Philippine neobank Tonik secures $100M in consumer deposits
Tonik, the Philippines' first digital-only neobank, has surpassed PHP5 billion ($100 million) in consumer deposits, just eight months after its launch of commercial operations. Tonik had secured its first PHP1 billion in consumer deposits within a month of going live in March.
Tonik’s deposit achievement was supported by unique, accessible, flexible, and inclusive products, including…
Beyond The Billion partner funds invested over $600M in close to 800 female-founded startups in 2 years
Beyond The Billion, whose first pledge campaign (The Billion Dollar Fund for Women launched in 2018) mobilized a global consortium of venture capital funds (VC) and limited partner (LP) investors, has released Our First Billion Global Impact Report, which assesses the results of that two-year campaign.
The Billion Dollar Fund for Women (TBDF) aimed to address the gender venture funding gap,…
Thai proptech firm Lazudi raises $2M funding from Swedish venture capital firm PropTech Farm
Lazudi, a Thai cloud-based property agency, said Wednesday it has raised $2 million funding from Swedish venture capital company PropTech Farm.
Lazudi said in a statement the cash injection provides the firm with the capital it needs to deploy the technology to simplify the home buying and selling process, which comes at the right time as Thailand’s property market gets ready for growth…
Hong Kong logistics startup Pickupp raises $37M Series B funding led by Jardine Matheso
Hong Kong-based logistics startup Pickupp announced Wednesday it has raised another $37 million in Series B funding led by Hong Kong conglomerate Jardine Matheson.
Existing investors including Reefknot Investments, Cathay Venture Inc., PChome Online Inc., DRIVE Catalyst, and Swire Properties also joined the round, Pickupp said in a statement.
This third round of funding follows its initial…
Pakistan: Bridging the South and Southeast Asia startup and innovation ecosystems [BEYOND Virtual Panel recap]
Pakistan is the world’s fifth-largest country with a population of over 225 million. This large population has the advantage of being relatively young. Pakistan has a median age of 22.8 years, which means a large potential workforce to help drive the economy. Internet penetration in the country is also on the rise, with more than 100 million 3G and 4G users. Startups can take advantage of…
ORIGIN Innovation Awards 2021: Movers & Shakers – People’s Choice VC winners
We are thrilled to announce the People's Choice VC winners for the second edition of the ORIGIN Innovation Awards.
The ORIGIN Innovation Awards recognizes outstanding startups, corporate innovators, and movers and shakers in the Asia Pacific region poised for growth. The awards celebrate the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, and also seek to inspire the dreamer in all of us.
We’d…
India fintech platform Simpl raises $40M Series B funding led by Valar Ventures and IA Ventures
Simpl, an India-based fintech platform, has raised a $40 million Series B round led by Valar Ventures and IA Ventures.
LFH Ventures and other internal investors also joined the round. The investment brings the total capital raised by the company to $83 million.
"Online checkout is built on a fragmented payment value chain that was created 60 years ago and has left the native-to-mobile…
Singapore smart POS provider Qashier raises $4.7M to accelerate regional expansion
Qashier, a Singapore-based smart point-of-sale (POS) system provider, announced Thursday a $4.7 million fundraise from Exor Seeds, the technology-focused venture arm of Exor.
The funding comes a year after the company raising $900,000 from Singapore-based Cocoon Capital and San Francisco-based Hardware Club.
Qashier said in a statement, it will be expanding its presence in Malaysia…
ORIGIN Innovation Awards 2021: Announcing the Movers & Shakers – People’s Choice VC finalists
We are thrilled to announce the People's Choice VC finalists for the second edition of the ORIGIN Innovation Awards.
The ORIGIN Innovation Awards recognizes outstanding startups, corporate innovators, and movers and shakers in the Asia Pacific region poised for growth. The awards celebrate the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, and also seek to inspire the dreamer in all of us.
We’d…
Malaysia’s Sunway University partners Carsome to set up data innovation lab
Malaysia’s Sunway University, through its innovation arm, Sunway Innovation Labs (Sunway iLabs), and Malaysia-based integrated car e-commerce platform Carsome, have forged a strategic partnership which includes the setting up of a data innovation lab in Sunway University.
To be launched by the end of January 2022, the data innovation lab aims to revolutionise Southeast Asia’s used car industry…