Asia

Indian SaaSOps platform Zluri raises $20M in funding round led by Lightspeed

Indian software as a service (SaaS) operations(SaaSOps) platform Zluri has on Thursday announcing a $20 million funding round. The Series B funding round was led by Lightspeed, with participation from existing investors including MassMutual Ventures, Endiya Partners and Kalaari Capital.

Asia startup funding falls 50 percent in first half as late stage continues decline, says Crunchbase

Funding to startups in Asia in the first half of 2023 dropped 50 percent from the previous year — spurred on by fewer large, late rounds, and mirroring the global venture market, Crunchbase said Thursday.

Urban solutions & sustainability dominate the 11th Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan competition revolutionary finalists

With the theme 'Innovations Beyond Boundaries - Reimagining a Smart, Sustainable & Resilient Future’, one of Asia’s largest university-led startup challenge empowers young founders to solve urgent global challenges through deep-tech solutions.

India’s Wipro commits to invest $1B in AI over the next three years

India-based technology services and consulting company Wipro Limited said Wednesday it will commit to make a $1 billion investment in advancing artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities over the next three years.

LeapFrog Investments plans to commit over $500M to climate solutions in Asia and Africa

Global private investment firm LeapFrog Investments plans to commit $500 million to companies combating climate change in Africa and Asia, providing green tools and technologies to 50 million low-income people. 

Sequoia Capital’s China unit sets up office in Singapore – report

HongShan told the FT it had a “strong foundation of trust” with PeakXV and there would be opportunities for both teams to collaborate.

Bain & Company to acquire global venture-building studio Rainmaking APAC arm

Global management consulting firm Bain & Company has on Friday announced that it intends to acquire the Asia Pacific (APAC) arm of global venture-building and start-up development studio, Rainmaking, to help companies across the region better innovate, launch, and scale new businesses.

Hong Kong’s OneDegree receives venture debt financing from HSBC

OneDegree Group, a Hong Kong-based InsurTech company, has on Thursday announced that the group has closed its first venture debt financing transaction with HSBC. The facility is provided under the HSBC New Economy Fund.

Japanese robotics firm Telexistence raises $170M funding from investors including SoftBank

Japanese robotics startup Telexistence (TX) has successfully raised a $170 million Series B round. Other than old investors, TX also secured funding from new investors including SoftBank Group Corp. (SBG), HH-CTBC Partnership (Foxconn Co-GP Fund), and Globis Capital Partners (GCP).

MRANTI partners Leave a Nest to advance Malaysian startups expansion into Japan

Japan-based research group Leave a Nest and the Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (MRANTI) are collaborating on the highly anticipated Global Market Fit Program (GMP) Japan to support high-growth startups seeking to expand their business presence in Japan.