Big week for M&As in India

IndoSpace, ShopUp, SureStar, 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} It’s kind of funny how I’m at an age where it seems like everyone around me is getting married or engaged. Every other week, a post on my Instagram feed or other social media apps pops up, showing a sparkling diamond ring or some wedding decorations. I’m always really happy to see such updates because my friends are probably having the best time of their lives (hopefully). It’s interesting how we view unions as such happy things. And if that’s anything to go by, then the startup scene in India has much to celebrate, given how many M&As took place over the last week. 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. --------------------------------------------------------------- THE BIGGEST DEALS BY COUNTRY  IN IndoSpace is India’s largest investor, developer, and manager of industrial and logistics real estate. It raised US$205 million in a bridge round from Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. BD ShopUp, a Bangladeshi social commerce platform, [closed a US$30 million debt round]( from The City Bank and Lendable. CN SureStar is a China-based lidar tech firm that bagged US$26.5 million in a strategic investment from Guolian Tongshuo Investment, Hongsong Capital, and Hui Capital. TW WeMo Scooter is an urban mobility tech and services company from Taiwan. It [got US$15 million]( in series A money from AppWorks and Taiwan National Development Fund. ID Indonesian agtech firm EdenFarm [scored US$13.5 million for its bridge round]( from AC Ventures, AppWorks, and Telkomsel Mitra Inovasi. Here’s the complete list of this week’s funding chart: [55 deals worth over US$490 million](.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  M&As IL Cloudify is a cloud management startup based in Israel. It’s been [acquired by Dell Technologies]( for US$100 million. IN India-based SpeedForce, a franchise that services two-wheeler vehicles, has been acquired by roadside assistance provider ReadyAssist for US$10 million. IN Wrogn, an ecommerce platform from India, has been acquired by Goat Brand Labs for an undisclosed amount. IN Zyoga is an Indian AI-powered fitness startup that got acquired by Appointy, an online scheduling software provider. Financial details were not disclosed. IN Imara, an India-based firm that focuses on women’s ethnic apparel, has also been acquired by Goat Brand Labs for an undisclosed sum. IN Based in India, InstaLogist is a marketplace for load and fleet providers in the logistics and transportation sectors. It’s been acquired by Vahak, but the terms of the deal are not 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. Do you run a startup that’s raising at the moment or know someone who does? Sign your company up for listing [here](.  BD Durjoy DSS is a retail startup that’s looking to build a chain of 200 square feet-large grocery stores in Bangladesh. IN Unite Profession Boxing is an India-based platform for professional boxers. ID Cengkih is an Indonesian cross-border marketplace for agricultural products. You can find the full list of fundraising startups in Asia [over here](.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  KILLER PITCH DECKS 1️⃣ A Singaporean digital media firm scored US$10 million with this pitch deck TotallyAwesome curates media inventory used to safely engage kids throughout the Asia Pacific. For its seed round, it used [this pitch deck]( and bagged US$10 million. The presentation has a consistent theme and is clear about the firm’s performance, especially amid competitors in the space. It also shares the company’s exit strategy and valuation rationale. 2️⃣ A Pakistani health super app used this pitch deck for its pre-series A round Find My Doctor is a platform that provides a one-stop, at-home solution for all medical needs. With [this pitch deck]( the firm raised pre-series A funding in 2022. The deck is concise and well-designed, looks professional, and balances words and visuals. It begins with an introduction of the team, followed by key information on Find My Doctor’s growth and services. 3️⃣ This pitch deck helped a multiplayer TV platform get funding from 500 Startups US-based Hearo Live enables users to watch movies, shows, or live TV together online. The firm used [this pitch deck]( at a 500 Startups demo day in 2019 and successfully secured seed funding. The presentation is straightforward and begins by introducing the firm's co-founders and their backgrounds. It then highlights the social aspect of games, recounting how the team was inspired to build Hearo Live. The deck also presents data on the huge market potential of the media, gaming, and entertainment industry. ---------------------------------------------------------------  EVENTS HAPPENING You can also check out a curated list of trending tech events [over here](. - [Tech in Asia’s Product Development Conference 2023]( from May 16 to May 17 Tech in Asia’s Product Development Conference is back! This year’s edition, which will be held in person in Jakarta, will feature over 20 industry leaders, experts, and innovators sharing the latest trends and strategies that can accelerate product development growth. [Register now]( and you can get two tickets for the price of one. This early bird promo is available for a limited time only, though, so don’t miss out!  - [Tech in Asia’s Founders Meetup: Singapore on February 22]( Our networking event, Founders Meetup: Singapore, is happening on February 22, at Crane (Arab Street). Join us and share the hardest challenges you’ve faced as a founder. To help you find solutions, we’ll introduce you to fellow founders who have been there and done that. Register today! --------------------------------------------------------------- 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 far will you push the line? We always hear about how the business world is so cutthroat that you have to do whatever it takes to succeed. In a general sense, that is true. But there comes a point where what you need to do could conflict with your morals. What can you do in such cases? [This interview]( with Janice Bryant Howroyd, founder and CEO of The ActOne Group, could shed some light. 2️⃣ Don’t push it As the saying goes: You can bring a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. It’s the same with customers - you can try your best to sell them a product, but you can’t force them to buy it. What can you do to improve product adoption in that case? Perhaps [this article]( on First Round Review could help. 3️⃣ Join the herd In Singapore, we don’t typically have much in the way of national-level diversity and inclusion policies, despite their importance in today’s societies. It falls to each individual to be as inclusive as possible. [This Harvard Business Review article]( shows some small steps to be more inclusive at the workplace. 4️⃣ Hear me out In investing, there’s the common idea that one should always do their research, and this also applies to building a business. That said, there’s nothing wrong with seeking help when you’re out of your depth. How can founders know when to take advice and when not to? [This podcast episode]( on Masters of Scale gives some insight into the matter. 5️⃣ For the right price One of the biggest challenges for any company is pricing. This could be even trickier, given the current macroeconomic conditions. [This article]( on Andreessen Horowitz’s website breaks down different pricing and packaging pitfalls, as well as what to do about them.  --------------------------------------------------------------- [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 Jonathan Chew. It’s edited by Dhania Putri Sarahtika. Copyright © 2023 Tech in Asia, All rights reserved. 63 Robinson Road, Singapore 068894