Startups

Atlas will use most of its capital to invest in U.S. climate tech companies that have a mandate to expand to Southeast Asia. (Source images from Reuters and Atlas Capital website)
DealStreetAsia

Atlas Capital aims to net $10m for Southeast Asia climate tech fund

Retail investors will get chance to back climate technology

24 July 2022
Navis Capital manages around $5 billion in assets in Southeast Asia and adjacent economies. (Source photo from company website)
22 July 2022
A JAKA Robotics demonstration unit picks up a box at the World Robot Conference in Beijing in 2019. The Shanghai-based startup has funding to step up production of collaborative robots that are safe around people.
Startups

China's JAKA Robotics raised $148m from SoftBank, Temasek

Collaborative robots safe enough to work alongside humans in high demand

20 July 2022
China's SiEngine is looking to boost delivery of existing products as well as increase research and development of vehicle-grade computer chips. (Source photo from SiEngine WeChat page)
DealStreetAsia

Sequoia China leads $148m Series A round for auto chip maker

Startup SiEngine will use investment for R&D, increasing deliveries

20 July 2022
Pakistan's last-mile delivery startup Airlift announced the end of its operations last week. (Screenshot from Airlift Facebook page)
DealStreetAsia

Pakistan's nascent startup ecosystem grapples with Airlift demise

Last-mile delivery company announced closure last week after layoffs

19 July 2022
Pioneered by Tsutomu Miyasaka in 2009, perovskite cells are a bendable, lightweight alternative to conventional silicon solar cells. (Photo by Manami Yamada)
Startups

China startup makes large, flexible solar panels in industry first

Japanese-developed perovskite technology goes into mass production

19 July 2022
China's robot vision startup AIAocheng Intelligence markets devices that inspect the exterior of drugs and their packaging. (Photo courtesy of the company)
36Kr/KrASIA

Chinese drug inspection equipment startup raises $2.2m

AIAocheng helps automate pharmaceutical production and improves quality control

18 July 2022
Hirochika Naganawa, chief technology officer at Japanese startup Emulsion Flow Technologies, previously worked for Japan's atomic energy agency. (Photo courtesy of Emulsion Flow Technologies)
Startups

EV batteries: Recycling startup extracts cobalt, nickel 100 times faster

Japan's Emulsion Flow Technologies aims to begin commercial operations next year

15 July 2022
Vietnam's VNG hopes to list on the Nasdaq later this year. (Source photos by Reuters and VNG Corporation website)
DealStreetAsia

First Vietnam unicorn VNG eyes Nasdaq debut, may offer 12.5%

Gaming startup-turned-tech conglomerate will use funds to expand overseas

15 July 2022
American education companies such as Chegg are eyeing growth in Asia at the same time as Indian startups like Byju's are seeking growth in the U.S. (Source photos by AP, screenshot from Chegg's YouTube page and Kosaku Mimura) 
Business Spotlight

Indian and U.S. edtech companies battle for global dominance

Grab for market share takes on extra urgency as valuation woes and job cuts bite

15 July 2022
In the U.S., a class action complaint has been brought against Do Kwon, his company and the founder's associates on behalf of people who purchased Terra’s digital tokens in May.
Cryptocurrencies

Terms of failed 'stablecoins' tell investors to seek redress in Singapore

For holders of Do Kwon's Terra and Luna, crash offers bitter lesson on crypto risks

14 July 2022
Venture capital investor Lightspeed has raked in $500 million for a fund dedicated to India and Southeast Asia. (Source photos by AFP/Jiji and screenshot from Lightspeed's website) 
DealStreetAsia

Lightspeed raises $500m fund for India, Southeast Asia

Venture capital investors have increasingly been targeting the region

13 July 2022
Animoca Brands develops games that use non-fungible tokens -- blockchain-backed digital assets -- to buy and trade items in a so-called metaverse. (Photo courtesy of Animoca Brands)
Cryptocurrencies

Hong Kong 'metaverse startup' Animoca Brands raises $75m

Blockchain gaming group is behind digital land trading game 'The Sandbox'

12 July 2022
With India's education technology market cooling, SoftBank-backed Unacademy has been cutting costs. (Screenshot from Unacademy's website) 
DealStreetAsia

India startup Unacademy cuts executive pay, free snacks to save cash

Educational technology sector has been cooling as brick-and-mortar schools reopen

12 July 2022
David Shin, head of global adoption at Krust Universe, a Singapore-based subsidiary of South Korea's Kakao that is backing the cryptocurrency project Klaytn. (Photo source materials courtesy of Krust Universe)
Cryptocurrencies

Kakao-backed crypto project races to expand outside South Korea

Competition among 'layer one' blockchains heats up as regulatory scrutiny grows

12 July 2022
Jakarta-based online marketplace for farmers AgriAku has secured $35 million in funding to help boost its product range.
DealStreetAsia

Indonesian farmer platform AgriAku raises $35m

Online marketplace offers fertilizer, seeds, other key agricultural goods

11 July 2022
Southeast Asia's education sector was overshadowed by COVID but has quickly returned to pre-pandemic demand levels.
DealStreetAsia

Navis Capital invests $110m in education portfolio, adds Thai asset

Southeast Asian private equity firm tapping demand for 'affordable education'

10 July 2022
A Rekosistem kiosk at a Jakarta metro station collects a variety of waste for recycling. (Photo by Koya Jibiki)
Startups

Indonesian startups use recycling apps to spin garbage into gold

Businesses flock to growing opportunities from government push to curb waste

8 July 2022
Quick commerce startups such as Swiggy, Blinkit, Dunzo and Zepto promise rapid deliveries of everything from chocolate to diapers. (Source photos by Getty Images and Reuters)
Business Spotlight

India's ultrafast delivery apps race to grab market share

Promise of 'instant gratification' shakes up the retail landscape

8 July 2022
Grab will offer air passengers the ability to book ground transportation outside Southeast Asia through a tie-up with SmartRyde and Splyt. (Source photos by SamrtRyde, Splyt and Ken Kobayashi)
Startups

Grab to let air passengers book ground transport worldwide

Service will facilitate airport-to-hotel rides for Southeast Asian travelers

7 July 2022
India's Axilor Ventures has launched its second fund, pushing to raise $100 million. (Source image from Axilor Ventures YouTube)
DealStreetAsia

India's Axilor Ventures launches $100m fund to back startups

Company started as technology incubator program in 2014

7 July 2022
China's WeDoctor provides a range of online services covering insurance policies, medical supplies, appointment booking and clinics. (Screenshot fromo WeDoctor website)
DealStreetAsia

China's Tencent-backed WeDoctor raises $150m from state investor

Investment follows IPO setback, comes as digital health care spending set to rise

6 July 2022
China's CanSemi Technology has raised around $672 million to fund the construction of new facilities and expand its production.  (Screenshot from CanSemi website)
DealStreetAsia

China chipmaker CanSemi raises $672m to boost output

Company wants to build new production facilities to supply south of country

5 July 2022
Fintech startup MarCoPay operates a platform that provides a range of financial services for Philippine sailors through a smartphone app. (Screenshot from NYK group Youtube site)
Startups

Philippines startup MarCoPay gives sailors financial freedom at sea

App has grown from wage payment into wider financial services including lending

5 July 2022
Investment by Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund could serve as a magnet for other pension money and give momentum to the development of Japanese startups, which have lagged behind those in the U.S., China and other countries. (Photo by Kotaro Igarashi) 
Startups

Pension giant GPIF to invest in Japanese startups for first time

Move by $1.45tn fund highlights Japan's belated effort to grow ventures

4 July 2022