Q&A: Roambee gets strategic backing from Reefknot Investments for global expansion and COVID-19 vaccine distribution

After on-demand supply chain visibility platform Roambee completed its Series B1 fundraise, Temasek-backed Reefknot Investments invested an undisclosed amount to support the company. Roambee, a logistics technology company, plans to take advantage of the strategic investment in further innovating its technology and expanding its reach to global markets, including Asia. The strategic investment…

How SandStar enhances the customer experience with AI-powered contactless retail [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. SandStar is a winner in the category Startup Awards – Artificial Intelligence. Digital retail has gained a foothold amid the pandemic, with online purchases being considered safer than physical transactions. These are seen to have sustained retail even amid social distancing and…

Pan-Asia tech media TechNode Global raises $1M from Kairous Capital, Nutty Capital Venture, and SPH Ventures

TechNode Global, a Pan-Asia technology media startup, has raised a seed round of funding led by Kairous Capital (Hong Kong) with participation from Nutty Capital Venture (Hong Kong) and SPH Ventures (Singapore). The investment will accelerate TechNode Global’s efforts in building Pan-Asia’s leading tech media platform. The company plans to cover more technology stories, deliver high-quality…

Google launches free ‘Startup School’ For EMEA, Americas, and APAC region

International tech giant Google has just announced the launch of a new program aimed to help startup founders and their teams through virtual courses called Startup School. The program will be available for anyone within EMEA, the Americas, and the APAC region. In a blog post that announced the launch of the new program, Head of Google for Startups, APAC Michael Kim said, “Over the years, I’ve…

Rocketship.vc backs BukuWarung in improving digitalization, monetization for micro biz across Indonesia

BukuWarung has recently announced that it has raised an undisclosed amount with the support of Silicon Valley-based VC firm Rocketship.vc and an Indonesian retail conglomerate. The startup plans to use its fresh capital to invest in working on its platform and adding more monetization products to increase its revenue streams. Sources say this fund brings the startup’s total funding up to an…

ORIGIN: AI as a game changer in retail, finance, and customer engagement amid increased digitalization

The digital economy is on the rise in Southeast Asia. According to the 5th Edition of the e-Conomy SEA by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company, the internet economy has hit $100 billion in the region and is set to exceed $300 billion by 2025 amid challenges. “ he coronavirus has brought about a permanent and massive digital adoption spurt, with more than 1 in 3 digital services consumer (36…

Malaysian digital used car trading platform Carsome eyes NYSE listing after raising Series D

In an interview with NYSE FloorTalk, Carsome Co-Founder and CEO Eric Cheng and Group CFO Juliet Zha, have expressed the company’s intentions of expanding its services in the region and revealed plans to list the company in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) within the next two to three years. This comes shortly after Carsome secured its Series D funding round amounting to $30 million led by…

What’s ahead? Southeast Asia startup and venture capital ecosystems 2021

As we continue to step into the new decade in 2021, the startup and venture capital ecosystems rode out the disruptive chaos of 2020, mainly due to COVID-19, into a more predictable state of change in the coming days. Venture Capitalists (VCs) believe in capitalizing on disruptive innovation and developing technologies to displace older technologies, create new markets, and prepare the world…

Philippines startup accelerator IdeaSpace opens 2021 program with focus on agriculture, workplace, and sustainability technologies

IdeaSpace Foundation has just finished its 2020 acceleration program, and three companies have caught the startup support firm’s attention. The standouts include AgriTech startup Agro-Digital PH, sustainability startup Humble, and HRTech startup Workbean. Each of the startups will be receiving around $20,800 (PhP1 million) as an investment from IdeaSpace. “This year’s batch has proven that the…