It’s Q4, how are you doing?

Aosong Electronics, Infcurion, InDebted, 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} World Mental Health Day is on October 10, so amid all the funding deals and dramatic news (looking at you, OpenAI), I wanted to remind everyone to check in with themselves. It’s been an extremely exciting year for me, personally and professionally, and I’m grateful for all the opportunities that have come my way. But as we enter the final quarter of 2024, I can’t deny that I’m feeling both mental and physical fatigue. While I think it’s perfectly normal to feel like this toward the end of the year, we should be a little kinder and more compassionate with ourselves. One of this week’s Thoughtful Tidbits provides a self-care checklist, so if you didn’t know where to begin, hopefully that can help. Let’s finish the year strong, not just in our work but also in ourselves. 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 CN Aosong Electronics, also known as Asair, is a Chinese firm that specializes in chip, wafer, and module design and production for a variety of applications. It has closed a US$98.6 million series D funding round with Chongqing Industrial Investment Fund, Chongqing Technology Holdings, and Youbo Capital as the participating investors. JP Infcurion is a Japanese company that develops business planning and consulting for the fintech industry. It has received US$70 million in strategic funding from Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group. IN India-based Loco offers an interactive trivia game show that lets users win money in real time. It has secured US$65 million in strategic investment from UAE-based firm Redwood. AU Australian fintech firm InDebted offers debt collection services. It has raised US$41.4 million in a series C round. Participating investors included Airtree, Australian Retirement Trust, and Carthona Capital. IS Qodo, an Israeli generative AI coding platform, has received [US$40 million in series A funding]( from Square Peg and Susa Ventures. Here’s the complete list of this week’s funding chart: [67 deals worth over US$500 million](.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  M&As AU Spaceship, an investment app from Australia, has been acquired by financial services company eToro [for US$55 million](. IN Based in India, Upnourish is a D2C nutrition brand that aims to solve weight management and obesity-related health issues. It has been acquired by fresh fruits and vegetables platform Pluckk for US$1.4 million. IN PrepInsta is a placement preparation platform. The Indian firm has been acquired by learning platform Adda247, but the financial details of the deal were not made public. KR South Korean firm T Order, which offers a tablet system that lets diners order and pay for their meals from their tables, has recently acquired Indecore. The latter operates I Stay, the country’s leading hotel guest service platform. Terms of the deal were not made public. I Stay is now known as T Order Stay. IN India-based Pedagogy offers subscriptions to popular books and digital courses for various entrance exams. It has been acquired by edtech unicorn Vedantu after the latter received US$2.3 million in debt and equity capital from Stride Ventures.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  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](. VN This Vietnamese firm is an online-to-offline pharmacy platform. SG This Singaporean company provides an autonomous last-mile delivery platform-as-a-service offering. IN This Indian startup is providing end-to-end solutions for farmers for issues like knowledge gaps and a lack of market access. 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](. - ✅︎ “The investor was fair and honest throughout the due diligence process, demonstrating good faith and being a trustworthy partner who you can rely on to solve problems together with.” - [Read more]( - ❌ “Add limited value beyond the cash. Want to enjoy the distance of being financial investors but still want to be hands-on with their investments.” - [Read more]( - ✅︎ “Deep industry expertise and supply chain focus make for thorough discussion and deep understanding of the space. We went through a round of discussions over several months before closing our round with [the VC firm], the team had been very engaged and great to work with. Very professional and respectful process, went into the biz model and vision.” - [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- TECH IN ASIA CONFERENCE 2024 JAKARTA | OCTOBER 23-24 VIP passes are sold out! Still eyeing VIP passes for Tech in Asia Conference Jakarta? Sorry - they’re sold out. This strong demand shows there’s incredible interest in having an exclusive, top-tier experience at the conference. While the VIP pass is no longer available, you can still get general admission tickets. But you have to move fast: Tickets are selling rapidly, and you don’t want to miss out on the biggest tech conference in Southeast Asia. At Tech in Asia Conference Jakarta, you can expect to be inspired by keynote speakers such as Hans Patuwo of GoTo Group, Nick Nash of Asia Partners, and more industry leaders shaping the future of tech. You can also dive deep into the latest trends and gain valuable insights by attending curated workshops and panel discussions. Additionally, you can connect with like-minded professionals and build lasting connections through exclusive networking opportunities. And don't forget the vibrant exhibition floor, where you can discover innovative products and technologies from leading companies. Don't delay any further - [secure your ticket today](  ---------------------------------------------------------------  EVENTS HAPPENING You can also check out a curated list of trending tech events [over here](. [Tech in Asia Conference Jakarta | October 23 - 24]( SOLD OUT... but they're back by popular demand! Pro Pass and Investor Pass were gone in a flash, but we’ve just released more! Don’t miss your second chance to join Southeast Asia’s largest tech event of the year. Get ready to network with industry giants like Golden Gate Ventures, AT Kearney, eFishery, Jala Tech, and many more! This is your opportunity to connect, learn, and grow with the brightest minds in the tech world. Spots are limited and won’t last long. [Secure your pass]( now before they sell out again! [SYNC 2024 on October 08]( SYNC 2024 is almost here, and it’ll bring together the brightest minds in AI. We are thrilled to announce our stellar lineup of main stage speakers. He Ruimin, chief AI officer of Singapore’s Ministry of Digital Development and Information, will be speaking about the country's national AI strategy and its transformative impact. Oliver Jay, managing director of OpenAI, will be sharing the company's vision for the future of generative AI. Last but not least, Min-Liang Tan, CEO of Razer, will discuss how AI is poised to change the world of gaming, pushing the boundaries with Razer's innovations. Limited seats are available so [apply for an invite]( today! [After Party at Tech in Asia Conference Jakarta | October 24]( The conference may be over, but the party is just getting started! After two days of high-impact sessions, it’s time to relax and network at Tech in Asia Conference’s Official After Party. Unwind, connect with fellow attendees, and celebrate the end of an incredible event. Powered by AppsFlyer, this event is reserved for Tech in Asia Conference Pro Pass, Investor Pass holders, Speakers, and Partners. More Pro and Investor Pass added! [Secure yours]( before they’re sold out (again) [Google Cloud’s Startup Tech Day on October 16]( The future of your AI-powered startup starts with an exclusive preview of Google Cloud's latest AI tools. We're talking cutting-edge showcases, unfiltered advice from AI veterans, and unparalleled networking that will make your LinkedIn profile a magnet for opportunity. [Tech in Asia’s Founders Meetup: Philippines on November 14]( Don't just dream it - do it. Connect with Southeast Asia’s tech visionaries and turn your startup aspirations into reality. You could unlock growth opportunities, master investment strategies, and spark game-changing connections. [Get your ticket now to save 20%!]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Take care of yourself World Mental Health Day is around the corner, so this is as good a time as any to remind leaders about how they can look after themselves while guiding their teams and running their businesses. Check out [this self-care checklist]( for some tips.  2️⃣ What Google’s ad trial means for the layperson In case you didn’t know, Google is in the middle of defending itself in an ad tech antitrust trial. [This Masters of Scale episode]( dives into what the case means for regular Joe Schmoes, including how it could affect democracy and journalism.  3️⃣ Where will this story go next? OpenAI is going through lots of changes, and it appears to be straying further and further away from aligning its tech development with the good of humanity - all in the name of maximizing fundraising. On one hand, business is business. On the other…. sigh. Read the details in [this Pitchbook article](.  4️⃣ How to sell in a genAI world [This article on the Andreessen Horowitz website]( identifies macroeconomic uncertainty and the rise of genAI as some key factors in the decreased spending on software - and, therefore, less money for tech startups. How should businesses sell in the context of this new paradigm? Thankfully, the piece also tackles that.\  5️⃣ Finding the right partner [This article]( by Eze Vidra, managing partner of Remagine Ventures, provides some tips on how founders can find not just an investor but the right one for them. Like in dating, you need to have a set of criteria. --------------------------------------------------------------- [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