Even the wicked need rest

Sakana AI, Whatfix, Kismet, 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 a tech and startup world that’s about moving forward and building and growing more, it can sometimes be difficult to realize how much progress has been made. The constant striving and hustling can lead to burnout, so it behooves us all to take a break every now and then and look at how far we’ve come. Besides a little rest, it can also serve as inspiration, seeing all that’s been accomplished. Plus, in the toughest times, reflecting can provide some silver linings, as one of the articles in today’s Thoughtful Tidbits points out. 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$200 million series A round](. Investors include the likes of 500 Global, Dai-ichi Life Insurance, and Fujitsu Corporate Venture Capital. IN Indian digital adoption platform Whatfix has secured US$100 million in series E money from SoftBank Vision Fund and Sweet Nectar. AU Kismet is an Australian healthtech startup addressing social disparities in service accessibility and gaps in personnel and infrastructure. It has raised just over US$13 million in seed funding, with Singapore-based MassMutual Ventures among the participating investors. BN Pathao is a Bangladeshi motorbike-hailing app that also provides courier services, food deliveries, and car-sharing services. It received US$12 million in bridge funding from Anchorless Bangladesh, Openspace, and South Asia Tech, among others. ID CarbonEthics, an Indonesia-based developer of natural climate solutions, has [secured US$2.1 million in seed funding]( from Intudo Ventures. Here’s the complete list of this week’s funding chart: [51 deals worth over US$555 million](.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  M&As IN Moonshine Technologies, an Indian firm that operates a leading online poker platform in the country, has been acquired by gaming and sports media company Nazara Technologies for over US$99 million. IN Ezee.ai, an Indian software solutions provider previously known as EpikIndifi, has sold 26% of its equity to fintech firm Veefin. The deal is worth around US$14 million. IN Indian computer vision firm AJA Vision Technologies has been acquired by agritech startup Marsh Harrier. The financial details of the deal were not made publicly available.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  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 creates AI-powered solutions for personalized scalp and hair care. ML This Malaysian startup automates the front-end and digitalizes the back-end of operations for hotels and homestays. ID This Indonesia-based firm provides a cold storage service that enables SMEs to store their products in a warehouse. 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](. - ✅︎ “While other VC discussions often felt mechanical, with limited understanding of our market and idea despite having received our pitch deck in advance, [this VC’s] approach was refreshingly different. She came to the conversation well prepared, having thoroughly reviewed our deck beforehand, and instead of asking us to present it, she focused on asking insightful questions to clarify specific points. We greatly appreciated the respect and genuine interest she showed in our business.” - [Read more]( - ❌ ”They may ghost you. From my experience they were very active till they got data room access; then boom: they were gone.” - [Read more]( - ✅︎ “He is more than an investor. He is a friend and a great advisor. He does more than investing. He provides all sorts of assistance to help our company prosper. Our growth up to this point was thanks to his timely and valuable advice.” - [Read more]( ---------------------------------------------------------------  ENGINEERING AND PRODUCT FOLKS, CAN YOU HEAR EACH OTHER? AI the matchmaker The way we build things is changing. On September 26, industry experts Ronald Stevanus (ShopBack’s director of engineering) and Keith Oh (Carousell’s head of product design) will lead an interactive discussion on how AI is transforming collaboration. Pick up actionable strategies to streamline your workflows and gain a competitive edge. Seats are filling up fast - [apply now for an invite]( to join us at Coriander Leaf CHIJMES next week.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  EVENTS HAPPENING You can also check out a curated list of trending tech events [over here](. [Elevate Your Investment Strategy at TIA Conference Jakarta | October 23 - 24]( The clock is ticking on your chance to snag exclusive access to Southeast Asia's hottest startups at TIA Conference Jakarta. Here's why you need to be there: - Uncover hidden gems: Dive deep into the TIA startup network and find your next investment. - Make crucial connections: Secure exclusive meetings with the region's most promising founders through Investor Hour. - Fuel your hustle: Network with fellow investors over five-star catered meals and access on-demand sessions packed with actionable insights. Only 50 Investor Passes remain - [secure yours now]( before they're gone! [Leadership Collective: Building at Scale on September 26]( The way we build things is changing. Join industry experts from ShopBack and Carousell as they lead an interactive discussion on how AI is transforming collaboration. Pick up actionable strategies to streamline your workflows and gain a competitive edge. Seats are filling up fast - [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 Hae Na Noh 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]( SYNC 2024, taking place on October 8 at Capella Singapore, will bring together Asia's leading minds in AI. We're excited to announce our full speaker lineup: Oliver Jay from OpenAI, and Min-Liang Tan from Razer. These industry leaders will share their insights and expertise, providing valuable perspectives on the latest AI advancements and their impact on various sectors. This exclusive event is by application only. [Find out more today.]( [Tech in Asia Conference Jakarta on October 23 - 24]( As Indonesia’s startup scene continues to evolve, new opportunities emerge beyond the traditional hotspots. Join us at TIA Conference Jakarta to dive into the latest trends and discover new investment opportunities in Indonesia's maturing startup ecosystem. [Get your tickets now]( at a special rate of 30% off. This offer is valid only until October 2. --------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Top of the pops It seems like every company and their mother is offering generative AI solutions nowadays, but which ones are people really using? [This list]( on the Andreessen Horowitz website tells us who the top 100 are.  2️⃣ You might be further along than you think “Traction” is one of those words that feels like it has been completely co-opted by the startup and tech scene. Well, [this First Round Review article]( looks at some not-so-obvious signs of early startup traction - they might be helpful if you think your startup or portfolio company is stalling.  3️⃣ “One Thing You Wish People Better Understood About Venture Capital” That’s the title of a series on venture capitalist Hunter Walk’s blog in which he [speaks to investor friends on the topic](. Grabbed me immediately. Hopefully it’ll do for you, too.  4️⃣ Buyers hold the cards Acquisitions are getting cheaper and cheaper amid the tepid tech market and deep discounts abound, as [this Pitchbook article shows](. One vertical isn’t as affected, and you can guess which one that is.  5️⃣ Said so easily, like buying a burger Amid ByteDance’s legal troubles in the US, why would any American want to buy the firm? In this [Masters of Scale episode]( investor and former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt tells us why he’s putting together a consortium to bid for the app.  --------------------------------------------------------------- [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. 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