Southeast Asia is a growing digital marketplace and increasingly a focus for startups across the world but there haven’t been many exits. So it’s notable, then, that struggling Chinese discount e-commerce service LightInTheBox has closed its acquisition of Singapore-based Ezbuy, which operates a cross-border selling service in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Pakistan. The all-stock deal was […]
View More Struggling e-commerce firm LightInTheBox completes $85M deal for Singapore’s EzbuyCategory: Malaysia
Grab invests $100M into India’s OYO to expand its budget hotel service in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asian ride-hailing firm Grab has made its most ambitious investment to date after it backed India-headquartered budget hotel network OYO to the tune of $100 million. The investment was part of a $1 billion Series E round led by SoftBank’s Vision Fund that closed back in September. The deal was first made public via a […]
View More Grab invests $100M into India’s OYO to expand its budget hotel service in Southeast AsiaNetflix rival Iflix launches $5M search for up-and-coming filmmakers in Asia
Netflix is increasing its efforts in Asia after it commissioned more local content and began testing more aggressive price points, but one local rival is hitting back with a program to spotlight promising creators in the region. Malaysia-headquartered Iflix, which operates in 26 countries across Africa, the Middle East and Asia, today announced a $5 million program […]
View More Netflix rival Iflix launches $5M search for up-and-coming filmmakers in AsiaNeuron Mobility raises $3.7M to bring e-scooters to Southeast Asia’s cities
Despite the rise in electric scooters in the U.S., you’d be forgiven for thinking that Asia — the region where bike-sharing foreshadowed the rise of e-scooters — has been left off the party. But e-scooters have quietly been in the region for some time and now they are beginning to ramp up. Singapore-based Neuron Mobility is […]
View More Neuron Mobility raises $3.7M to bring e-scooters to Southeast Asia’s citiesExperian leads $10M investment in Southeast Asia fintech startup Jirnexu
Consumer credit giant Experian is continuing to back Asian fintech startups after it led a $10 million investment in Southeast Asia’s Jirnexu . Jirnexu, which is headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, operates financial comparison services in Malaysia and Indonesia. Those services aggregate offerings and deals from banks and financial services companies, effectively acting as a user acquisition […]
View More Experian leads $10M investment in Southeast Asia fintech startup JirnexuSamsung fakes test photo by using a stock DSLR image
Samsung’s Malaysian arm has some explaining to do. The company, in an effort to show off the Galaxy A8 Star’s amazing photo retouching abilities, used a cleverly-shot portrait, modified it, and then ostensibly passed it off as one taken by the A8. The trouble began when Serbian photographer Dunja Djudjic noticed someone had bought one […]
View More Samsung fakes test photo by using a stock DSLR imageSkype co-founder snags $105M for fintech lending venture in Southeast Asia
A fintech whale quietly going about its business in Southeast Asia has come out from under the radar after Oriente, a Hong Kong-based business headed by Skype’s first employee, announced that it has raised a whopping $105 million. It may not be well known at this point, but the company has some serious street cred. Oriente […]
View More Skype co-founder snags $105M for fintech lending venture in Southeast AsiaTopica raises $50M for its online learning services in Southeast Asia
Vietnam’s startup ecosystem is making forward progress. Just a week after 500 Startups’ local entity closed a $14 million fund for early-stage investments, one of the country’s elder statesmen of startups — educational service Topica — has closed its $50 million Series D. The round — which is one of the highest to date for […]
View More Topica raises $50M for its online learning services in Southeast AsiaNetflix is testing cheaper, mobile-only subscription plans
Netflix is testing cheaper subscription options in some overseas markets. The catch: The plan only allows users to stream content on a mobile device.
The first trial run has already rolled out in Malaysia, where users can currently sign up for a chea…
Netflix is testing a mobile-only subscription to make its service more affordable
Netflix is testing a cut-price mobile-only subscription as it explores new packages aimed at widening its appeal in Asia and other emerging markets. CEO Reed Hastings told Bloomberg last week that the company would test lower-priced packages and it hasn’t taken long for those experiments to come to light. The first reports are from Malaysia, […]
View More Netflix is testing a mobile-only subscription to make its service more affordableKorean AI startup Skelter Labs lands strategic investment to expand to Southeast Asia
Korean AI startup Skelter Labs is expanding to Southeast Asia after it pulled in undisclosed funding from Singapore-based VC firm Golden Gate Ventures. Skelter Labs was founded in 2015 by founded by Ted Cho, the former engineering site director at Google Korea. It started out developing apps and services that made use of AI but then […]
View More Korean AI startup Skelter Labs lands strategic investment to expand to Southeast AsiaGogoprint raises $7.7M to expand its online printing business in Asia Pacific
Gogoprint, a startup that is aiming to disrupt the traditional printing industry in Southeast Asia, has pulled in a $7.7 million investment as it prepares to expand its business in Asia Pacific. We first profiled Gogoprint in 2016 soon after its launch the previous year, and since then the Bangkok-based company has expanded beyond Thailand […]
View More Gogoprint raises $7.7M to expand its online printing business in Asia Pacific