The Latest from Victoria Ho
Pirate3D Printer Exceeds Kickstarter Goal By 14X
The Pirate3D Buccaneer printer has been successfully funded on Kickstarter, reaching $1,438,765 in funds—more than 14 times its original $100,000 goal. The Singaporean startup burst onto the scene i
Viki Moves In On Chinese Audiences With Two New Video Deals
Video sharing site, Viki, is continuing its push into China with two new video distribution deals with Chinese video-on-demand sites, LeTV and Xunlei Kankan. This move follows its first distribution d
Xiaomi Launches Its Own Text Message Service
Users on Xiaomi devices will now be able to send international text messages faster and more reliably, it said. The Chinese smartphone maker just announced its enterprise international SMS platform at
Sociomantic Launches Singapore Office, Hires Another Googler To Run Operations
Ad-bidding platform Sociomantic is expanding into Southeast Asia with a Singapore office to be launched on July 1. The startup provides a real-time bidding platform targeted at ad buyers. When a site
Travel Search Site Wego Closes $17M Series C
Travel search site, Wego, just closed its Series C round of $17 million. The round was led by Crescent Point, a fund manager with offices in Singapore and China that focuses on investments in Asia. We
Tencent, Naspers JV Ibibo Buys Redbus To Grow Its Online Travel Empire In India
China's internet giant <a target="_blank" href="http://www.tencent.com">Tencent</a> and South Africa's media powerhouse <a target="_blank" href="http://www.naspers.com">Naspers</a> are doubling down o
Mud-slinging Behind The Scenes As Malaysia’s Taxi Apps Duke It Out
There is an ongoing land grab for taxi drivers in Malaysia, with taxi app startups aggressively targeting the handful of taxi drivers keen to jump on a digital platform. Two year-old taxi booking star
Ooyala Sets Up R&D Center In Singapore To Chase Mobile Audiences In Asia
Video services provider Ooyala is setting up an R&D operations in Singapore, and is hiring researchers and data scientists for the facility. The company provides video technology to media companie
Filipino Gift-remittance Startup Ayannah Gets $1M Angel Round
Ayannah, a gift-remittance startup in the Philippines, just received $1 million in its first angel round. The company’s service is called Sendah, and allows Filipinos working overseas to pay for
Indonesian Instagram-Clone PicMix Gets Monetization Right From The Start
At first glance, the similarities between PicMix and Instagram are obvious. Both apps are photo sharing platforms with simple, square Polaroid-esque aesthetics, and display photos from friends in stre
The Mysterious Case Of The Missing Jawbone Up
It seems a week doesn't go by without finding out about a malfunctioning <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jawbone.com/up">Jawbone Up</a> band. The wearable step tracking bracelet measures how much
Singapore’s DealGuru Spins Out Food Delivery Business To Chase New Funding
DealGuru, one of the major daily deals sites in Singapore, has spun out its food delivery subsidiary, called FoodRunner. Prior to the new name, the service was called Room Service Deliveries, which De
More Exits For Asian E-commerce Firms, But Valuations Still Small
There has been a growing rate of exits happening for Asian e-commerce companies, but valuations remain small on average. Most are under the $50 million mark, according to CB Insights’ latest rep
Malaysia Is Poorly Marketed To Entrepreneurs, Says 500 Durians’ Khailee Ng
Malaysia is an easy place to get cheap, good, English-speaking talent, with overheads that are often far lower than in more advanced markets in Southeast Asia. But it continues to suffer the effects o
With $2.5M Injection From Nexus, Indian Housing Marketplace Launches In Bangalore
Indian housing marketplace, Housing.co.in has expanded out of its home base of Mumbai into another major Indian city, Bangalore—its fifth city in the country. The company, which operates similarly t
Waygo Wins Most Promising Startup At Echelon Singapore Conference
Waygo has just won Most Promising Startup at the Echelon conference 2013 in Singapore. The judging panel of seven included Dave McClure, founding partner at 500 Startups, Edgar Hardless, CEO of SingT
Nimbuzz Offers Free Service To Hutch In Sri Lanka, Continues To Push Telco Strategy in Asia
Nimbuzz is continuing its push for South Asian dominance with its latest telco partnership. The Indian messaging startup just announced a tie-up with Hutch in Sri Lanka, offering six months of free Ni
Pirate3D Buccaneer Hits $100K Goal In 10 Minutes
The Pirate3D Buccaneer printer hit its Kickstarter goal of $100,000 in just 10 minutes after launch. At time of writing, it’s been roughly 15 hours since the campaign was started, and it’s
Pirate3D Buccaneer Printer Will Cost Just $247 For First 350 Backers
Get ready, get set, Kickstart. The Pirate3D Buccaneer printer is up on Kickstarter, and the first 350 backers will be able to get it for just $247—$100 off its regular price of $347. The 3D printer
Collabspot’s Mentor Joins It, Pumps In $79,000 Of His Own Money
Collabspot, an email CRM startup, has just received $79,000 (S$100,000) from a former mentor, Laurent Gasser, who also joins the company as director of business development. Collabspot provides a se