$360M Series C funding makes online car marketplace Carro Singapore’s newest unicorn

Carro, Singapore’s “Alibaba of Cars,” has breached the $1 billion valuation mark after obtaining a $360 million Series C funding. This makes the company the seventh unicorn based or founded in the city-state and the first automotive marketplace unicorn in Southeast Asia. The latest capital injection was led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, the venture capital fund of the SoftBank Group of Japan.…

In its 2nd year, ORIGIN Innovation Awards will recognize innovators, movers & shakers, and notable achievements

TechNode Global’s inaugural ORIGIN Innovation Awards held in 2020 celebrated the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship across Asia. Our subject matter expert advisory committee selected the companies and individuals that made a difference in the Asia Pacific region’s entrepreneurship and innovation scene. What we have come to realize is that, even as 2020 had been a time of difficulty and…

Malaysia HealthTech startup BookDoc partners with Childhope Philippines Foundation for CSR collaboration

BookDoc is expanding to the Philippines through a collaboration with Childhope Philippines Foundation, Inc. According to the company's announcement, BookDoc has signed a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") with Childhope Philippines Foundation, Inc. in relation to corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs and promotions. Above from left: Elaine, BookDoc’s Partnership Executive; Dato’…

With Flash Express entering Unicorn status, will we see more Southeast Asia Unicorns emerge?

Flash Express, a Thai logistics and transportation company that operates a door-to-door pickup and delivery service, has reportedly entered unicorn status after raising $150 million in its Series D+ and Series E round of funding. The logistics startup plans to use the fresh funding to expand into more communities, introduce payments services, and support online merchants through loans. Earlier…

Why FinTechs should embrace Open Finance

Offer an engaging user experience by creating a stress-free onboarding process. Build hyper-personalized products that customers love. Welcome to the future of financial services, where Open Finance makes the above possible. Led by the drive towards an open ecosystem where financial companies can securely exchange the data of their customers with one another, Open Finance is enabling…

Vietnam is emerging as Southeast Asia’s hotspot for venture capital post-COVID

Despite the hardship brought about by COVID-19, Vietnam is becoming ever more capital-attracting. 2020’s difficulties have barely stopped venture capital activity in the country. In fact, the total value of investments poured into Vietnamese startups in Q1 2021 reached more than US$100 million, increasing by about 34 percent YoY with foreign investors being dominant, as reported by South Korean…

Why insurance for delivery riders is a win-win

The arrival of COVID-19 has changed the way we all live and work. With worldwide lockdowns, customers have grown used to the flexibility and convenience of a lifestyle that is more online than ever before. In Vietnam, a slew of online delivery services is in increasingly high demand, leading to unique challenges in terms of delivery worker acquisition, and of course, protection. The pandemic…

Gushcloud is professionalizing management of digital creators, influencers, and talent [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. Gushcloud International is a winner in the category Startup Awards–Media & Entertainment. When social media was just a nascent technology in the early 2000s, who knew that it would be a viable means of content distribution and monetization decades after? According to Statista,…

There is no magic in crafting the magic wand for fashion tech, just old fashioned hard work!

My name is Oh Tepmongkol-Wheaton. I am the CEO/Co-founder of the OHZONE, Inc., a fashion tech startup based in the SF Bay Area. The founding team came together at Stanford and Nvidia and has deep technical expertise in 3D technology. We have spent 24 women-years developing the patented 3D photorealistic (3DREAL™) technology to create true-to-life digital assets from real garments. OHZONE…