Latest news and trends about tech

Sequoia-backed Incomlend launches $60M invoice financing program for ESG-focused SMEs

Incomlend connects SMEs globally with communities of investors, enabling them to finance individual invoices on an exchange platform. Since 2016, Incomlend has financed over $500 million in trades across 50 countries.

Legendary Ventures’ Jayson Kim on investing in SpaceX, transformative tech, and corporate innovation [Podcast Q&A]

There have been lots of winners and losers from the pandemic. Initially, service sectors such as retail, real estate, hospitality, and travel took the initial blows. But I think it’s interesting the hardest hit industries are now at the forefront of innovation given they were facing existential events.

Atome partners Softbank-backed travel tech firm Klook to expand BNPL services

The partnership will start in Singapore before rolling out to Hong Kong, Malaysia, and the Philippines in the coming months.

UOB, SGX-backed ADDX collaborate on $36.8M sustainability-linked digital bond

UOB was appointed as a joint lead manager for the S$675-million ($496.56 million) sustainability-linked bond issued by Sembcorp, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Sembcorp Financial Services. The bank partnered with ADDX to custodise and manage a S$50-million ($36.78 million) portion of the bond.

My experience navigating the startup ecosystem in Southeast Asia amid the pandemic

While we are still in the midst of a long-drawn pandemic, I believe startups are still presented with advantages in this season as COVID has kicked off the acceleration of the digital economy, mostly arising from the shift in consumer habits from offline to online.

Singapore-based Qapita raises $15M Series A co-led by East Ventures & Vulcan Capital

Qapita plans to add more products to its platform that will not only provide solutions for private companies and startups but also to investors, shareholders and employees.

Malaysia-based telemedicine firm DOC2US expands to Myanmar

DOC2US is also actively talking to other partners in neighbouring countries such as Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam to improve the accessibility to healthcare in those countries.

Singapore skyline SGX SPAC

Temasek leads $550M funding round in Israel cloud security firm Orca Security

Orca Security will leverage Temasek’s investment portfolio and global network to deepen its penetration into the Asia Pacific (APAC) region and beyond, and into key industries such as telecom, financial services, transportation, consumer goods, and more.

VeChain’s Sunny Lu on the future of blockchain in the real world [Podcast Q&A]

"Although there is still heavy focus on regulations and compliance in the blockchain industry, what VeChain is really concerned about is the evolving marketplace in need of maturity. For the majority of enterprise users of public blockchain, they need more upstream and downstream players to build a larger collaborative ecosystem. VeChain aims to play this…