Southeast Asian ride-hailing challenger Go-Jek has expanded into three new markets as it bids to expand beyond its native Indonesia, but it is having major issues getting into a fourth. The company — which rivals Grab, is valued at over $6 billion and is backed by the likes of Google and Tencent — this week […]
View More Go-Jek’s Southeast Asia expansion runs into a roadblock in the PhilippinesCategory: Indonesia
Incredibly detailed satellite images show volcano’s collapse after volcanic tsunami
Two weeks ago, a deadly volcanic tsunami struck in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait, catching residents by surprise.
Clouds have obscured people from capturing the aftermath, but earth observation company Planet Labs managed to capture high resolution images…
Auto marketplace CarDekho grabs $110M to double down on insurance and financial services
CarDekho, an online marketplace for car sales in India, has pulled in a new $110 million Series C funding round from a clutch of existing investors to push deeper into financial services and insurance. Sequoia India, Hillhouse and Alphabet’s CapitalG led the round which also saw participation from Axis Bank, one of CarDekho’s financing partners. […]
View More Auto marketplace CarDekho grabs $110M to double down on insurance and financial servicesGrab raises fundraising target to $5B as Southeast Asia’s ride-hailing war heats up
Southeast Asian ride-hailing firm Grab is aiming to start the new year with a bang and an awful load of bucks. The company, which acquired Uber’s local business earlier this year, is planning to raise as much as $5 billion from its ongoing Series H round, up from an original target of $3 billion, a source with […]
View More Grab raises fundraising target to $5B as Southeast Asia’s ride-hailing war heats upIndonesia unblocks Tumblr following its ban on adult content
Indonesia, the world’s fourth largest country by population, has unblocked Tumblr nine months after it blocked the social networking site over pornographic content. Tumblr — which, disclaimer, is owned by Oath Verizon Media Group just like TechCrunch — announced earlier this month that it would remove all “adult content” from its platform. That decision, which angered […]
View More Indonesia unblocks Tumblr following its ban on adult contentExplaining the deadly volcanic tsunami that hit Indonesia
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Hundreds are dead, with more missing, following a tsunami that took the Indonesian coast by surprise on Dec. 22.
But this was no typical tsunami. Rather, it was a volcanic tsunami, and understanding what that means may help explain why this particular manifestation of nature’s power was so devastating.
The tsunami that struck between the Sumatra and Java islands was triggered not by an earthquake — as is typically the case with tsunamis — but instead by an active volcano in the area known as Anak Krakatau. The volcano reportedly partially collapsed, triggering a landslide underwater, which then in turn kicked off the tsunami, said Dwikorita Karnawati, who leads Indonesia’s meteorological agency, according to multiple news reports. Read more…
More about Volcano, Indonesia, Tsunami, Science, and Climate Environment
View More Explaining the deadly volcanic tsunami that hit IndonesiaNetflix rival Iflix offloads its Africa business to focus on Asia
Iflix, the emerging market Netflix competitor that’s backed by Sky, is leaving Africa to double down on its business in Asia. The Malaysia-based company announced today it has sold the remaining shares in its Africa business — Kwesé Iflix — to Econet Group, the telecom firm that is already an investor in the business. The deal size […]
View More Netflix rival Iflix offloads its Africa business to focus on AsiaSoftBank’s Vision Fund is preparing to invest $1 billion in Grab
SoftBank’s Vision Fund is set to continue its recent spree of investments in Asian tech unicorns. The mega fund — which is targeted at $100 billion — is planning to invest upwards of $1 billion into Southeast Asia’s ride-hailing leader Grab, two sources with knowledge of the plan told TechCrunch. The investment could reach as much […]
View More SoftBank’s Vision Fund is preparing to invest $1 billion in GrabGrab is messing up the world’s largest mapping community’s data in Southeast Asia
Grab, Southeast Asia’s top ride-hailing company, has hit a roadblock in its efforts to improve its mapping and routing service after running into trouble with OpenStreetMap, the world’s largest collaborative mapping community, through a series of blundering edits in Thailand. Grab, which gobbled up Uber’s local business in exchange for an equity swap earlier this […]
View More Grab is messing up the world’s largest mapping community’s data in Southeast AsiaBowtie raises $30M to bring the digital insurance model to Hong Kong
The digital revolution has spawned ‘challenger’ banks that operate entirely online, with no high street presence. That phenomenon has taken off in Europe — particularly the UK — but over in Hong Kong, one of the world’s key financial hubs, the digital-only push is coming to the insurance industry. Bowtie, a Hong Kong-based digital insurer, just […]
View More Bowtie raises $30M to bring the digital insurance model to Hong KongTNB Aura closes $22.7M fund to bring PE-style investing to Southeast Asia’s startups
TNB Aura, a recent arrival to Southeast Asia’s VC scene, announced today that it has closed a maiden fund at SG$31.1million, or around US$22.65 million, to bring a more private equity-like approach to investing in startups in the region. The fund was launched in 2016 and it is a joint effort between Australia-based venture fund Aura […]
View More TNB Aura closes $22.7M fund to bring PE-style investing to Southeast Asia’s startupsIndonesia e-commerce leader Tokopedia raises $1.1B from Alibaba and SoftBank’s Vision Fund
Indonesia-based e-commerce firm Tokopedia is the latest startup to enter the Vision Fund after it raised $1.1 billion Series G round led by the SoftBank megafund and Alibaba. SoftBank and Alibaba are existing investors in the business — the Chinese e-commerce giant led a $1.1 billion round last year, while SoftBank recently transitioned its shareholding […]
View More Indonesia e-commerce leader Tokopedia raises $1.1B from Alibaba and SoftBank’s Vision Fund