Latest news and trends about tech

Middle East B2B e-commerce startup Retailo raises $36M Series A round led by Graphene Ventures

Retailo has raised $36 million in its Series A investment round which was a mix of equity and venture debt. The round was led by Graphene Ventures and is joined by leading investors that include 500 Global, Agility, Aujan, Tech Invest Com and Mentor’s Fund. The venture debt was raised from Nahda Fund. Additionally, Shorooq Partners, Abercross Holdings,…

Resilience, adaptability & speed to scale are essential in navigating today’s business challenges, says Quest Ventures’ James Tan [ORIGIN Innovation Awards Q&A]

"More VCs in the medium and long-term with bigger war chests. This would mean more funds to deploy and the ability to grow the startup ecosystem more rapidly."

Indonesian open finance fintech Ayoconnect raises $15M led by Tiger Global

Ayoconnect has closed a $15 million series B financing round led by Tiger Global. The round was joined by PayU, the payments and fintech business of Prosus, and Alto Partners, as well as individual strategic investors, including Plaid Co-Founder William Hockey and Jerry Ng, President Commissioner of Bank Jago, It will use the funds to satisfy increasing…

AirAsia changes name to Capital A to reflect new core strategy

Malaysia's AirAsia Group Berhad has announced a name change for the group holding company to become Capital A Berhad, to reflect the group’s new core business strategy as an investment holding company with a portfolio of synergistic travel and lifestyle businesses, which have rapidly transformed the AirAsia brand into much more than just an airline.. By…

VinFuture Sci-Tech Week: How artificial intelligence is the key to unlock the future of humanity

As part of VinFuture Sci-Tech Week, the VinFuture seminar featured discussions that envisioned the future of AI with Vietnam’s potential contributions to AI research and development.

Singapore edtech company Cialfo raises $40M in Series B led by Square Peg and SEEK Investments

Cialfo has on Thursday announced it has secured $40 million in funding as part of a Series B round, led by global investment firm Square Peg, and Australian-headquartered SEEK Investments. It also saw existing investors, including SIG Global, Vulcan Capital, DLF Venture, January Capital, and Lim Teck Lee, double-down on earlier investments.

Hong Kong’s The Sandbox partners with Warner Music to create music-themed world in the metaverse

The Sandbox announced Thursday that it has partnered with Warner Music Group (WMG) to create the first music-themed world in The Sandbox gaming metaverse. A combination of musical theme park and concert venue, the Warner Music Group LAND in The Sandbox will feature concerts and musical experiences featuring WMG’s leading roster of artists,

Consumers are now more discerning of the safety, sustainability & health impacts of food, says Shiok Foods’ Sandhya Sriram, PhD [ORIGIN Innovation Awards Q&A]

The company's mission is to bring delicious, sustainable, and healthy seafoods to consumers' tables, using technology to grow meat from healthy cells instead of animals. Currently, Shiok Meats produces crustaceans like shrimps, crabs, lobsters and is the first in the world to do so using cellular agriculture technology.

Australian no code expert process automation platform Checkbox raises $4.5M from Sequoia India’s Surge and Tidal Ventures

Checkbox has raised AU$6.3 million ($4.5 million) in pre-Series A funding to accelerate local and international expansion, including the appointment of personnel for key regions and the launch of a product-assisted growth model. The round is led by Sequoia India’s rapid scale-up program, Surge, and Australia’s Tidal Ventures. Checkbox will use the funding…

AirAsia logistics arm Teleport invests in Indonesian trucking marketplace Kargo Technologies

In its efforts to be a major player for delivery in the Southeast Asia region, Teleport, the logistics venture of Airasia, has invested in Kargo Technologies (Kargo), Indonesia’s largest trucking marketplace, in the form of convertible notes. This acquisition was funded through Teleport’s internally generated sources,