Singapore
Mini-apps are lightweight programs that run within a larger app and serve as additional sources of user engagement and revenue. They became popularized by “super apps” like WeChat, Alibaba and…
MindFi gets $2M seed to create localized mental wellness programs for APAC markets
Mental wellness startup MindFi operates throughout APAC, but wants to deliver “culturally competent” care in each of its markets. To do that, it develops programs for its app, available as…
Singapore-based Reebelo raises $20M to save pre-owned devices from landfills
Based in Singapore with offices throughout Asia and Australia, Reebelo wants to make buying pre-owned tech as desirable as a brand new device. “What we have seen is that many…
Investors are justling to find the next killer app for the metaverse. BUD, an app that allows users to create their customizable 3D experiences and interact with others, said today…
Brick closes $8.5M seed to enable open finance across Southeast Asia
Financial apps are proliferating across Southeast Asia, making things like bookkeeping or securing an online loan easier. But this means fintechs need access to large amounts of data that they…
China-born audio networking app Tiya sets up Singapore headquarters
TikTok may be the most successful app that has emerged from China and is making impressive international inroads, but there is a host of smaller entertainment apps built in China…
Singapore-based edtech Cialfo gets $40M led by Square Peg and SEEK
Applying to colleges is one of the hardest parts of high school, especially for students who want to study abroad. Cialfo wants to make the process easier, with a platform…
Refract raises $8.5M SGD funding, announces new game development division
Refract, a Singapore-based extended reality (XR) startup, announced today it has raised an approximately $8.5 million SGD (approximately $6 million) Series A from investors including Sea Limited, international family offices…
Intellect, the mental health startup focused on APAC, raises $10M Series A
Intellect, the Singapore-based mental health startup focused primarily on Asia-Pacific markets, announced today it has raised a $10 million Series A. The company’s services, including self-directed mental wellness programs in…
Singapore-based StaffAny gets $3.4M led by GGV to simplify shift management
StaffAny, a management platform for SMEs with shift workers, has raised a $3.4 million Series A led by GGV Capital. The round included participation from East Ventures, FreakOut Shinsei Fund,…
YC alum Dropee, a Malaysia B2B wholesale platform, lands $7M Series A
Another startup focused on SMEs in Southeast Asia has announced a funding round. Dropee, a Malaysia-based B2B wholesale platform that also offers financial services, like working capital loans, to SMEs,…
PUBG Mobile maker Krafton sues Apple, Google and rival game developer Garena over ‘clones’
Krafton, the developer behind PlayUnknown’s Battlegrounds,” and the maker of PUBG Mobile, last year’s No. 6 top-grossing mobile game on a global basis, is suing the app stores and a…
Global Processing Services adds $100M to its coffers to grow its embedded finance and API payments platform
Embedded finance continues to be the engine driving the growth of fintech, with one group of companies building core banking, payments and other financial technology, and a much bigger group…
Web3Auth secures $13M from Sequoia India to simplify crypto onboarding and authentication
Web3 is seen as the future of the internet because it allows people to control their own data and digital assets, but crypto developers have been learning from the past…
App Annie: Global app stores’ consumer spend up 19% to $170B in 2021, downloads grew 5% to 230B
Consumer spending on mobile apps reached $170 billion in 2021, according to App Annie’s newly released “State of Mobile 2022″ report, out today, which offers a comprehensive look at the…
TechCrunch+ roundup: Cell-cultured meat, alternative financing, avoiding tech debt
You don’t need to be a scientist to understand the impacts of factory farming: if you’ve driven past the cattle feedlot in Coalinga, CA, the smell travels for miles.
Dear Sophie: With the H-1B lottery looming, how should we approach overseas hiring?
We’re an early-stage startup struggling to recruit. We received some applications from international talent. This is all new territory for us. What’s your advice for hiring internationally?
Smarter Health gets $5.15M SGD to reduce healthcare costs in Southeast Asia
Organizing information from providers, insurers and patients not only takes a lot of time, but increases private healthcare costs. Smarter Health, a Singaporean-based startup, develops technology that allows smoother exchange…
Featured Article
Southeast Asian startups to watch in 2022
As someone who covers Southeast Asia startups and funding stories, the best word I can think of to describe 2021 is “whoa!” This was the year that global investors not only started to pay close attention to the region’s tech ecosystems, but also began putting real money into them. Backed by international LPs, Southeast Asia-focused…
Dear Sophie: How to maneuver the latest travel bans, H-1B alternatives
Here’s another edition of “Dear Sophie,” the advice column that answers immigration-related questions about working at technology companies.
jack & annie’s closes $23M; aims to make jackfruit hero among meat alternatives
jack & annie’s, launched in 2020, features 10 easy-to-make frozen food items that have more meaty applications, like crumbles, meatballs and nuggets.
Upmesh closes $7.5M pre-Series A, launches its livestream shopping app for Instagram Live merchants
Two months after its seed round announcement, Singapore-based startup Upmesh has raised a $7.5 million pre-Series A round led by Monk’s Hill Ventures. The new funding brings its total raised…
TechCrunch+ roundup: Singapore’s fintech buzz, SaaS slump, amplified marketing strategies
Bret Taylor is on a roll: On Monday, he became the chair of Twitter’s board, and a day later, Salesforce made him its co-CEO and co-chair. Enterprise reporter Ron Miller…
Francophone African super app Gozem grabs $5M to expand and offer more services
Gozem, a super app that provides a host of services — including transport, e-commerce and financial services in Francophone Africa — has raised $5 million in Series A financing, the…
With $3B expected in 2021, Singapore is becoming a fintech capital
Despite its small size (less than 5 million total population), Singapore is quickly reaching investment levels of countries many times its size.
Southeast Asia multi-currency neobank YouTrip raises $30M Series A, will launch corporate card
Singapore-based YouTrip, an online bank that focuses on making multi-currency transactions less costly and more efficient, announced today that it has raised a $30 million Series A. YouTrip founder and…
Months after its Series A, Singaporean robo-advisor Endowus add $35M SGD in new funding
Endowus is the latest investment app in Southeast Asia to raise follow-on funding, adding $35 million SGD (about $25.6 million US) to its war chest. The round was led by…
Co-working and edtech company Talent Garden acquires Hyper Island to scale online courses globally
Talent Garden is a sort of “European-WeWork-meets-General-Assembly” in that its business model is a combination of co-working spaces (in places like Italy, Austria, Romania, among others) plus online/offline digital courses.…
Spotify’s new Podcast Subscriptions expand to global markets
Just a few months after launching support for podcast subscriptions to U.S. creators, Spotify today is making the service available to creators in global markets. The company says the service,…
Temasek seeks emerging tech in China as it halts internet investments
China’s sweeping clampdown on its internet industry has chilled investors and startups betting on once red-hot areas like games and e-commerce. But investors aren’t slowing their pace in the country.…
