A surprise contender in this week's fundraising

Investree, InterContinental Energy, Satya MicroCapital, 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} Everyone loves a good underdog story, right? Films like Rocky and Shawshank Redemption are dear to many people’s hearts. In sports, it’s not unusual to see spectators cheering for the “weaker” player or team. I’m not sure why we like rooting for the underdog so much, but maybe it’s because most of us have been in a similar position before. I’ve been writing this newsletter for about a year now, and I often see the usual suspects making the top five in the biggest deals by country section. Singapore, Indonesia, and India are staples on the list, along with several others. This time around, however, there’s a pleasant surprise. This is the first time I’ve seen Nepal on that list, and it was a nice change of pace to have a new face. Which was the startup that broke the mold? Read on to find 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 that recently took place. -- Jonathan  --------------------------------------------------------------- THE BIGGEST DEALS BY COUNTRY  ID Investree is an Indonesian peer-to-peer lending marketplace. It got US$230 million in series D money from JTA International Holding and SBI Holdings. SG Singapore-based cleantech firm InterContinental Energy has raised US$115 million through an equity investment made by the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation and Hy24. IN Satya MicroCapital, an Indian microfinancing company, has secured US$60 million in debt from Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. NP Global IME Bank is a Nepal-based merchant and investment bank. The International Finance Corporation has proposed to extend a US$56 million loan to the Nepalese firm. CN Chinese cleantech startup iPotisEdge has scored US$41.1 million for its series D round from Boyu Capita, Eelion Investments, Jinsha Capita, and Red Banyan Capital. Here’s the complete list of this week’s funding chart: [35 deals worth over US$800 million](.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  M&As PH Electronic Commerce Payments, a Filipino payment system provider, has been acquired by Mynt for US$40 million. AE PublishMe is a games marketing agency that’s based in the United Arab Emirates. It’s been acquired by the Singapore-based subsidiary of Nodwin Gaming for US$2 million. IN Wheebox is an online talent and skill assessment company. The Indian firm has been acquired by ETS Strategic Capital for an undisclosed amount. SG Singapore-based Vertex Technology Acquisition Corporation, the special purpose acquisition company of VC Vertex Holdings, has proposed a merger with 17Live, a livestreaming platform from Taiwan. The deal values the combined firm between US$730 million and US$846.8 million.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  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]( SG Anycover is a Singapore-based B2B2C insurtech startup. ID Ekosis is an Indonesian platform that serves the country’s agriculture sector. VN Based in Vietnam, Toothless helps develop no-code solutions businesses. You can find the full list of fundraising startups in Asia [over here](.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  KILLER PITCH DECKS 1️⃣ This pitch deck helped an Indian data analytics startup bag US$1.5 million in pre-seed funding PredictiVu uses AI and machine learning to automate the analysis of large datasets. The firm used [this pitch deck]( to raise its pre-seed round in 2021. With its straightforward design, the presentation is easy to read and understand. It also highlights the problem businesses face in analyzing marketing data and explains how PredictiVu addresses the issue. 2️⃣ A healthtech firm’s pitch deck got the attention of a former PayPal executive Oscar is a direct-to-consumer platform that provides medical insurance packages for individuals, families, and small groups. The US-based firm used [this pitch deck]( in 2014 to secure US$80 million in a series A round led by Joe Londsdale, a general partner at 8VC and an ex-PayPal executive. The deck begins by providing a background on the health insurance industry before introducing Oscar and how it works. 3️⃣ A podcasting startup won 500 Startups’ backing via this deck Sports-focused Blue Wire Podcasts showcases the expertise of journalists, influential fans, commentators, and former athletes on its platform. The company used [this pitch deck]( at a 500 Startups demo day in 2019 and landed US$150,000 in pre-seed funding. The presentation begins by introducing founder Kevin Jones and goes on to lay out why he started Blue Wire Podcasts.  --------------------------------------------------------------- CONVENE AND CONNECT Get a ticket to this exclusive gathering on November 16 to think outside the box A key element of successful businesses is the ability to continuously pave a path towards growth and profitability amid changing market trends. Though scaling typically happens behind the scenes, it's crucial for decision-makers to consider best practices and to get creative on how to improve and gain recognition for their work on this process. Keen to find out how it’s done? Get it straight from senior business leaders, talent managers, and founders at Brushstrokes to Success: Design a Solid Growth Plan for 2024, an exclusive gathering co-hosted by Tech in Asia and G-P at Bridge+ on November 16. Gain and exchange insights with our panelists from Aspire, 2C2P, and G-P in an open Q&A session. Over light bites and drinks, we’ll also go through an exciting agenda of quizzes, modern calligraphy, panel discussions and more. Don’t miss this opportunity to revolutionize existing strategies and to elevate your decision-making abilities. [Get a ticket]( to this closed-door event NOW before they’re all snatched up!  --------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Two by two (or more) Being a team player should be a top priority for any employee. Whether you’re working in an office or at home, you’ll have to spend a lot of time interacting with teammates. How can companies encourage better collaboration in the workplace? Check out [this podcast episode]( to get some advice. 2️⃣ Clear channels As much as I love working from home, there’s something about video calls that don’t sit right with me. Maybe it’s because it’s a lot easier to misinterpret someone, especially since you can’t see their body language clearly. If you feel the same way, the results of [this research study]( might interest you. 3️⃣ One question to rule them all I think most people would say that there’s rarely a one-size-fits-all approach to anything. However, the author of [this post on Medium]( believes that every founder needs to at least answer this single question. Do you agree? 4️⃣ Stronger together Unions have been making the news recently because of the strikes initiated by the Writers Guild, the Screen Actors Guild, and more. Do these latest developments signal a new era for unions? Find oute [here](. 5️⃣ Going against Goliath Elon Musk’s reputation seems to have gone down the drain in some circles, particularly the left-leaning crowd. But what happens when you’ve gone up against him face-to-face (metaphorically speaking)? Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, [recounts his experience](.  --------------------------------------------------------------- [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