Latest news and trends about tech

Startup fundraising: Can you have your cake and eat it too?

Reflecting back on Singapore’s startup ecosystem, we dive into the more popular means of how startups seek financing and how new alternatives such as venture debt and revenue-based financing have become more prominent in recent years.

Malaysia’s Touch ‘n Go eWallet and Singapore’s Dotlines collaborate to include migrants into the cashless society

Touch ‘n Go eWallet announced Monday that it is collaborating with Singapore's Dotlines to provide digital solutions for migrants in Malaysia. A cashless society is now closer than before, and with this collaboration, the migrant community can fully embrace and be part of the cashless society.

Finch Asia, IndoGen Capital, and Tokocrypto execs launch Southeast Asia focused Web3 projects fund

Finch Asia and IndoGen Capital are forming a web3-focused investment fund, named Cydonia, onboarding seasoned profiles from the blockchain landscape as the partners, notably Teguh Kurniawan Harmanda and Chung Ying Lai, who are respectively the Co-Founder/Chief Operating Officer and Chief Strategy Officer of Indonesia's largest crypto exchange, Tokocrypto,…

Indonesian e-grocery startup Sayurbox raises $120M Series C funding led by Alpha JWC, Northstar

Sayurbox announced Monday its oversubscribed Series C round of $120+ million led by Northstar and Alpha JWC Ventures, with participation from new investor International Finance Corporation (IFC). Existing investors Astra, Syngenta Group Ventures, and Global Brain as well as other prominent angel investors also participated in this fundraising round. The new…

Vickers Venture SPAC VCKA to merge with US biopharmaceutical firm Scilex

Vickers Venture Partners' Nasdaq-listed special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Vickers Vantage Corp I is merging with Scilex Holding Company (Scilex), a majority-owned subsidiary of US pharma firm Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc and a commercial biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing non-opioid therapies for patients with acute…

Infobip’s Nikola Pavesic on unicorns, customer experience, and investing in the community [Q&A]

CX should not be an afterthought and investments should consider the quickly evolving landscape and emerging technologies. The last thing you want is to put your entire innovation team in cold storage to emerge from the pandemic in the rear-view mirror of consumers.

Carsome and Public Bank sign MoU for car financing collaboration

Malaysian lender Public Bank said Friday the bank and Carsome has officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for greater business collaborations. With this MoU, the bank will be able to provide stock-financing and end-financing arrangement for the vehicles to its member Car Dealers and individual purchasers who have won the bids through Carsome…

Grab Financial Group partners Sedania to provide Shariah-compliant financing to Malaysian drivers

Grab financial arm Grab Financial Group (GFG) Malaysia and Sedania Innovator Bhd’s fintech subsidiary Sedania As Salam Capital Sdn Bhd (SASC) announced Friday they are partnering to officially offer Grab Cash Financing-i, a Shariah compliant* financing product, to eligible Grab driver- and delivery-partners in Malaysia. Grab Cash Financing-i aims to provide…

Singapore’s Digital Treasures Center gets regulatory nod to provide digital payment token

Singapore payment firm Digital Treasures Center (DTC) said Wednesday the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has awarded the company In-Principle Approval (IPA) to provide digital payment token service together with other payment services. Digital payment tokens are commonly known as cryptocurrency. DTC is among the first few applicants to receive the…

Singapore’s Rainforest acquires baby care brand NatureBond

Rainforest, a Singapore-based eCommerce buy and build player, announced Thursday that it has completed the acquisition of Millenium Enterprises including its flagship brand Naturebond, Singapore’s fastest-growing baby care brand.