Stephanie Frances Augustin

Hong Kong billionaire Adrian Cheng enters metaverse via investment in Animoca Brands’ The Sandbox

The Sandbox offers virtual real estate, called LAND NFTs, in the open metaverse. Cheng's LAND will be one of the biggest plots in The Sandbox, and form part of the ‘Mega City’ virtual world, which will include his Innovation Hub. The landmark of the Innovation Hub will be the GBA Pavilion, a vibrant center propagating creativity and futuristic vision to…

Striking while the iron is hot: The Philippine venture scene is heating up and getting hotter

TechNode Global’s series on the Philippines will delve into why Filipino entrepreneurs and founders are attracting venture capital (VC) money in droves. In this second part, we explore the rise in Series B (and now, C) fundraising rounds out of the Philippines in 2021, and what it signals for the startup ecosystem as a whole. Seven founders share how much…

Omise targets to triple transactional processing volume in Malaysia as it launches operations in the country

Businesses operating online in Malaysia now have access to the full strength of Omise’s modern payment gateway to accept payments securely, manage transactions, send payouts, and expand operations regionally to capture more sales and grow revenue. Meanwhile, businesses using Omise in Thailand, Japan, and Singapore can seamlessly expand their business and…

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.

Philippines: Southeast Asia’s next big breakout market?

TechNode Global’s series on the Philippines will delve into why now, after years of depending on income from remittances, Filipino entrepreneurs and founders are attracting venture capital (VC) money in droves. In this first part, we briefly explain the key growth drivers and opportunities awaiting VCs in the country, while laying the groundwork for future…

Rodeo is building brand journeys and revolutionizing transit advertising with analytics [Q&A with Valens Subramaniam]

Rodeo’s ability to successfully marry data analytics with production house capabilities has drawn customers such as Alibaba and AirAsia Ride, and saw Rodeo raise 1.13 million MYR from 85 investors in an equity crowdfunding campaign.

Snaphunt envisions a future with a global talent pool, fully-automated recruitment [Q&A with Tulika Tripathi]

Wherever possible, more people are now looking for technology to help them with outcomes as compared to before the pandemic. As a result, we’re seeing international barriers to talent break down, whether for remote work, to globalize, or open new sales channels. Companies will continue to employ a more international workforce than they did before.

How Carsome became Malaysia’s largest tech unicorn – with a little help from a friend

Gobi Partners’ continued faith and multiple investments into Carsome paved the way for the e-commerce platform to dominate Southeast Asia’s used car scene, en route to becoming Malaysia’s first and largest unicorn.

Southeast Asia growing as investment destination, with $1.2B in exit value thus far

Southeast Asia’s startup ecosystem saw $1.2 billion in exit value thus far this year, compared to $2 billion seen throughout the whole of 2020, according to Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia and India managing partner Ben Mathias.