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 […]

Jeff Bezos in talks to back Indonesian e-commerce Ula

One-a-half-year-old Indonesian e-commerce startup Ula, which has raised over $30 million and courted many high-profile investors, is inching closer to adding one of the biggest tech profiles to its captable. The Jakarta-headquartered startup — which counts B Capital Group, Sequoia Capital India, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Quona Capital among its existing investors — is in […]

TikTok Shopping expands with more partnerships, LIVE Shopping, new ads and more

TikTok is expanding its investment in e-commerce. Earlier this year, the video platform began piloting TikTok Shopping in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, in partnership with Shopify. The deal allowed Shopify merchants with a TikTok For Business account to add a Shopping tab to their TikTok profiles and sync their product catalogs to the app […]

Indonesian ID and data verification startup Verihubs gets $2.8M led by Insignia Venture Partners

For many financial institutions in Southeast Asia, verifying new customers takes a week or two, said the founders of Verihubs. The startup cuts that time down to as little as five seconds, using AI-based identity authentication technology and APIs that let companies continue verifying returning customers through SMS, WhatsApp or flash calls. Verihubs announced it […]

Thailand’s fintech startup Ascend Money lands $150M at a $1.5B valuation

Ascend Money, the Thailand-based fintech startup behind TrueMoney, an e-wallet service, announced today it has raised a $150 million Series C round at a valuation of $1.5 billion. The Series C round was led by Charoen Pokphand Group, which is a major shareholder of Ascend Money, with participation from Bow Wave Capital Management and returning […]

The whole package: How plastics and sustainability startups achieve success

As people around the world become more aware and look to minimize the waste they produce, tech startups are coming up with solutions to help people and companies meet their sustainability goals.

Indonesian halal-focused social commerce startup Evermos lands $30M Series B

Evermos is an Indonesian social commerce startup with two goals: to let people earn extra income by opening online stores without spending capital and to help small brands grow into household names. The company, which focuses on halal products and other items for Muslim customers, announced today it has raised a $30 million Series B, […]