Malaysia

Malaysia B2B startup Dropee raises $7M Series A round led by Vynn Capital

Dropee has completed its $7 million Series A round comprising a combination of equity and debt investments from new and existing investors. The current financing round, led by returning investor Vynn Capital, welcomes new investors including HCL Capital, Resolution Ventures and LKF Capital.

Malaysian edtech startup GuruLab raises $1M seed round to enhance its proprietary analytics platform and expand its offerings

GuruLab has closed a $1 million seed round. It intends to use the funds to enhance its proprietary analytics platform and expand its offerings within Malaysia’s education ecosystem.

Malaysian content aggregator Newswav raises $1.43M in new Series A funding led by OSK Ventures to drive content, user growth

Newswav has raised RM6 million in its latest Series A funding led by OSK Ventures International Berhad (OSKVI) to further strengthen its market-leader position and drive user penetration in key market segments. As part of its expansion plans, part of its funds will be used towards user acquisition, strengthening their leadership in the content aggregation…

AirAsia aims to become Asia’s largest food delivery, ride hailing company – report

AirAsia has been aggressively building its digital businesses and its Asean Super App over the last two years as most of its planes were grounded due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

[Updated] Malaysia’s AirAsia classified as financially distressed company

AirAsia triggered the financial distress criteria, known as PN17 back in July 2020. This came after its external auditor flagged significant uncertainties that cast doubt on its ability to continue as a going concern.

Japan’s JCB injects $5M in Malaysian fintech firm Soft Space in strategic partnership

Soft Space Sdn Bhd announced a new strategic partnership with Japanese international payment brand, JCB Co. Ltd. This strategic partnership is the first of its kind in Malaysia for the payment gian. It involves a combination of $5 million investment in Soft Space and a series of business collaborations that are aimed at capitalising on Soft Space's…

Southeast Asia neobank Crowdo closes $5.9M pre-Series B convertible bridge round from Gobi, Ivest

The funds will be used to expand Crowdo’s neobank platform in Singapore and Indonesia and scale its ESG financing portfolio. Crowdo is headquartered in Singapore but fully licensed by the Indonesian financial authority Otoritas Jasa Keuangan for digital lending in since 2017. The fintech is also registered with the Securities Commission Malaysia.

Fintech startup Paywatch raises $5.23M in seed funding round led by Third Prime and others

Paywatch has raised MYR21.9 million ($5.23 million) in a seed funding round led by US venture capital firm Third Prime and prominent family offices in Singapore and Hong Kong. SparkLabs, Won & Partners and CTK Investments also participated in this round. Operating in South Korea, Malaysia and Hong Kong, the company plans to use the fresh funds to…

Malaysia’s Aerodyne enters strategic partnership with Norway’s Astralution to offer drone solutions in Scandinavian region

Aerodyne Group has inked a strategic partnership with Norway’s Astralution to offer drone-as-a-service (DaaS) and software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions in the Scandinavian region. With Astralution’s extensive background in aviation and crisis management in oil and gas, this partnership will bring long-term value to clients by providing tailored unmanned…

S P Setia’s Alex Chi discusses how process, structure, and culture are important in cultivating corporate innovation [ORIGIN Innovation Awards Q&A]

The key success factors of corporate innovation are -- Process, Structure, and Culture. First, process needs to be optimized. Second, enable a structure to facilitate agile resources and empowerment. And third, cultivate culture to embrace change and nurture unorthodox thinking.