The future of decentralized finance is in ease of user experience, says Flurry Finance CEO Mike Ting [Q&A]
DeFi, or decentralized finance, is disrupting the FinTech industry as we know it. As of writing, the total value locked in US dollars on DeFi platforms is at $55.47 billion--a 2,058 percent year-on-year growth from $2.57 billion in July 2020, according to DeFi Pulse. This figure actually peaked in March this year at around $88.77 billion.
While that may be just a drop in the bucket in the…
Indonesia’s Desty raises $3.2M pre-Series A funding led by Xiaomi investor 5Y Capital
Indonesia-based social commerce startup Desty announced that it has secured $3.2 million in a pre-series A funding round.
The investment was led by 5Y Capital (formerly known as Morningside Venture Capital), a venture capital in China that has become the main backer of notable companies like Xiaomi and Kuaishou, according to a statement on Monday.
This move also marks 5Y Capital's first…
Philippines VC Gentree Fund allocates $40M for SEA startups looking to expand in the country
Gentree Fund, a Philippines-based sector-agnostic fund that focuses on investments into early-stage B2C and B2B companies, has just announced that it has earmarked an initial $40 million to invest in early and growth-stage Southeast Asian startups with plans of expanding into the Filipino market.
The venture capital firm was launched in July 2020. Gentree Fund is a private investment vehicle…
Malaysia online baby store Babydash raises $300K bridge round via equity crowdfunding
Malaysia-based digital baby store Babydash announced on Thursday that it has raised 1.27 million MYR ($300,000). This bridge funding round is a prelude to future fundraising rounds with institutional investors and prominent venture capitals, the company said in a statement. For the bridge, Babydash received strong community interest, the majority of whom are its users and parenting community.…
Malaysia PE firm Creador eyes tech sectors after raising $500M for first close of 5th fund
Malaysia-headquartered private equity firm Creador is scouting opportunities in the technology sector after announcing the first close of its fifth investment vehicle Creador V.
Creador Founder and Chief Executive Officer Brahmal Vasudevan said it is looking to invest in technology sectors.
“We are starting the deployment of the fifth fund now. We are also building a digital bank in…
Digital transformation has accelerated the warung ecosystem in Indonesia, says Warung Pintar’s Agung Bezharie Hadinegoro [Q&A]
The COVID pandemic has upended many industries around the globe. For one, restrictions in movements meant that many businesses lost profitability, especially those that relied on physical operations and foot traffic. The bigger picture is that there has been economic uncertainty and slowdown in many parts of the world.
Many economies are now beginning to bounce back, thanks to the advantages…
EU-funded Ontochain calls for internet innovators to co-develop software ecosystem
The European Commission-funded project Ontochain is calling internet innovators to apply for its second open call and co-develop a new software ecosystem for trusted, traceable, and transparent ontological knowledge management.
A total budget of 1.32 million euro is available to support the best proposals. Participants will get grants up to 145,000 euro (equity-free funding), free coaching,…
For these three Vietnamese startups, COVID-19 is an opportunity amid the crisis
2021 is considered a breakthrough for Vietnamese startups. However, the resurgence of COVID-19 is hindering its growth. Vietnam recently imposed prolonged lockdown measures at its commercial hub Ho Chi Minh City to battle its latest COVID-19 wave, as the infection rates spiked with the government warning that the worst may be yet to come.
Consumer spending has plummeted, and even F&B and…
Gender diversity gap is ‘definitely stark’ in VC industry, says Quest Ventures’ Goh Yiping [ORIGIN Innovation Awards Q&A]
Editor’s note: This interview is part of a Q&A series with winners of the ORIGIN Innovation Awards 2020. Goh Yiping is a winner in the category Movers & Shakers Awards – Outstanding Female VC.
Although there are more female venture capitalists in recent years, the VC industry is still very much male-dominated. The venture ecosystem – comprising venture capitalists, tech startup…
Pickupp to expand presence in Malaysia after completing Series A and A+ funding co-led by PChome, Cornerstone Ventures
Hong Kong logistics startup Pickupp announced that it has raised approximately $15 million in Series A and Series A+ financing from regional strategic investors, after its first-round investment in November 2020.
The Series A+ round funding was led by Taiwan e-commerce giant PChome and Cornerstone Ventures, with participation from an existing investor, Swire Properties, and new investors…