Catherine Shu
Senior Reporter
The Latest from Catherine Shu
DealCart is focused on price-conscious Pakistani consumers
The price of consumer goods has been soaring all around the world, creating a major budgeting headache for many people. Social commerce startup DealCart wants to make life easier for shoppers, at leas
Packworks makes operations easier for sari-sari stores in the Philippines
Sari-saris are small neighborhood stores in the Philippines that are often run on pen and paper ledgers. Inspired by a motorcycle journey, Packworks is on a mission to change that, with a mobile enter
Indonesia’s IDEAL takes the pain out of applying for mortgages
Applying for mortgages is often a time-consuming and disorganized process, with reams of manual paperwork required. Based in Jakarta, IDEAL simplifies the process with a platform that lets users compa
Insightly helps engineering teams increase productivity and reduce burnout
Insightly Analytics helps engineering teams stop problems before they happen, like slow release cycles, bottlenecks and uneven workload distribution that can lead to employee burnout. The San Francisc
Seedstars launches second fund to invest in 100 startups in emerging markets
Since its launch nine years ago, Seedstars has invested in 81 companies in over 30 emerging markets. Now it’s set a goal of investing in 100 more startups with the launch of its second emerging mark
HR automation platform Omni wants to be the ‘Rippling of Southeast Asia’
Omni wants to be the human resources platform to rule them all — or at least all HR-related tasks. The software enables HR teams to digitize employee records, automate administrative tasks like empl
Fairbanc provides BNPL for micro-merchants in Indonesia
“Buy now, pay later” (BNPL) startups have gained traction by targeting consumers, but BNPLs for businesses are also starting to take off. One example is Fairbanc, which is based in Singapore but f
Zipmex pauses withdrawals ‘until further notice’ [updated]
Update: In a statement sent to TechCrunch, Zipmex said it has enabled withdrawals from its trade wallet and “are actively working to resume trading.” But transfers from ZWallet to trade wa
Southeast Asia’s Creative Galileo wants to make learning fun with popular cartoon characters
People who work with kids know how difficult it is to keep them engaged with online learning content. Creative Galileo keeps children hooked by adding in their favorite cartoon characters. The Singapo
KitaBeli is bringing e-commerce to Indonesia’s small cities
Complicated supply chains mean that consumers in Tier 1 and Tier 2 Indonesian cities often end up paying more for goods than their peers in large cities, like Jakarta. KitaBeli is on a mission to chan
Kindly makes hormonal health care more approachable
Hormonal healthcare can be intimidating, as it touches on the most intimate parts of our lives. Kindly wants to make it accessible to more people, with a combination of at-home diagnostic tests (inclu
KKday bumps its Series C to $95 million as travel resumes
When travel platform KKday raised the first part of its Series C in September 2020, the travel landscape was very different. Now, as KKday announces that it’s added $20 million to the round, bringin
Carepatron is passionate about helping solo practitioners and small healthcare practices
The founders of New Zealand-based Carepatron, a healthcare platform used by providers and patients, say they are passionate about solo practitioners and small health teams. With that in mind, they bui
C2 Ventures raises new fund to invest in the ‘dull, dirty and dangerous’
C2 Ventures doesn’t invest in crypto, web3 or consumer companies, and it stays away from Silicon Valley startups. Instead, the Greenwich, Connecticut-based venture firm focuses on disruption in lega
Backed by Tiger Global, Intellect is creating culturally competent mental health care for Asia
Mental health startup Intellect’s ambitious goal is to be available across the Asia-Pacific region, but to ensure localized, culturally competent care in each of the many markets it serves. Today it
Despite layoffs, there’s still a talent crunch in Southeast Asia
Tech layoffs have hit almost every region in the world, and Southeast Asia is no exception, with companies like Sea, Crypto.com and JD.ID among those affected. In particular, fintech startups — BNPL
Tebra, an operating system for independent healthcare providers, hits unicorn status
Tebra, an operating system for independent healthcare providers, has raised more than $72 million in equity and debt funding, bumping to a valuation of more than $1 billion. Led by Golub Capital, this
Octopus keeps stuff out of Indonesia’s crowded landfills
According to the World Bank, Indonesia produces 4.8 million tons of plastic waste each year that is “mismanaged” — meaning it ends up uncollected, chucked into dumpsites or leaked from improperl
Azota is solving exam headaches for Vietnam’s teachers
Creating and grading tests are some of the most time-consuming tasks teachers deal with. In Vietnam, a startup called Azota wants to help with an online software platform that not only helps educators
McEasy is digitizing Indonesia’s logistics, transportation and supply chain industries
In Indonesia, many logistics providers still use old-fashioned systems to track their operations and fleets, including pen-and-paper ledgers. McEasy wants to change that. The startup, which develops s