Latest news and trends about tech

Singapore-based FinTech company CoAssets to shut down its crowdfunding platform

A few days after the news about the company’s financial troubles surfaced, CoAssets, which operates its crowdfunding platform under the name CA Funding Pte Ltd (CAFPL), announced that it was officially shutting down CAFPL. “We regret to inform you that CA Funding Pte Ltd (CAFPL) is in the process of gradually winding down,” a note on CAFPL’s website……

🪓☠️ Covid-19: Southeast Asia tech layoffs and shutdowns

We're keeping this list regularly updated.

Singapore Heritas Capital Fund II

IMC Group’s Heritas Capital set to secure $30M for its HVF II ‘impact investing’ venture fund

Launched in December 2020, HVF II was created as an “impact investing” venture fund aimed at helping early-stage tech startups. The fund particularly focuses on new but promising companies in the healthcare, food, and education sectors, which are deemed to be capable of delivering financial returns and offering social and environmental benefits at the same…

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💸 Here’s a handy list of Southeast Asia’s newest VC funds

Updated regularly, here’s a rundown of fresh funding coming into the region.

What do Founders want for Christmas?

What do founders want for Christmas? The perfect, but ever-elusive, start-up pitch

There are supposed hard and fast rules to pitching your start-up but if the fundamentals of product fit, market size and expert team aren’t there you’re unlikely to get a second call back – let alone a signed term sheet – writes the C-suite CEO and co-founder Dean Carroll.

Lalamove on-demand logistics platform

On-demand logistics platform Lalamove raises $515M Series E for China expansion

On-demand logistics company Lalamove has raised $515 million in Series E funding, as announced on its website (the company is known as Huolala in China). This round was led by Sequoia Capital China Fund, with participation from Hillhouse Capital and Shunwei Capital--all returning investors.

Finantier Co-Founders Diego Rojas and Keng Low

FinTech startup Finantier joins Y Combinator’s Winter 2021 batch, will expand its tech team

Finantier, a Singapore-based startup that specializes in open finance, is set to be part of Y Combinator’s W21 startup accelerator program next year

Daiwa VC fund manager DCI Partners launches $135M fund to accelerate drug discovery

Tokyo-based DCI Partners, a venture fund manager of Daiwa Securities Group, has announced the launch of Daiwa Taiwan-Japan BioVenture Investment Limited Partnership II, a $135 million (JPY 14 billion) investment fund intended for drug discovery.

Softbank Logo Wikimedia Commons

Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group seeks to raise at least $525M for SPAC in the US

SoftBank Group, Japan’s second largest publicly traded company, filed in the United States to secure up to $604 million for a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), a shell company established to merge with an operating company to enable the latter to become publicly listed without undergoing the lengthy traditional IPO process.