Startups

Bicky Nguyen, co-founder of Cricket One, says producers of food made from insects have invented a variety of "delicious" offerings beyond protein bars. (Source photos by Lien Hoang and from Cricket One)
Startups

Anyone for crickets? Vietnam company aims to serve up insects in Singapore

Startup expects to be first to get such food on store shelves in city-state

8 March 2024
The U.S. startup Blue Laser Fusion was founded by Shuji Nakamura, who won the 2014 Nobel Prize in physics for the development of the blue light-emitting diode.
Technology

U.S. nuclear fusion startup draws investment from Itochu, SoftBank

Blue Laser Fusion advances R&D with eye on commercial viability in 2030

7 March 2024
Experts say there has been strong interest in Vietnam's healthtech sector in recent years amid anticipation the application of artificial intelligence will expedite developments such as precision medicine.
DealStreetAsia

Vietnam's AI prowess boosts precision medicine startups

Bevy of 'promising companies,' including Gene Solutions, attract investments

4 March 2024
Within Southeast Asia, the Singapore market is faring better than Indonesia and Vietnam, according to the staffing platform Glints, with salaries still growing.
Startups

ASEAN startups pay more for sales jobs to chase cash, study finds

Early-stage companies prioritize nontech roles amid less access to funding

29 February 2024
Oishii Farm co-founder and CEO Hiroki Koga shows off a strawberry at an indoor vertical farm in New Jersey. (Oishii Farm)
Food & Beverage

U.S. grower of pricey Japanese strawberries holds $134m funding round

Oishii to invest in automated indoor farm; premium berries priced at $11 for six

28 February 2024
Lux Capital's Brandon Reeves sees Sakana AI having an opportunity to be the OpenAI of Japan. (Lux Capital)
Startups

AI development opportunities extend beyond Silicon Valley: U.S. VC exec

Lux Capital's stake in Japanese startup Sakana AI underscores global phenomenon

27 February 2024
Flight controllers at Intuitive Machines react to its spacecraft touching down on the moon on Feb. 22.
Aerospace & Defense Industries

U.S. and Japan spearhead new era of private moon landings

Japan's ispace looks to replicate Intuitive Machines' successful lunar landing

24 February 2024
Byju's investors, holding a combined stake of about 60%, voted in favor of expelling founder Byju Raveendran from the board.
Startups

Once India's most valuable startup, Byju's staring at founder exit

Investors vote to oust founder and family from board, alleging mismanagement

24 February 2024
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is offering funding in hopes of spurring the development of domestic generative AI startups. (Source photo by Reuters and Satoko Kawasaki)
Startups

Japan races to back AI startups amid Nvidia processor shortage

Economy ministry joins expensive battle for computing power

23 February 2024
Troubles in Indonesia's peer-to-peer lending sector are threatening to drive away retail lenders.
DealStreetAsia

Indonesia's top P2P platforms meltdown spooks retail lenders

Collapse impacts dozens of players and involves billions of rupiah in financing

21 February 2024
Bitcoin symbols and an advertisement at a Mass Transit Railway station in Hong Kong in 2021. Wealth managers say family offices in Asia are ready to put more funds into digital assets.
DealStreetAsia

Asian family offices ramp up digital asset game

Liquid strategies take center stage among region's rich

19 February 2024
The CEO of Techstars, Maelle Gavet, right, speaks during an event in Tokyo on Feb. 13. (Jetro, Mitsui Fudosan)
Startups

U.S. Techstars CEO eyes Japan as Asia's hub for accelerating startups

Multiyear program is set to kick off in summer as government ramps up support

17 February 2024
Mazda Motor has moved to Tokyo's bustling Roppongi district to better appeal to software engineers and startup entrepreneurs. (Photo by Sayumi Take) 
Automobiles

Mazda seeks startups, software engineers at new Tokyo hub

Automaker scouts personnel for electrification, developing auto software

16 February 2024
Bhubaneswar, pictured, is an example of a smaller developing Indian city.
DealStreetAsia

Investors hit the road as India's startup story moves beyond metros

Funding in third tier cities shows steady increase amid overall slowdown

16 February 2024
Vietnam sends more students abroad than the next three ASEAN countries combined, nurturing scientists and engineers who return to run startups like gaming and messaging giant VNG. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Business Spotlight

Harvard, Oxford graduates power Vietnam's tech startup scene

Communist country stems brain drain as boomerang engineers fuel hope of new Silicon Valley

16 February 2024
The Mumbai skyline. India's major private equity players are aiming to raise capital for some of their largest investment vehicles so far.
DealStreetAsia

India's private equity giants gear up to raise big money

Effort comes amid turbulent times for the sector, including layoffs and losses

13 February 2024
PorMedTec has delivered three piglets genetically engineered to have organs suitable for transplanting into humans. (PorMedTec)
Science

Japanese startup creates pigs engineered for organ donation

PorMedTec plans interspecies kidney transplants on humans from 2025

13 February 2024
SPACs have largely failed so far to deliver to investors the high returns they have sought. (Source photos by Reuters and Akira Kodaka) 
Market Spotlight

Singapore, Hong Kong SPAC failures highlight thwarted ambitions

Lack of new listings and stalled mergers dim prospects for 'blank-check companies'

12 February 2024
OneDegree CEO and co-founder Alvin Kwock is looking to take his digital insurer far beyond Hong Kong. (Photo by Pak Yiu)
10 February 2024
Aichi startups like PD Aerospace and Prodrone are developing future forms of transportation. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by PD Aerospace and Sayumi Take)
Startups

Toyota's home ground becomes home for drone and space startups

Aichi prefecture gets in gear amid EV shift, loss of Mitsubishi SpaceJet dream

7 February 2024
Indonesian e-commerce platform Tokopedia is now 75% owned by Tik-Tok -- and that is leading to changes. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
DealStreetAsia

TikTok deal seen triggering Tokopedia portfolio reassessment

Strategic shifts also on horizon as Indonesian e-commerce giant now double-owned

7 February 2024
A Tata Motors EV parked in Mumbai. Demand for electric cars is picking up in India. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
DealStreetAsia

Cheaper EVs remain a distant dream in India

Despite rush for local cell manufacturing, components are largely imported

5 February 2024
Bhavish Aggarwal, founder of Krutrim SI Designs, speaks at a December event in Bengaluru. (Krutrim)
Startups

India's 1st unicorn of 2024 sparks hope for thaw to funding winter

AI startup Krutrim attains $1bn valuation in funding round

31 January 2024
Buildings in Singapore. Southeast Asian private equity and venture capital fund performance has worsened in recent years, though two recent reports outline a potentially bright future. (Photo by Hiroki Endo) 
DealStreetAsia

Southeast Asian funds seek opportunities after sub-par performance

Private equity and venture capital investors seen as waiting for more 'exit events'

29 January 2024
Big funds for Japan are being established because promising startups have been fostered there. Low interest rates and expectations of favorable effects from policy measures have also contributed. (Photo by Konosuke Urata)
Startups

VCs' funding capacity for Japan startups soars to record $9.7bn

Year-end total of 'dry powder' cash reserves has risen by seven times in decade

29 January 2024