startups
VCs back Thai fintech player Finnomena
Krungsri Finnovate, the VC arm of Thai financial institution Bank of Ayudhya, has led a $3.2 million Series A round for domestic financial technology start-up Finnomena.
Japan's Infostellar receives $7.3m Series A
Infostellar, a Japanese company developing cloud-based satellite communication technology, has closed a $7.3 million Series A funding round led by US-based Airbus Ventures.
Australia’s LaunchVic terminates partnership with 500 Startups
LaunchVic, a start-up investment fund backed by the government of Victoria, has ended its planned partnership with 500 Startups in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal at the Silicon Valley-based accelerator.
Japan VC: Culture club
The Cool Japan policy aims to internationalize a large but lagging economy beyond its manufacturing roots. Venture capital will be the key to reimagining unique overlaps of culture and technology
Government-backed Cool Japan invests in 500 Startups fund
Cool Japan Fund, a government-backed venture program for promoting cultural exports, has agreed to invest up to $10 million in a recently launched Japan-focused vehicle managed by 500 Startups.
Gobi leads $6m round for Malaysia's Carsome
Gobi Partners has led a $6 million funding round for Malaysia-based online used car purchasing platform Carsome.
VCs target Southeast Asia's urban consumers - AVCJ Forum
Indonesia is sitting at the heart of an increasingly homogeneous Southeast Asia market in which start-ups can execute cross-border strategies by leveraging similar consumer habits across major cities.
VCs back Filipino fintech start-up
Philippines-based financial technology company First Circle has received $2.5 million from a group of VC firms, including a seed stage investment unit of emerging markets microfinance group Accion International.
Indonesia VC: Corporate kingpins
The corporates and family groups that dominate Indonesia’s economy are becoming increasingly active in the VC space. To independent GPs, they are more friend than foe, but agendas and approaches vary
Grab buys VC-backed Indonesian e-commerce player Kudo
Southeast Asian ride-hailing app operator Grab has agreed to acquire Kudo, an Indonesian online-to-offline (O2O) e-commerce start-up backed by a number of venture capital firms.
500 Startups opens Australia office
US-based early-stage investor 500 Startups has agreed to establish its Australian headquarters in Melbourne after receiving financial support from the state government of Victoria.
VC-backed Fave buys Groupon Singapore
Malaysian VC-backed online-to-offline (O2O) e-commerce company Fave has agreed to acquire Groupon Singapore, extending a string of related bolt-ons in Southeast Asia.
500 Startups appoints Edith Yeung as Greater China partner
Silicon Valley-based early-stage investor 500 Startups has appointed Edith Yeung as Greater China partner, replacing Rui Ma who left the firm last year to launch her own fund.
Singapore's mClinica raises $6.3m Series A round
US-based venture capital firm Unitus Impact has led a $6.5 million Series A funding round for Singaporean healthcare technology start-up mClinica.
Fund focus: TukTuks answers call for Thai exposure
Domestic high net worth individuals and corporates are the major contributors as 500 Startups closes its debut Thailand venture capital fund above target at $15.4 million
500 Startups closes Thailand fund at $15.4m
500 Startups has reached a final close of $15.4 million on its Thailand-focused early-stage fund. It had originally targeted $10 million.
China tech players in SE Asia: Strategic outpost
Chinese internet companies increasingly see Southeast Asia as a market that can help counterbalance slowing growth back home. For certain business models, it is an expensive and time-consuming process
VIDEO: Khailee Ng, 500 Startups
Khailee Ng, managing partner at 500 Startups, discusses the development of venture capital in Southeast Asia
Tech & government: Living laboratories
As governments of Southeast Asia’s emerging economies look to create more workable VC policy environments, start-ups and investors have proliferated across a patchwork of imperfect systems
Jungle leads $11m Series A for Thailand's Pomelo
Jungle Ventures has led an $11 million Series A round of funding for Thailand-based online fashion retailer Pomelo.
500 Startups launches $50 million Southeast Asia fund
US-based accelerator 500 Startups has launched its second seed fund focused on Southeast Asia, with a targeted corpus of $50 million.
Taiwan regulation: Forward views, sideways moves
The Taiwan government is attempting to reconcile its conservative tendencies with a need for innovation as the local venture capital industry marks mixed progress in filling an early-stage vacuum
India's WestBridge leads round for healthcare big data start-up
WestBridge Capital Partners has led a $15.6 million Series A round of funding for Innovaccer, a healthcare-focused IT outsourcing start-up with bases in Palo Alto and New Delhi.
Golden Gate invests $2.5m in Indonesia's Alodokter
Singapore’s Golden Gate Ventures has committed $2.5 million to a Series A funding round for Indonesian healthcare information portal operator Alodokter.