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Malaysia’s respond.io raises $7M funding led by Headline Asia
Respond.io, a Malaysia-based social to conversational commerce software as a service (SaaS) platform, has closed $7 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Headline Asia with participation from AltaIR Capital, Smart Partnership Capital, Sterling Oak Group & Calendula Ventures.
Singapore’s Cargobase closes growth financing round from Lufthansa Innovation Hub and Trestle Partners
Cargobase, a Singapore-based logistics software firm, said Tuesday it has raised funds from Lufthansa Innovation Hub and Trestle Partners, reinforcing their joint commitment to supply chain tech innovation and digitalisation.
UOB Malaysia partners SJPP to provide $219M in green financing to SMEs
In addition to providing financing, UOB Malaysia will also be collaborating with the Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (MRANTI) to establish an ESG workshop series to equip SMEs with knowledge and practical insights to embark on their ESG journeys.
Singapore’s Tower Capital Asia collects $379M in maiden fundraise
Singapore-based private equity firm Tower Capital Asia has on Tuesday concluded the final closing of its maiden blind-pool private equity vehicle, TOWER CAPITAL PE FUND I, LP. A total of $379 million has been raised from pre-eminent institutional investors and family offices globally, surpassing the Firm’s original target of $300 million.
Allianz Malaysia joins Gobi Partners’ Malaysia-focused SuperSeed II Fund
Pan-Asian venture capital (VC) firm Gobi Partners announced Tuesday the closing of its $10 million Gobi SuperSeed II (Gobi SSII) Fund following the participation of Allianz Malaysia Berhad (Allianz Malaysia) as a Limited Partner (LP).
Carro expands to Japan through partnership with Softbank
Singapore-based used car marketplace Carro on Tuesday announced its expansion into Japan through a joint venture with SoftBank Corporation (SoftBank). As part of its entry, CARRO JAPAN Co., Ltd. (CARRO JAPAN) aims to introduce its full suite of services, such as subscription-based services and car leasing.
China’s Weixin Pay offers digital payment to nearly 10,000 hawkers in Singapore
Weixin Pay, the mobile payment function of Tencent's popular social platform Weixin, has increased access for Weixin Pay travellers exploring Singapore to the nation’s unique hawker culture, offering them the ease of payment to nearly 10,000 hawker stalls across the country.
Sequoia India and Southeast Asia’s Surge back US’s TrueFoundry $2.3M seed funding
TrueFoundry, a United States-based machine learning (ML) developer platform, announced Tuesday its $2.3 million seed funding led by Sequoia India and Southeast Asia’s Surge. Other participating investors include Eniac Ventures and prominent angels like AngelList Co-Founder Naval Ravikant.
Vietnam’s homegrown carmaker VinFast’s in high gear to win US & European EV markets
VinFast, on the other hand, is taking a different approach. It is building a global EV brand. Besides its manufacturing complex in Hai Phong, Vietnam, VinFast will build a plant in US, and planning another in Europe. It is set to make history as the first car brand from Southeast Asia to build manufacturing plant in the US and Europe.
Indian EdTech firm upGrad acquires corporate training solutions provider Centum Learning
UpGrad, an India-based higher edtech company has announced the 100 percent acquisition of corporate training solutions leader Centum Learning (Centum) in a share swap deal.
