India’s Ola spins out a dedicated EV business — and it just raised $56M from investors

Ola, Uber’s key rival in India, is doubling down on electric vehicles after it span out a dedicated business, which has pulled in $56 million in early funding. The unit is named Ola Electric Mobility and it is described as being an independent business that’s backed by Ola. TechCrunch understands Ola provided founding capital, and […]

View More India’s Ola spins out a dedicated EV business — and it just raised $56M from investors

SME lender Validus Capital raises $15M for expansion in Southeast Asia

SME lending was a hot topic in Southeast Asia last year, and companies continue to attract investor dollars in 2019. The latest to pull in capital of its own is Singapore-based Validus Capital, which today announced a SG$20.5 million (US$15.2 million) Series B that’ll go towards regional expansion. Founded in 2015, Validus is focused on […]

View More SME lender Validus Capital raises $15M for expansion in Southeast Asia

Vynn Capital snags investment from Malaysia’s MAVCAP for its maiden Southeast Asia fund

Vynn Capital, a new entrant to Southeast Asia’s startup ecosystem, is gearing up to close its maiden fund after it landed an undisclosed sum from Malaysia Venture Capital Management Bhd (MAVCAP) as one of its anchor LPs. Founded by former Gobi Ventures VC Victor Chua and Singaporean investor Darren Chua (no relation) one year ago, […]

View More Vynn Capital snags investment from Malaysia’s MAVCAP for its maiden Southeast Asia fund

BeliMobilGue raises $10M for its used-car sales platform in Indonesia

BeliMobilGue, a used car sales platform in Indonesia, has fueled up with a $10 million Series round for the race to dominate the automotive market in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. The company was started in 2017 as a joint venture between Europe’s Frontier Car Group (FCG) and Intudo Ventures, a VC firm focused on Indonesia. BeliMobilGue said […]

View More BeliMobilGue raises $10M for its used-car sales platform in Indonesia

E-commerce startup Zilingo raises $226M to digitize Asia’s fashion supply chain

If you’re looking for the next unicorn in Southeast Asia, Zilingo might just be it. The 3.5-year-old e-commerce company announced today that it has raised a Series D round worth $226 million to go after the opportunity to digitize Asia’s fashion supply chain. This new round takes Zilingo to $308 million from investors since its […]

View More E-commerce startup Zilingo raises $226M to digitize Asia’s fashion supply chain

First China, now Starbucks gets an ambitious VC-funded rival in Indonesia

Asia’s venture capital-backed startups are gunning for Starbucks . In China, the U.S. coffee giant is being pushed by Luckin Coffee, a $2.2 billion challenger surfing China’s on-demand wave, and on the real estate side, where WeWork China has just unveiled an on-demand product that could tempt people who go to Starbucks to kill time or […]

View More First China, now Starbucks gets an ambitious VC-funded rival in Indonesia

On-demand workspace platform Breather taps new CEO

Breather, the platform that provides on-demand private workspace, announced today that it has appointed Bryan Murphy as its new CEO. Before joining Breather, Murphy was the founder and President of direct-to-consumer mattress startup, Tomorrow Sleep. Prior to Tomorrow Sleep, Murphy held posts as an advisor to investment firms and as an executive at eBay after the […]

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India’s Ola is adding a monthly billing option for its ride-hailing customers

Ola, the ride-hailing service battling Uber in India, is introducing credit services to its users as it moves closer to a major new funding round. Today the company took the wraps off Ola Money Postpaid, a service that builds on Ola’s existing payment service — which can be used to pay rides and also third-party […]

View More India’s Ola is adding a monthly billing option for its ride-hailing customers

Uber’s India rival Ola nears $6 billion valuation ahead of huge funding round

Ola, India’s local rival to Uber, has seen its valuation jump to nearly $6 billion as it prepares to take in a large round of financing. The ride-hailing firm, which was founded in 2010, has raised around $3.3 billion from investors to date, and it topped that up a little this week. Ola pulled in […]

View More Uber’s India rival Ola nears $6 billion valuation ahead of huge funding round

BasisAI, a Singapore startup from Bay Area returnees, comes out of stealth with impressive creds

An intriguing new startup is out from under the radar in Southeast Asia after BasisAI, a Singapore-based company, revealed itself this week. The startup disclosed a seed investment from two prestigious investors in the region and some impressive credentials to back it up. Started by twin brothers Linus and Silvanus Lee and Liu Feng-Yuan — all Singapore […]

View More BasisAI, a Singapore startup from Bay Area returnees, comes out of stealth with impressive creds

A look back at the Israeli cyber security industry in

Yoav Leitersdorf Contributor Yoav Leitersdorf is a partner at YL Ventures. More posts by this contributor A look back at the Israeli cyber security industry in Trends in Israel’s cybersecurity investments Ofer Schreiber Contributor Ofer Schreiber is a partner at YL Ventures. More posts by this contributor The state of Israel’s cybersecurity market Trends in […]

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Tencent-backed homework app jumps to $3B valuation after raising $300M

Academic exams are a big deal in China as they determine the kind of universities, high schools and elementary schools that students get into and to a degree, the future that awaits them. Parents are thus willing to invest generously to help their children get ahead in school. One startup capitalizing on this need is […]

View More Tencent-backed homework app jumps to $3B valuation after raising $300M