Venture capital

Singapore venture funding hits S$5.9 billion as investors double down on AI, deep tech despite fewer deals: EY-Parthenon

The two themes are emerging as key growth drivers amid a broader fundraising downturn in South-east Asia

On the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange, IT companies have a representation of only around 5%, compared with 35% on the US’ S&P 500 index.

Vietnam records strongest private capital rebound in years despite zero IPO exits

Current initial public offering pipeline is set to be the first private sector-led cycle since 2018: report

Pacific Channel's Brent Ogilvie says the acquisition marks "a significant expansion" of the firm's climate-tech investment platform across Apac.

Engie Factory Asia-Pacific is acquired by New Zealand venture capital firm Pacific Channel

The VC company has been investing in climate tech ventures via Engie Factory since mid-2020

While GDP growth has surged, many SMEs are struggling to keep pace, says the writer.

Singapore’s next opportunity: Connecting private wealth to public growth  

The number of single-family offices in the Republic has surged to more than 2,000

Higher-risk projects, such as those dealing in offshore wind, have been deprioritised in recent times by utilities and related companies.

Engie Factory’s potential Apac exit signals energy firms’ pivot to near-term returns: analysts

Profit constraints, tighter capital could be reasons for the venture arm’s proposed divestment, say observers

China is also battling with the US for supremacy in core technologies and is seeking to expand on the dramatic progress made by Chinese developers of AI models.

China venture capital funding set to hit record in Q1 on state-led tech push

Some investors warn state dominance may distort markets and create valuation bubbles

Mitsubishi Corporation is among the Japanese companies investing a venture-capital fund focusing on African startups.

Japanese investors back new VC fund targeting African startups

This comes as they battle a shrinking market and relatively low interest rates at home

Venture capital resists automation not because investors are technophobes protecting their turf, quite the contrary, but because the job is far more nuanced than it appears from the outside.
DUE DILIGENCE

What building an AI tool taught me about venture capital

There’s a gap between what AI promises and what the job actually demands, and that’s where the real work lives

South-east Asia can produce strong exits, but expectations were arguably set too high, too soon, says the writer.

Is South-east Asia’s startup ecosystem stalling or simply maturing?

The region is not facing an exit drought. Here’s what is really happening

The myFirst Fone device is a child-friendly smartwatch that is part of a safe, parent-controlled digital ecosystem.

Vertex Ventures leads tech startup myFirst’s US$8 million Series A funding round

The child-friendly digital ecosystem presents a global opportunity, says the venture capital firm