Another SEA, halfway across the world

Sakana AI, Syarah, Validus, 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} One of the things I shared in this week’s Thoughtful Tidbits is a podcast episode on the Latin America market and how it's pretty diverse. That means succeeding in Argentina, for example, is very different from making headway in Brazil. Sounds like Southeast Asia, huh? This just serves as a general reminder to not paint everything with the same brush, even if things might look similar on the superficial level. 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 and M&As that recently took place. -- Winston  --------------------------------------------------------------- THE BIGGEST DEALS BY COUNTRY JP Sakana AI, an AI R&D company based in Japan, has closed a US$137 million series A round. Investors include the likes of Nvidia, Khosla Ventures, and Lux Capital. SA Syarah is a Saudi Arabia-based platform that allows consumers to buy new cars online and have them delivered to their doorstep. It received US$60 million in series C funding from Artal Capital, Elm, Impact46, and Tawuniya. SG Singapore-headquartered Validus uses data analytics and AI to finance the SME sector with funds from both individual and institutional investors. It has secured a [debt facility of up to US$50 million]( from HSBC under the lender’s ASEAN growth fund strategy. IN Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters, an Indian specialty coffee roaster and cafe chain, has closed a US$35 million series C round. Brussels-based venture capital firm Verlinvest led the round. The other participating investors were A91 Partners and Anicut Capital. UAE Ziina provides a rapid and secure method for transferring and receiving funds in the United Arab Emirates. It has received US$22 million in series A money, with Activant Capital, Altos Ventures, and Avenir Growth among the participating investors. Here’s the complete list of this week’s funding chart: [80 deals worth over US$575 million](.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  M&As SA Tweeq is a financial technology company from Saudi Arabia. It was acquired by buy now, pay later firm Tabby 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 send fundraising startups directly to investors’ inboxes. There’s no better time to list your startup, and you can do so [here](. SG This Singaporean company is building an AI powered vertical SaaS platform that offers data-driven trend spotting. VN This Vietnamese startup connects small retailers with brands and wholesalers. IN This Indonesia-based firm provides omnichannel and supply chain technology solutions. 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](. - ✅︎ “Their commitment to establishing a scalable and profitable business is evident, yet they prioritize sustainable growth over hasty decisions.” - [Read more]( - ❌ “The associate didn't seem very attentive or cared and was just going through the motions. Not sure what the point of setting up the meeting was.” - [Read more]( - ✅︎ “What struck me most during that encounter was not just [the VC’s] investment acumen but the profound level of trust and support they extended to us from day one. Their belief in our vision, despite the modest beginnings, was incredibly motivating. It wasn't merely about the numbers or the metrics; it was about recognizing the potential and the passion behind our endeavor.” - [Read more]( ---------------------------------------------------------------  ASIA PARTNERS’ NICK NASH TO SPEAK AT TIA CONFERENCE JAKARTA Get ready for a keynote session that will set the stage for the future of Southeast Asian tech Nicholas Nash, managing partner and co-founder of Asia Partners, will be delivering the opening keynote at TIA Conference Jakarta. Nick is a powerhouse in Southeast Asian tech, bringing years of experience and a sharp understanding of the region's challenges and opportunities. As a seasoned investor and entrepreneur, he has a pulse on the future of innovation in the region. In his keynote session, Nick will share his insights on Southeast Asia’s tech resilience, focusing on the markets and industries that have kept the region powering through. He’ll also explore the underlying factors that enable this continued growth and development. Third-release tickets are 45% off until September 8, 11:59 a.m. SGT - don’t miss out and [grab yours now!](  ---------------------------------------------------------------  EVENTS HAPPENING You can also check out a curated list of trending tech events [over here](. [Startup Factory at Tech in Asia Conference Jakarta]( Are you a founder looking for inspiration, connections, and the latest tech insights? Look no further than the Startup Factory at #TIAConferenceJKT. This exclusive space, designed for founders like you, will showcase the region's most promising tech companies. Get up close and personal with the innovators shaping the future, discover the trends driving the tech industry, and connect with potential partners and investors. [Competition is fierce and limited booth slots are available. Apply now and secure a slot!]( [Tech in Asia’s Founders Meetup: Thailand on September 11]( Bangkok’s tech scene is a wild ride. Chart your course to success by discovering what's hot, what's not, and where the future of Southeast Asian tech is headed. ​​Want some company? [Get a ticket and you can bring a friend for free.]( [Leadership Collective: Building at Scale on September 26]( Deeper integration between design and engineering - opportunity or headache? Uncover the true potential and challenges of advanced design tools, and discover how to empower true collaboration that transforms your product development process. Seats are extremely limited - [apply now.]( [Gemini Day for Startups: Indonesia on September 26]( You want generative AI solutions that actually deliver, right? Cut through the noise with Google Cloud’s Handi Tantiono and discover how startups are winning with genAI right now - broaden your perspective, gain actionable strategies, and glean next-gen insights. Limited seats available - [apply for your invite today.]( [SYNC 2024 on October 08]( Get ready to experience the future of AI at #SYNC2024, an exclusive, closed-door event convening 100 of Asia's most influential minds in the AI landscape. We're thrilled to announce that Min-Liang Tan, co-founder and CEO of Razer, will be joining our main stage speaker lineup. Besides the main stage content, expect tailored roundtables, demos from AI startups, and networking opportunities aimed at equipping you with the knowledge and resources to navigate the ever-evolving AI landscape. This exclusive event is by application only. [Find out more about SYNC 2024 today.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Latin America = Southeast Asia? Much like Southeast Asia, Latin America is made up of many different countries. Similar as these nations might seem to the untrained eye, they’re all very different markets, each with their own sets of opportunities and challenges. [This episode of the a16z podcast]( features perspectives from thought leaders deeply invested in the region’s tech ecosystem. 2️⃣ Some freemiums are more free than others When offering anything for free, it has to eventually lead back to company success in some way or another. That could be increasing user stickiness or - in the case of this article on the Andreessen Horowitz website - charging customers for more features (aka a freemium model). [Click in]( to see how to get the balance right with the freemium model.  3️⃣ What goes into building and maintaining Reddit In this [Masters of Scale episode]( Steve Huffman, co-founder and CEO of Reddit, talks about scaling the platform and facing challenges such as misinformation and AI.  4️⃣ A quick look at the state of Web3 Tomasz Tunguz, general partner at Theory Ventures, turns his attention to [how Web3 is doing]( after its time in the tech spotlight was taken by AI. He looks at the performance of a few tokens, series A valuations, and other points.  5️⃣ Marketers can be diagnosticians too [This First Round Review article]( features Krithika Muthukumar - the very first marketing hire at OpenAI and Stripe. In the piece, she talks about the attributes of a great early marketer among other top tips on how to do marketing effectively for tech startups.  --------------------------------------------------------------- [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 Winston Zhang. It’s edited by Dhania Putri Sarahtika. Copyright © 2024 Tech in Asia, All rights reserved. 63 Robinson Road, Singapore 068894