Insurance policy provider Acko is the latest Indian startup to become a unicorn, joining nearly three dozen other firms in the world’s second-largest internet market that have attainted the coveted status this year. The Bangalore-headquartered startup said it has raised $255 million in a new financing round, bringing its all-time raise to $450 million. The […]
Open banking startup Finverse wants to build the Asia-Pacific region’s Plaid
Based in Hong Kong, Finverse’s ambitious goal is to enable open banking throughout the Asia-Pacific region. The startup recently came out of stealth mode with $1.8 million in seed funding, and is now live in four markets (Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam) with connections to 30 banks. Founder and chief executive officer Stephane […]
DeHaat raises $115 million in the largest agritech round in India
DeHaat, an online platform that offers full-stack agricultural services to farmers in India, has raised $115 million in what is the largest funding round for an agritech startup in India, where farm produce yields two-thirds of the country’s $1 trillion in annual retail spending. Sofina and Lightrock co-led the 10-year-old startup’s Series D financing round. […]
Tiger and Falcon look to double down on Indian social commerce startup DealShare
Tiger Global and Falcon Edge Capital are looking to double down on their bets on DealShare, becoming the latest high-profile investors to go all-in on India’s nascent but growing social commerce trend. The two firms, both of which are already an investor in Jaipur-headquartered startup (AWI, which is managed by Falcon, is an early investor […]
India’s Chalo acquires Amazon-backed bus aggregator Shuttl
Chalo, a startup that is digitizing bus commutes in India and which recently raised $40 million in a financing round, has acquired Amazon-backed app-based office commute bus aggregator Shuttl in an all-cash deal, the two said on Tuesday. Chalo founder and chief executive Mohit Dubey said the acquisition of Shuttl, which operates thousands of buses […]
Malaysia-based Poladrone raises $4.29M seed round to protect crops
Rhinoceros beetles are one of the greatest threats to oil palm crops, attacking plants while they are young and potentially lowering a farm’s yield for years. They also affect workers’ health, since pesticides need to be sprayed frequently. Based in Kuala Lumpur, Poladrone wants to change the way farms use pesticides with a combination of […]
Indian edtech Teachmint valued at $500 million in $78 million funding
As scores of Indian startups populate their catalogs with live and recorded courses to reach and serve students in the world’s second largest internet market, a handful of new-age firms are beginning to explore different approaches to tackle the challenge. Teachmint, one such startup that is helping teachers and institutes create their own virtual classrooms […]
India’s Groww valued at $3 billion in $251 million funding
Groww has tripled its valuation to $3 billion in just six months as the Indian fintech startup looks to broaden its offerings and help more millennials start their investment journey in the world’s second largest internet market. Iconiq Growth led the Bangalore-based startup’s $251 million Series E financing round. Alkeon, Lone Pine Capital and Steadfast […]
Stripe backs India’s Clear in $75 million funding
Stripe has made its second investment in India, just days after disclosing the first. One of the world’s most valuable startups has backed Bangalore-based SaaS fintech firm Clear, the two said Sunday evening. The 10-year-old Indian startup, formerly known as ClearTax, said it has raised $75 million in its Series C funding. The round was […]
How intensive modding ushered in China’s computer revolution
In my previous essay on TechCrunch, I examined the profound challenges which confronted the computer engineers trying to fit tens of thousands of Chinese characters in a memory system designed to handle a much smaller alphanumeric symbolic system. The engineering daring that led to the first Chinese personal computer Now, I turn to the question […]