Wake up, time to think of AI!

Adani Total Gas, Supabase, Wemeet Mobility, 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} Three of the five Thoughtful Tidbits in today’s newsletter are about AI, with a couple of them centered around this technology’s relationship with human beings. As someone who grew up with stories and worlds like those of Blade Runner and Deus Ex, I sometimes find it a bit surreal to exist in a time when the AI-humanity debate is actually ongoing. While the in-real-life version comes with fewer cool neon billboards, the underlying discussion is still fascinating and might even be truly important and not just another tech flash in the pan. How do you look at AI? Is it just a ticket to a quick buck or something with deeper philosophical and practical implications? Feel free to let me know in the comments or by replying to this newsletter. 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 IN India-based Adani Total Gas provides piped natural gas and compressed natural gas. It has secured US$375 million in debt financing from BNP Paribas, DBS Bank, and MUFG Bank, among others. SG Singapore’s Supabase, an open-source developer platform that utilizes PostgreSQL databases, has raised [US$80 million]( in a series C funding. The round was led by Peak XV and Craft Ventures. KR South Korean startup Wemeet Mobility operates Roouty, an AI-based route optimization engine and real-time dispatch control solution. It has closed a US$14 million series B funding round from Bass Investment, Hankook & Company, and Kiwoom Investment. CN Zhixing Optoelectronics, a China-based developer and manufacturer of intelligent driving vehicle imaging modules, has secured US$13.7 million in strategic investment from the Guangdong Sunac Lingyue Intelligent Manufacturing and Information Technology Industry Equity Investment Fund Partnership. JP Tanp, a Japanese ecommerce platform, has received US$7 million in bridge funding from Nissay Capital, Aozora Corporate Investment, and Cygames Capital, among others. Here’s the complete list of this week’s funding chart: [58 deals worth over US$800 million](.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  M&As IN Design Cafe, an Indian startup that offers online customized design and decor solutions, has been acquired by home interior firm Homelane. Financial details specific to the acquisition were not revealed, but the deal will value the combined entity at around US$358 million. Additionally, this new entity has raised US$27 million of funding. KR Careerly, a developer community service from South Korea, has been acquired by IT outsourcing firm Seeso. Terms of the deal were not made public. KR South Korean firm Giftletter, which distributes coupons from hundreds of affiliated brands and partner companies, has been acquired by biotech company Hyper Corporation for over US$6 million. IN Indian company Uniclan Healthcare produces health and hygiene products for women and children. Doms Industries, a manufacturer of stationery and art materials, has acquired a 51.77% stake in the company for over US$3 million.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  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](. ID This Indonesia-based firm is aiming to transform the country’s agriculture with precision farm technology. SG This Singaporean company is running a self-service data intelligence platform that helps non-tech business managers analyze tabular data. IN This Indian startup makes vision-based AI software to make robotic arms do complicated tasks in warehouses and factories. 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](. - ✅︎ “Investor-friendly, smart, and they do the right amount of due diligence without the nonsense. Super hardworking and our success in raising each of our rounds was off the back of their advice, involvement, and mentoring.” - [Read more]( - ❌ “For one call we were supposed to have, two team members didn't show up and only one junior person appeared on the call seven minutes late after visibly just dropping out of the shower and being completely unprepared.” - [Read more]( - ✅︎ “Their deep understanding of the founder's journey provided both crucial financial support and insightful guidance, making them an invaluable ally in our startup's growth and development.” - [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- SYNC 2024 - AI • SINGAPORE Hear Razer's CEO share his vision for the future of gaming at this exclusive C-level event Calling all founders, CEOs, investors, and corporate leaders! Join us for a unique opportunity to hear Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan share his vision for the future of gaming. At SYNC 2024, he will be joined by Andrea Phua, senior director of National AI Group, for a captivating main stage session where they will delve into Razer’s cutting-edge AI initiatives that are transforming the gaming landscape. This is an exclusive opportunity to hear from a visionary leader at the forefront of the AI revolution. Don't miss your chance to network with fellow C-level executives leading the charge in AI, gain valuable insights into the future of this dynamic industry, and connect with industry leaders shaping the next generation of gaming experiences. Learn more about SYNC and [apply for a ticket](.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  EVENTS HAPPENING You can also check out a curated list of trending tech events [over here](. [Tech in Asia Conference Jakarta | October 23 - 24]( Over 4,000 founders, investors, and leaders from companies like eFishery, Qapita, Baidu, Brankas, and AWS have already secured their passes for the Tech in Asia Conference Jakarta. Don't miss out! Our presale passes are selling out fast. [Grab yours now]( and enjoy a 30% discount before prices increase on October 2 or we sell out completely. Secure your spot today and join the thousands of innovators shaping the future of Southeast Asia's tech landscape.  [Startup Factory at Tech in Asia Conference Jakarta]( Looking to attract investors, customers, and partners? Exhibit your startup at Southeast Asia's premier tech conference! With less than 20 slots remaining, now is your chance to showcase your innovation alongside rising startups from Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, ​​Turkey, Hong Kong, Cambodia, and more. Join us at Tech in Asia Conference Jakarta and gain unparalleled exposure to the region's most influential founders, investors, and tech leaders. Applications are open until 16 October or when fully sold out! [Apply now.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 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 What does “human-centered AI” actually entail? In this [Masters of Scale episode]( Dr. Rana el Kaliouby, AI scientist and co-founder of software development company Affectiva, talks about what lies in the future of AI and humans’ relationship with this technology.  2️⃣ AI in management [This Harvard Business Review article]( goes into how managers are using generative AI to help them make better decisions and perhaps even supervise their subordinates.  3️⃣ Motoring into the future Mobility tech is one of the tech verticals where it’s easy to see the direct positive impact that a solution can have on human beings, which is why I’m a fan of it even though I don’t drive often. [This Pitchbook article]( lists the most active investors in the technology that are helping to pave the way for the industry. 4️⃣ Will the exits scene look better in 2025? Tomasz Tunguz, general partner at Theory Ventures, tries to answer this question by looking at [the last 10 years of deal volume and fed rates change data](.  5️⃣ The latest frontier form AI Integrating AI into vertical SaaS could lead to a new era of scaling for the industry, or so [this article on the Andreessen Horowitz website]( posits.  --------------------------------------------------------------- [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