Meatless food & plastic-free packaging trends driving innovations in APAC, says Mi Terro CEO Robert Luo [ORIGIN Innovation Awards Q&A]

Luo also shared what are the challenges faced by businesses in the context of sustainability and his firm's strategies to overcome these challenges.

Singapore e-commerce startup Cococart raises $4.2M from Forerunner Ventures and Sequoia Capital for overseas expansion

Cococart has secured $4.2 million in seed funding to expand its growth internationally. The new capital was raised from Forerunner Ventures and Sequoia Capital, with participation…

PropertyGuru delivers over $74.36M revenue in 2021, beats full year forecast

PropertyGuru Group said Monday its total revenue increased by 22.7 percentto S$100.7 million ($74.36 million) from S$82.1 million ($60.63 million), reflecting rising confidence in…

Malaysia needs “big innovation purpose” to stay ahead, says its government agency MRANTI

An ambitious purpose on innovation, a synergised ecosystem and a ‘bridge’ between research and commercialisation - these are among the elements needed for Malaysia to pull ahead…

Singapore FinTech firm Volopay raises $29M for APAC and MENA expansion

Volopay has successfully raised $29 million in its Series A round through a mix of equity and debt. The investment round included participation from JAM Fund, Winklevoss Capital…

Japan e-commerce giant Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani donates $8.7M to Ukraine for humanitarian assistance

The donation is intended for humanitarian activities to help people in the country who have become victims of the violence, he said.

GreenArc Capital’s Rony J Palathinkal on building tech solutions that enable impact and sustainability at scale [ORIGIN Innovation Awards Q&A]

As investors change their investment models and expand their product offerings to reflect the growing sustainability trend, GreenArc’s Impact Solution can provide the digital…

Hyperlocalizing Asia-first mental health at scale: What Southeast Asia startups bring to the global stage of innovation

Southeast Asia’s startup ecosystem has historically been formed by learnings from more mature markets. But the growth of the region’s digital economy has uncovered uniquely…

Society Pass acquires Vietnam online grocery delivery service Handycart

Society Pass Incorporated (SoPa) has acquired Dream Space Trading Company Limited, the operator of Handycart. The newly acquired company will be integrated into SoPa's food and…

VCs scout opportunities in MedTech despite higher valuation fueled by pandemic

A growing population of more than 600 million with a combined GDP of more than $3 trillion and a rapid growth of the middle class are expected to fuel strong demand in healthcare…

Singapore micromobility startup Beam secures $93M in Series B funding led by Affirma Capital

Beam announced Friday a Series B funding round of $93 million led by Singapore-based private equity firm Affirma Capital. The round also saw participation from Sequoia Capital…

Indonesian auto-financing startup Broom raises $3M in pre-seed funding round led by AC Ventures

Broom has raised $3 million in a pre-seed funding round led by AC Ventures. Quona Capital and several angel investors, including Founders of unicorn startups in Indonesia, such as…

India’s Airtel acquires strategic stake in Singapore blockchain technology startup Aqilliz

Bharti Airtel (Airtel) has acquired a strategic stake in Aqilliz, a Singapore-based blockchain as a service company. It aims to deploy Aqilliz’s advanced blockchain technologies…

Indian neobank platform Niyo nets $100M in Series C round led by Accel and Lightrock

Niyo has raised $100 million in its Series C round of funding led by Accel and Lightrock India. Beams Fintech Fund and its existing investors Prime Venture Partners, JS Capital…