A varied crew tops the charts this week

Unisoc, Lenskart, Gogoro, and more raised funds this week. [Read from your browser]( FOMO Saturday Welcome to Tech in Asia's free Saturday VC newsletter! Get full access to our subscribers-only premium content and other insightful analysis on the big and messy topics of Asia’s tech and startup community by [registering here](.  --------------------------------------------------------------- Hello {NAME} In the office the other day, we were playing music out loud on the speakers to get through the mid-afternoon slump. My colleague Christine just picked a playlist on Spotify - “Hot Hits in Singapore” or something to that effect - and it was a pretty eclectic mix of music, featuring everything from pop beats from the likes of Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa to the latest K-pop hits and even some Mandopop bangers. The variety on that playlist seems like a good reflection of this week’s top-funded startups. We have a pretty varied crew, ranging from a semiconductor manufacturer to an eyewear company. It’s cool to see how all these different companies, which are doing different things, are all making an impact in their own way. Where I’m going with this is that variety is the spice of life, and the new ideas and innovation that the startup scene has going for it is really cool stuff. You can find all other important investment deals that happened in the last few days in our [weekly funding news wrap-up](. Let’s dive into the biggest deals that recently took place. -- Stefanie  --------------------------------------------------------------- THE BIGGEST DEALS BY COUNTRY  CN Unisoc is a fabless semiconductor company from China. It closed a US$522 million late-stage round, with CSC Group, Guotai Junan Securities, and PICC Capital Investment Management Company as the investors. IN Lenskart is an omnichannel eyewear retailer based in India. It [raised US$200 million]( in a late-stage round from Fidelity and Temasek Holdings. TW Gogoro, a Taiwan-based electric scooter and battery-swapping company, [has secured a US$50 million series D round]( from Gold Sino Assets. ID Indonesian aquaculture firm eFishery [netted US$30 million]( in debt financing from HSBC Indonesia. AU Logistics firm Ofload connects road freight carriers to Australia's largest shippers. It bagged a US$20.5 million bridge round but did not disclose the investors. Here’s the complete list of this week’s funding chart: [74 deals worth over US$1.6 billion](.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  M&As  JP Japan’s Green Spoon, a meal delivery service that offers mainly vegetable-based meal kits, has been acquired by multinational food-processing company Glico for an undisclosed sum.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  STARTUPS THAT ARE RAISING FUNDS Fundraising is hard. To make things slightly easier, we’ve compiled this list of fundraising startups for our subscribers. We are launching a [new feature]( to send fundraising startups directly to investors’ inboxes. There’s no better time to list your startup, and you can do so [here](. SG A Singapore startup is offering an AI co-pilot to help businesses elevate their customer experience. ID This startup is bringing together badminton lovers in Indonesia, allowing them to access tournament overviews and player ratings, find a coach, and more. VN This Vietnamese used-car marketplace has developed a secret bidding process that facilitates anonymous bids from a network of dealers. You can find the full list of fundraising startups in Asia [over here](.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  BEHIND THE GLASSWALL Fundraising often involves reaching out to multiple contacts, many of whom founders might not have dealt with before. To provide some transparency to this process, we created Glasswall, a platform for founders to give feedback and recommendations on investors. Check out the full list [here](. - ✅︎ “Massively helpful if you are looking to take the leap into venture building, especially if it’s your first rodeo. The mentorship but especially the network and access provided is world class. Even at Series-B stage, Antler as our Day-0 investor is often the one with the most powerful network for a warm intro.” - [Read more]( - ❌ ”Too much talk, not much substance. They pretend to understand technology and B2B but unfortunately do not know the deep tech space well.” - [Read more]( - ✅︎ “Extremely positive experience. These people are incredibly intelligent, but also easy to talk to, and very helpful. Initial discussions were intense but fair, and the feedback given between stages was great. Next steps and processes were also very clear, and happened at a good pace -- no time wasted here on long delays, or unclear verbiage.” - [Read more](  --------------------------------------------------------------- SAIGON SUMMIT 2024: IT’S OFFICIALLY A WRAP!  Guess where we’re headed next? The buzz is still in the air! Saigon Summit 2024 was a resounding success, bringing together over 800 attendees - a vibrant mix of startups, investors, and corporations, as well as a strong showing of women in tech - all eager to shape the future of Vietnam's tech scene. Startup Showcase featured over 30 of the region's most promising ventures, while 30+ speakers led insightful discussions about the opportunities and challenges shaping the tech industry. This event was powered by an incredible roster of sponsors: Agora, AWS, Deel, Antler, Google Cloud, NTT Global Business, PubNub, SPARK Hub, A2D Ventures, Zoho, Aniday, Breezing.In, Ivy+Partners, PR Newswire, Quickom, Reactor School, RMIT Vietnam, the Hive Saigon, and ThinkZone Ventures. We're already setting our sights on the next big event - Tech in Asia Conference Kuala Lumpur from July 24 to 25! Get ready for even more expert sessions, invaluable connections, and another chance to immerse yourself in Southeast Asia’s tech community. [Secure your ticket now before prices increase June 10!](  ---------------------------------------------------------------  EVENTS HAPPENING You can also check out a curated list of trending tech events [over here]( and Tech in Asia’s signature events [here](.  [Tech in Asia Conference Kuala Lumpur 2024 : Malaysia on The Rise on 24 - 25 July]( Join us for this newly revamped program, Investor Hour, a bespoke 1-on-1 networking mixer designed to connect you with the most promising founders and startups. This program offers a unique platform for investors to: - Discover cutting-edge technologies and disruptive business models. - Identify potential investment targets that align with your portfolio. - Position yourself as a thought leader and build credibility in the investment community. Limited slots are available, [apply for Investor Hour today!]( [Product Development Conference (Jakarta, 25-26 June 2024)]( Attention! Attendees from 500+ companies, such as Grab, Baidu, EY, TikTok, and more are attending PDC 2024! Last chance to get 20% off your PDC ticket; this offer ends on June 19th. [Snap up your ticket]( now or risk FOMO! [FutureMakers Challenge in collaboration with BRI (Jakarta, 25-26 June 2024)]( Are you passionate about fintech and its potential to revolutionize the banking industry in Indonesia? Join the FutureMakers Challenge powered by Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI). Don't miss the chance to win prizes worth hundreds of millions of rupiah and tickets to the PDC 2024 for all applicants! Register before June 16, 2024, [here](. [Tech in Asia x Airwallex Startup Night on June 19]( In Singapore's fast-paced startup scene, standing still means falling behind. This exclusive networking mixer is where you'll connect with the movers and shakers from Keppel Logistics, Janio, Carro, Coinhako, and more, who are shaping the future of Singapore's tech landscape. Ready to rewrite your startup story? [Apply for an invite today!]( [AI Trailblazer: A conversation with Yi Tay, former research scientist at Google Brain on June 13]( Decoding the future of AI requires more than just algorithms; it demands insider perspectives. *Tech in Asia* subscribers are exclusively invited to join a candid discussion with Yi Tay, co-founder and chief scientist of Reka and former research scientist at Google Brain, on June 13. Connect with fellow tech enthusiasts from Grab, EY, SGX, Tokopedia, and more. This event is complimentary for Core subscribers. Non-subscribers are welcome to join at US$59. [RSVP to secure your spot now!]( [Tech in Asia Conference Jakarta on Oct 23-24]( Where is the next Silicon Valley? It might just be Jakarta! Indonesia's young tech talent is booming, and Tech in Asia Conference Jakarta puts you right in the center of the action. Join us at #TIAConferenceJKT to connect with 4000+ region's brightest minds, 150+ hottest startups, and hear straight from 80+ experts. Early-bird tickets are now available! [Snatch the 75% discount while it lasts!]( --------------------------------------------------------------- EXCLUSIVE LISTICLES Lists of most active investors in the region [China]( | [India]( | [Indonesia]( | [Japan]( | [Singapore]( | [Southeast Asia]( List of top-funded startups in Asia [China]( | [India]( | [Indonesia]( | [Israel]( | [Japan]( | [Hong Kong]( | [Singapore]( | [South Korea]( | [Vietnam](  ---------------------------------------------------------------  THOUGHTFUL READS  1️⃣ Crypto’s comeback? The crypto hype might have died down, but the tech is here to stay. [This episode of Rapid Response]( - one of the Masters of Scale podcasts - features Sheila Warren, CEO of the Crypto Council for Innovation, who shares her perspectives on crypto’s resurgence, regulation in the industry, and what lies ahead for the sector. 2️⃣ It’s OK to not be OK Diversity and inclusion are important, but sometimes companies fall short of achieving these goals. However, this lack of progress isn’t something to be swept under the rug - according to [this piece]( from the Harvard Business Review, there may be benefits to being transparent about it. 3️⃣ Malaysia and the family office Could family offices be an alternative source of capital that could change up Malaysia’s startup scene? At DisruptInvest Summit 2024, [several investors in the country weighed in]( on the topic, highlighting the challenges and opportunities for family offices in Malaysia. 4️⃣ The series A gap It appears to be getting harder for startups to make the leap from the seed stage to series A. Among the startups that raised their seed funding in the first quarter of 2020, 31.8% closed their series A within two years. However, only 12% of seed startups of Q1 2022 secured their series A in under two years. [This piece]( on Crunchbase News explores why this chasm exists, and offers some insights on whether this is a pressing concern, or if this too will pass. 5️⃣ The Midas Seed List Who made it to this year’s Midas Seed List, which aims to recognise top-performing investors that have backed companies at their early stages of life? This year’s edition shines the spotlight on the investors who made early bets on AI companies that could be the giants of tomorrow. Check out the list [here](.  --------------------------------------------------------------- [ADVERTISE]( | [SUBSCRIBE]( | [HIRE]( | [FIND JOBS]( P.S. Don't miss out on the biggest tech news and analysis. Add newsletter@techinasia.com to your address book, contacts, or safe sender list. Or simply move us into your inbox. Too many emails? Switch to a different frequency or get new content through our [preference center]( or [unsubscribe](. You can also break our hearts and remove yourself from all Tech in Asia emails over [here](  ---------------------------------------------------------------  Tech in Asia’s newsletters are handcrafted daily with love - and sometimes powered by good kopi. Today’s edition was written by Stefanie Yeo. It’s edited by Dhania Putri Sarahtika. Copyright © 2024 Tech in Asia, All rights reserved. 63 Robinson Road, Singapore 068894