Did you get a good deal on 9.9?

This week: Lazada, Be Group, Skyroot Aerospace, and more startups raised funding. [Read from your browser]( FOMO Saturday Hello {NAME} I don’t typically shop on the internet - in fact, it wasn’t until this year that I bought clothes online. That said, I still found myself caught up in the 9.9 frenzy, stalking online marketplaces like Shopee and Lazada at the stroke of midnight in search of good bargains Despite my efforts, I ended up getting nothing. But that’s not the case for Singapore-based Lazada, which [got US$912.5 million in late-stage funding]( from Alibaba Group this week. With over US$4.6 billion in total funding, Lazada is one of Southeast Asia’s top-funded companies, alongside Sea Group, Grab, GoTo, and J&T Express. If you want to have a look at the region’s startup ecosystem’s funding over the last decade, we [recently published a visual story]( detailing just that - check it out. You can find all other important M&A and 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. -- Nathaniel --------------------------------------------------------------- THE BIGGEST DEALS BY COUNTRY 🇸🇬 Lazada: The Singapore-headquartered ecommerce platform [bagged US$912.5 million in late-stage funding]( from Alibaba Group. 🇻🇳 Be Group: The Vietnamese ride-hailing firm [secured US$60 million in debt funding]( from Deutsche Bank. 🇮🇳 Skyroot Aerospace: The Indian spacetech startup got US$51 million in series B money from Government of Singapore Investment Corporation and LNM India. 🇨🇳 Neukio Biotherapeutics: The China-based biotech company raised US$50 million in series A money from CD Capital, IDG Capital, Lilly Asia Ventures, Surplus Capital, and Yahui Precision Medicine Fund. 🇸🇬 Docquity: The Singapore-based healthtech startup scored [US$44 million in series C funding]( from Alkemi Growth Capital/Alkemi Venture Partners, Global Brain Corporation, Itochu Corporation, Infocom, KDV Holdings, and iGlobe Partners. Here’s the complete list of this week’s funding chart: [103 deals worth over US$1.4 billion](. --------------------------------------------------------------- M&As 🇮🇳 India-based edtech unicorn Unacademy acquired local test prep startup Gate Academy for an undisclosed sum. 🇰🇷 South Korean digital advertising agency Directors Company acquired local health food manufacturer The Blab for an undisclosed amount. --------------------------------------------------------------- STARTUPS THAT ARE RAISING FUNDS Fundraising is hard. To make things slightly easier, we’ve compiled this list of fundraising startups for our subscribers. Do you run a startup that’s raising at the moment or know someone who does? Sign your company up for listing [here](. 🇲🇲 ModusOperandi is a startup that provides a full suite of financial services for underbanked businesses in Myanmar. 🇭🇰 MavSocial is a Hong Kong-headquartered social media marketing software startup for multillocation brands. 🇸🇬 The Surprize App is a Singapore-based gamified product marketing firm that helps brands captivate consumers through data-driven insights. You can find the full list of fundraising startups in Asia [over here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- KILLER PITCH DECKS 1️⃣ A freelance job platform’s pitch deck helped it secure US$1.3 million in funding Twine connects companies with talented freelancers in the creative, digital, and marketing sectors who can pitch for available projects. It used [this deck]( to secure over US$1 million in early-stage funding. The presentation begins by sharing opportunities in the freelance industry before pointing out its usual pain points and how Twine’s service solves them. It also showcases the company’s business model and route-to-market plan. 2️⃣ 500 Startups invested in this firm after seeing its pitch deck Shippo is an ecommerce platform that provides retailers with tools to streamline their shipping process. The California-based company used [this pitch deck]( to raise its seed round in 2014, which drew investors like 500 Startups. The deck is simple and concise - fit for a startup that’s raising funds for the first time - and clearly illustrates key figures that underpin Shippo’s growth, including its run rate, profit margin, and number of packages delivered. 3️⃣ An edtech startup used this pitch deck to raise its seed extension Kalpha is a peer-to-peer ecosystem for skills and knowledge-sharing where people can meet up online. The Singapore-based startup used [this pitch deck]( to help it close its seed extension funding round in 2020, attracting the attention of its existing backer, Nest Tech VN, and angel investors. The deck is easy to read, with important points highlighted in different colors or bold font. It also introduces Kalpha’s business and opportunity, explaining how the company works via an uncomplicated chart. --------------------------------------------------------------- TECH IN ASIA SCHOOL Office Hours at Tech in Asia Conference 2022 The founder’s journey is not for the meek! Ninety percent of startups fail. Throughout the entirety of Tech in Asia Conference 2022, we’re inviting founders of early-stage startups to join special Tech in Asia School Office Hours sessions to learn, ask questions, and get ideas on how to beat the odds. Register for workshops and candid conversations about the common challenges founders face in their journeys: Wednesday, September 21 - Office Hours - Aspiring Founders (11.45 a.m. - 1 p.m.): For formidable folks who want to launch a startup, but need to learn how - Open House & Interviews - The Aspiring Founders Program (2 p.m. - 4 p.m.): Learn about and apply for the next Tech in Asia School Aspiring Founders Program in October Thursday, September 22 - Office Hours - Growth (11 a.m. - 1 p.m.): For early-stage startup founders who need to build traction - Office Hours - Fundraising (2 p.m. - 4 p.m.): For startups with product-market fit that need funds to scale These in-person events are exclusively available to Tech in Asia Conference General Pass and Priority Pass holders. [Get your tickets and RSVP 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 How to ensure growth doesn’t hurt your margins As companies grow, it’s only natural for their margins to get watered down. Most founders will instinctively respond by raising prices, but often, the deeper problem is that their product isn’t working. The solution? Build a more diversified, customized product and pricing model. [This First Round Review piece]( explains how to go about it. 2️⃣ Should you invest in voice tech? The emergence of new technologies opens up opportunities to engage with customers. However, in the case of voice technology, recent research suggests that investment in the phenomenon might not pay off. [This Harvard Business Review article]( dives into what companies should consider before spending for this tech. 3️⃣ Building a successful fintech infrastructure There’s more than one way to do this, but some approaches work better than most. [This post on Andreessen Horowitz’ blog]( talks about four strategies that are vital to ensuring that fintech companies have a solid foundation and a path to scale. 4️⃣ Is reality getting in the way of quantum computing’s hype? Despite the excitement surrounding quantum computing, real applications for the technology have yet to emerge. Even if they do, though, they’re likely to require solutions on an unrealistically large scale. [This VentureBeat article]( discusses some of the roadblocks that quantum computing faces. 5️⃣ Fully remote environments are great, but… In [his latest blog post]( Union Square Ventures’ Fred Wilson ponders whether the success that some companies have achieved in fully remote environments means that face-to-face interactions are a thing of the past. What’s your opinion on the matter? --------------------------------------------------------------- [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 Nathaniel Fetalvero. It’s edited by Eileen C. Ang. Copyright © 2022 Tech in Asia, All rights reserved. 63 Robinson Road, Singapore 068894