One deal to rule them all

ChangXin Memory Technologies, Singlife, Xpressbees, 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} Up until recently, the Dallas Mavericks - the NBA team I support - felt very much like a one-man show. Luka Dončić is a fantastic player, but most of his teammates were limited, usually only good at one or two things. This meant that whenever he went to the bench or couldn’t play due to injury or suspension, the team’s performance cratered. “Top-heavy” would be an accurate word. And it’s also relevant to today’s deals - while second and third place post impressive numbers at US$132 million and US$80 million respectively, the top deal today blows them out of the water at US$5.3 billion. 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. -- Winston  --------------------------------------------------------------- THE BIGGEST DEALS BY COUNTRY  CN ChangXin Memory Technologies is a Chinese company that designs and manufactures dynamic random-access memory semiconductor products. It received US$5.3 billion in bridge funding from the China National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund. SG Singlife, a Singapore-based digital insurer, [secured over US$132 million]( in strategic investment from Sumitomo Life. IN Xpressbees, an Indian logistics company specializing in ecommerce, [got US$80 million in series G money]( from the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. JP Luup, a Japanese firm that creates a short-distance mobile infrastructure, closed a round of debt financing worth over US$24 million. Participating investors include the likes of Bank of Kyoto, Credit Saison, and JA Mitsui Leasing. KR South Korean firm DoBrain provides educational interventions for children. It secured a US$14.7 million series B funding round, with InterVest and KB Investment putting their money in. Here’s the complete list of this week’s funding chart: [74 deals worth over US$5.7 billion](.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  M&As IN FlipItMoney, an Indian fintech firm, has been acquired by consumer internet company Delente Technologies for an undisclosed sum.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  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]( ID Pipopa is an Indonesian social platform for consumer goods rental. IN India-based UpAI simplifies intraday trading by providing real-time, data-driven stock predictions to help traders make informed decisions. ID Sagara Technology is a technology consulting company and digital product agency from Indonesia. You can find the full list of fundraising startups in Asia [over here](.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  KILLER PITCH DECKS 1️⃣ A Flourish Ventures executive reviews Coinbase’s seed-stage pitch deck In September 2012, Coinbase raised US$600,000 in seed funding. Smita Aggarwal, global investment advisor at Flourish Ventures, dissects the crypto exchange’s pitch deck [in this video]( and shares what she thought was good and what could have been improved. 2️⃣ This pitch deck helped a Sequoia-backed startup bag US$60 million in series C funding Ethos, a US-based insurtech startup, uses machine learning and data science to underwrite life insurance policies. It used [this pitch deck]( to raise US$60 million in its series C round. The deck introduces Ethos’ vision and roadmap, which is geared toward untangling problems in the insurance industry. The presentation then explains how the company’s services simplify the insurance application process. 3️⃣ A music-learning platform raised US$1.2 million with this pitch deck Melodics’ desktop app helps users learn how to play musical instruments. With [this pitch deck]( the New Zealand-based startup secured seed funding in 2017. The simple and concise deck begins with a picture and quote to engage with the audience. It shares why Melodics was established, gives a sneak peek into the platform, and spotlights the startup’s well-known partner companies.  --------------------------------------------------------------- IN PARTNERSHIP WITH The “growth at all costs” era is over. What’s next? Just a few years ago, “more, more, more” was at the top of many founders’ minds as they focused on trying to get the biggest piece of the pie possible. Today, that’s no longer the case. Funding has taken a severe hit, and there’s a much stronger focus on fundamental business models and profitability. In this regard, Charles Ferguson, general manager for Asia Pacific at G-P, says that companies need to be practical and invest in two key areas. The first is building a diverse workforce. This not only improves the quality of operations but also helps the firm avoid putting all its eggs in one basket. Still on the theme of diversity, the second area to invest in is market expansion. By having a presence in different markets, companies can ensure greater resilience in their operations and supply chains. If you want to learn more about new, all-encompassing growth strategies to help your business forge through tough times, sign up for G-P’s upcoming panel discussion [here](.  --------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Bringing in the right people managers Hiring talent is tough. Hiring talent that’s the right fit is tougher. Hiring people who can effectively manage that talent is arguably the toughest of all. Luckily, [this First Round Review article]( is here to offer some tips on how to recruit better managers. 2️⃣ The importance of sleep Even VCs have issues with their sleeping patterns, if [this blog post]( by Union Square Ventures’ Fred Wilson is anything to go by. Take a look at his personal tips for better productivity with better sleep. 3️⃣ Recognition where it’s due I’m of the belief that, no matter one’s profile (poor or rich; old or young; CEO or intern), everyone appreciates being recognized for their efforts. While I’m loath to bring in the “business” aspect, companies and managers who consistently make their people feel valued are likely to enjoy better performance. Simply sincerely caring makes all the difference. [This Harvard Business Review (HBR) article]( offers some advice for boosting employee engagement. 4️⃣ How to get out Exiting - via IPO or acquisition - is the business dream of almost every entrepreneur. But doing so is really difficult - it’s just as well we have some tips from a VC on [the top early priorities founders should have]( to set their companies up for a successful exit. 5️⃣ More on AI Everybody wants to use AI, but how many people know exactly what skills are needed to properly take advantage of the technology? [This HBR piece]( gives us the lowdown on the key capabilities that will take your company sky high instead of Skynet.  --------------------------------------------------------------- [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. Copyright © 2023 Tech in Asia, All rights reserved. 63 Robinson Road, Singapore 068894