How Singapore’s fintech sector is faring

More: Carousell appoints a new head of luxury and Microsoft announces it’s adding ChatGPT to Azure OpenAI. [Read from your browser]( Daily Newsletter --------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to Tech in Asia's free Daily Newsletter! Get full access to our subscribers-only Daily Newsletter and other insightful analysis on the big and messy topics of Asia’s tech and startup community by [registering here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Hello {NAME} One of my good friends works in finance, and he recently attended an outing with his work colleagues during the Christmas period. We’re always ribbing each other, so I took a jab and played on the stereotype of guys working in his industry - let’s call them “finance bros.” I asked him: “Did you wear a white shirt with rolled sleeves and some kind of rolled-up slacks or chinos, as well as a nice watch to top it off?” He stared at me before replying: “No I didn’t ... but the other four did.” Damn I’m good. Here in tech, we’ve got our own stereotype as well - the “tech bro,” which The Guardian describes as: “A US-born, college-educated, Patagonia-clad male whose entry-level salary at one of the [FAANG companies]( is at least US$125,000 and who frequently insists that his female co-workers give him high-fives. Typically works in product management or marketing. Had he been born 10 years earlier, he would have been a finance bro instead.” It all adds up. I wonder what happens when you combine both of these stereotypes for the fintech industry. People who work in the sector, I’d love to hear from you. All jokes aside, we’ve got an article about the key players in Singapore’s fintech space. While it might not help us define what a fintech bro might look like, it’s - unlike my musings - actually helpful in figuring out what’s important in the sector. -- Jonathan  ---------------------------------------------------------------  THE BIG STORY [The key players in Singapore’s thriving fintech space (update)]( In 2022, funding for fintech startups in Singapore reached a peak of US$2.31 billion across 85 deals. --------------------------------------------------------------- TRENDING NEWS [Malaysian biotech firm banks $5.7m in series A round]( Biogenes has inked agreements to enter Indonesia and the Philippines this year. [Singapore-based cybersecurity firm nabs $15m in series A money]( The company plans to further develop its AI and machine learning cybersecurity insurtech platform. [Carousell names Ox Street founder as head of luxury]( Carousell acquired Ox Street, a marketplace for high-end sneakers, in October 2021 to deepen its reach in the fashion and luxury goods segment. [KKday doubles revenue in 2022 as international travel recovers]( The Taiwan-based travel platform shared that its gross merchandise value in 2022 surpassed pre-Covid levels. [Animoca-backed Forkast News and CryptoSlam announce merger]( Called Forkast Labs, the merged entity aims to create a standard methodology for Web3 asset valuation. [Microsoft to incorporate ChatGPT into cloud services]( It will be added to Azure OpenAI Service, which lets clients build apps with the help of ChatGPT developer OpenAI’s projects. ---------------------------------------------------------------  TECH IN ASIA SCHOOL Beat the fundraising winter The fundraising winter has arrived like a cold front blanketing Southeast Asian shores. Does it spell gloom and doom for your startup or will you take this as an opportunity to hone your pitch and cast your nets wider? We’re launching the second cohort of our [Fundraising Program]( which aims to help early-stage founders sharpen their pitch and become investor-ready within six weeks. Around 30% of the founders in our first Fundraising Program have secured funds within six months. Check out some of the investment experts who will serve as mentors in the next edition of our program: - [Erwin Arifin]( Kejora Capital - [Jeremy Au]( Monk’s Hill Ventures - [Ziheng Li]( Saison Capital - [Bianca Widjaja]( BRI Ventures - [Davita Natasha]( AFG Partner - [Minh Vuhong]( previously with Qualgro - [Erika Tanudjaya]( OCBC NISP Ventura If there’s a specific fund you’re interested in but it’s not on our list, just let us know and we’ll reach out to them. Start your journey with only a US$200 admin payment. The subsequent success fee will only be required if you manage to raise funds. [Apply here]( to be part of the second cohort of our Fundraising Program cohort, which will launch in February. ---------------------------------------------------------------  WHO'S HIRING You can post a job [here]( or search for jobs [here](. - [Marketing Manager]( at Tech in Asia Singapore, Singapore - [Legal Supervisor]( at Gokomodo Jakarta, Indonesia - [Pharmacy Community and Business Development Executive]( at SwipeRx (mClinica) Kuala Selangor, Malaysia - [Business Development Executive]( at Female Daily Network Jakarta, Indonesia - [Sr. QA Engineer (Remote)]( at Rakamin Academy Indonesia Bulk Terminal, Indonesia - [Events Marketer]( at Tech in Asia Singapore, Singapore [ADVERTISE]( | [SUBSCRIBE]( 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](  ---------------------------------------------------------------  Copyright © 2023 Tech in Asia, All rights reserved. 63 Robinson Road, Singapore 068894