Emerging Vision to grow further in India & US as online ‘fortune-telling’ services soar amid pandemic
Singapore-headquartered online spiritual wellness firm Emerging Vision, which raised $4 million in Series A funding last month, plans to grow its businesses in India and expand to the US this year.
The firm, which operates Guruji and Teller live streaming wellness platforms, is also expected to rake in revenue of more than $6 million this year as demand for its astrology, tarot card reading…
Grab expands merchant services for SMEs across Southeast Asia
Grab Financial Group (GFG), the FinTech arm of Grab, announced on Thursday the expansion of its ‘Grow with Grab’ suite of products and features to assist small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across Southeast Asia to tap on the regional e-commerce market opportunity that is expected to be valued at $172 billion in 2025.
This is in line with Grab Financial Group’s move to be more merchant-centric…
Pakistan logistics startup Rider raises $2.3M Seed round led by Global Founders Capital, Fatima Gobi Ventures and ADB Ventures
Rider, a Pakistan-based tech-led last-mile delivery partner for e-commerce retailers, said Thursday it has raised US$2.3 million in a seed round led by venture capital firms Global Founders Capital (GFC), Fatima Gobi Ventures (FGV), and the Asian Development Bank’s venture arm ADB Ventures.
Pakistan-based venture capital firms TPL E-Ventures and Transhold also participated in the round.
The…
ADIA to lead GoTo Group’s pre-IPO fundraising with $400M investment
GoTo Group, the largest digital ecosystem in Indonesia, said Wednesday it has entered into an agreement with Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) to lead GoTo's pre-IPO fundraising with a $400 million investment.
The transaction will be the first principal investment by ADIA’s Private Equities Department into a technology business in Southeast Asia and its largest investment into Indonesia to…
500 SEA expects more unicorns in Southeast Asia following successful exits like Grab, Bukalapak
500 Southeast Asia (formerly 500 Durians), the Southeast Asia-focused fund of global venture firm 500 Global, expects more unicorns in the region as it prepares to write larger checks and expands its focus area to include Vietnam and the Philippines.
“Our core focus is always going to be on Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore as they form a synergistic region. But we're also going to start…
Pickupp gets additional investment from Temasek-backed Reefknot & Kuehne+Nagel, brings up Series A & A+ to $20M
Pickupp, the Hong Kong-headquartered on-demand delivery startup, announced Thursday that it has secured additional investments from Reefknot, a joint venture backed by Temasek Holdings and Kuehne+Nagel, bringing the total value from its series A and A+ funding to approximately $20 million.
Along with funds from its initial series A+ round of funding in July 2021, Pickupp will be using the…
iSeller raises $8M pre-Series B financing led by Openspace and AppWorks to digitize commerce in Indonesia
iSeller, a rapidly growing Indonesia-based commerce platform providing leading-edge e-commerce and payment solutions, announced on Thursday the completion of a $8 million Pre-Series B round of financing, co-led by Openspace and AppWorks, with participation from Mandiri Capital Indonesia and Indogen Capital.
With the new funds, the company plans to enable more merchants to start, run, and grow…
Bezos-backed Ula to scale up ‘pay later’ options for underserved small retailers in Indonesia
Indonesia e-commerce startup Ula, which recently roped in Jeff Bezos’ Bezos Expeditions as an investor, is scaling up its pay later options to small retailers in the country, Southeast Asia's largest economy.
“Ula’s end goal is to reimagine retail in a way that modernizes the small store owner while preserving their cultural and economic advantages,” Ula Founder and Chief Executive Officer…
Credit Suisse recognizes AirAsia Digital as tech unicorn alongside Carsome, Axiata’s Edotco
Malaysia-based budget airline AirAsia’s transformation into a data and tech-driven travel and lifestyle group has been recognized as one of three ASEAN unicorns based in Malaysia by a recent Credit Suisse report alongside used-car platform Carsome and Axiata's telecommunications infrastructure unit Edotco.
The report highlighted how the digital economy benefited from structural and behavioral…
Bank Negara Malaysia working with ‘relevant authorities’ to address concerns over BNPL
Malaysia central bank said on Thursday it is working with relevant authorities and others to address growing concerns related to buy now, pay later (BNPL) schemes.
"While the BNPL schemes do not currently fall within the purview of Bank Negara Malaysia, we are working with the relevant authorities and others to address growing concerns that such schemes may encourage you to spend on borrowed…