When AI takes the wheel

DiDi Autonomous Driving, Eruditus Executive Education, Giftmall, 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} Now that we’re in the age of AI, are you ready to entrust your life to a machine? The biggest funding deal we have this week is for DiDi Autonomous Driving. It’s a Chinese company that, as the name suggests, develops self-driving cars. I wouldn’t feel great about getting in a car that drives itself, to be honest. But I may be more alone in that view than I think, seeing that the company has just raised close to US$300 million. Still, I’d rather be in the driver’s seat and be in charge of every straight section and turn - in the same way that VCs would rather make their own investment decisions rather than leaving them to AI. 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. -- Peter  --------------------------------------------------------------- THE BIGGEST DEALS BY COUNTRY CN DiDi Autonomous Driving is an intelligent driving tech developer based in China. The firm has raised [US$298 million]( in a series C round from Didi Chuxing and GAC Group. IN Eruditus Executive Education is an Indian edtech firm that focuses on business-related education programs. The company has secured US$150 million from Accel Partners, CPP Investments, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Leeds Illuminate, SoftBank Vision Fund, and The Rise Fund. JP Japanese ecommerce platform Giftmall has gained US$35 million in a series B round from Nomura Sparx Investment and Sparx Asset Management Mirai Creation Fund. KR Korea Precision Materials Industry, a hardware manufacturing firm based in South Korea, has scooped up US$7.4 million in series B funding from various investors. SA Mala is a B2B procure-now-pay-later platform headquartered in Saudi Arabia. It has received US$7 million in bridge funding. Here’s the complete list of this week’s funding chart: [78 deals worth over US$1.1 billion](.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  M&As CN  Chinese company [Yikuai Pharmaceutical]( has been acquired by Hong Kong-listed YSB Pharmaceuticals in a deal worth US$145.5 million. IN [Algorhythm Tech]( is an Indian logistics services company. It has been acquired by SaaS firm Mobisy Technologies for an undisclosed amount. UAE [Bazaara]( a UAE-based community marketplace app for buying and selling preloved clothing, accessories, and home goods, has been acquired by fashion startup Best Kept Shared. The acquisition cost was not made public.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  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](. MY EVIS is a Malaysian startup that offers ergonomic office solutions, including adjustable desks and ergonomic chairs. TH JobWayApp is a Thailand-based firm that is currently developing a personalized career development platform. SG Slated Labs Pte Ltd is a Singaporean startup that aims to help individuals achieve a stronger physique using tech and AI. 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 fundraising process went smoothly and enjoyable. Everything was clear from the beginning and in line with the deadline. They also greatly assisted us in the legal and administrative processes.” - [Read more]( - ❌ “While they are known for making quick investment decisions, I found their team lacked the deep entrepreneurial expertise and technical understanding that my startup requires. The rapid pace was a double-edged sword, it got us funded quickly, but I'm not confident their team has the right capabilities to truly support our long-term growth. The experience was mixed for us.” - [Read more]( - ✅︎ “They are very straightforward and open with their evaluation and consideration. No nonsense work that was not purposeful. They voiced out what they like and what their concerns are about the business.” - [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- FOUNDERS, YOU’RE NOT ALONE - WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED Get battle-tested advice from fellow founders who've walked the path Founders Meetup Philippines is brimming with perks for founders. From engaging discussions on funding to exclusive face time with investors and fellow founders, there’s a lot in store for you at the event. But don’t just take our word for it. Join us in Manila on November 14 for the opportunity to connect with founders and investors from Eluvo Health, AHG Lab, Founders Launchpad, and more. [Get your ticket today!](  ---------------------------------------------------------------  EVENTS HAPPENING You can also check out a curated list of trending tech events [over here](. [Startup Spotlight with Tech in Asia & Airwallex on November 21]( Get ready for an electrifying showdown, as nine startups from across Southeast Asia will battle it out live. Each of them will be given three minutes to captivate the audience and four esteemed judges with their game-changing solutions. Don’t just hear about it; be there to find out who will emerge as the champion. [Apply for an invite now!]( [DNA Leadership Summit on November 14-15 | Jakarta]( Struggling with the tough decisions and constant pressure that come with leadership? You're not alone. The DNA Leadership Summit is designed to address these challenges. Hear directly from top leaders at Sinar Mas Land, Blue Bird, Vidio, Cakap, and Binar, as they share their real-world experiences and strategies that helped them navigate complex business landscapes. This is your chance to gain practical insights from those who’ve faced similar challenges—and come out on top. [Sign up for free](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 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 That prompt is copyrighted! We’ve all gotten used to interacting with AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude via prompts. [This piece]( by Tomasz Tunguz, general partner at Theory Ventures, looks into why good prompts may soon be seen as valuable intellectual property. 2️⃣ The best-laid plans of execs and men Everyone loves annual planning, right? Oh, nobody? Well, [this article]( should help make it just a tiny bit less dreadful. 3️⃣ Time for a trip Remote work has been a revelation for many of us, myself included. With my last full-time office job, I would always get stuck in traffic while commuting to and from work. I no longer endure that, thankfully, though I sometimes miss the collaborative environment offered by an office. For managers who feel the same way, there’s a solution worth exploring: corporate offsites. Read [this piece]( to learn why these trips are worth the investment. 4️⃣ Trade-off With all the uncertainties surrounding China-Taiwan tensions, one thing remains: Any event that disrupts import-export activities in the Taiwan Strait would affect the trade of a number of countries. This [visual story]( sheds light on whose trade will be hardest hit if anything like this occurs.  5️⃣ Putting your chips on AI This [episode]( of The Twenty Minute VC podcast with Mamoon Hamid, general partner at Kleiner Perkins, dives into where the real value in the AI investing cycle is, among other topics.  --------------------------------------------------------------- [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