Taking root regionally

• Who doesn’t love fresh food? 500-backed food tech startup Glife Technologies made its first foray out of Singapore via the acquisition of two companies: Yolek, a plant-based food distributor in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and PanenID, a food tech startup in Bali, Indonesia.
• Both companies will use Glife’s proprietary food and beverage (F&B) solutions to boost their operational efficiency by up to 50%.
• Glife runs a platform that links F&B businesses to farmers, allowing them to buy, manage, and track their orders. It has served more than 1,000 farmers and over 900 merchants to date.
• This marks the beginning of Glife’s expansion to reach more Southeast Asians, and the company’s move towards its Series B fundraising round slated for the second half of 2022.
• “The strategic partnership will allow us to bring the best of Glife’s technological solutions beyond Singapore’s borders and we are extremely excited to connect with more farmers and restaurants within the region. PanenID and Yolek are valuable partners in this journey as we tap on their local domain knowledge to bridge the gaps within the food value chain and strengthen our regional network,” said Caleb Wu, Co-founder and Deputy CEO of Glife.
• Read the full story on Tech in Asia.

New office, New York City

• A Singapore-based startup takes a bite out of the Big Apple! 500-backed e-commerce logistics platform, Parcel Perform, announced the opening of its first office in New York City. This move marks its continued expansion in the United States.
• The new office will allow the startup to provide on-site servicing for existing and new customers within the United States, Canada, and Latin America.
• Its success in creating unique customer journeys and delivery experiences for familiar brands like Nespresso, Decathlon, and many more has led to the doubling of its team growth and the launch of its European office in 2019.
• “I’m delighted that Parcel Perform is doubling-down on the US market, following our extremely successful expansion in the last 24 months, defined by new hires and partnerships,” said Arne Jeroschewski, Founder and CEO, Parcel Perform.
• Speaking of new hires – Tiffany Jensen has been appointed Executive Vice President, Americas. She said, “We will continue to address very real challenges that merchants across different industries face here in the US. I look forward to working with a truly diverse and global team, executing our growth plans, and building the Parcel Perform brand across this region.”
• Congratulations to the Parcel Perform team!
• Read the full announcement in MARKETECH APAC.

Going places with dronetech

• Drone tech in India is on the rise with the total turnover of the industry expected to be close to US$2 billion by 2026. This boom is also predicted to create more than 10,000 direct jobs in the next three years.
• 500-backed startup Aarav Unmanned Systems (AUS) is one of several Indian drone companies that’s been making the news for serving various industries with its end-to-end solutions, including mining, infrastructure, urban planning, irritation, energy, and agriculture. It also provides a cloud platform for data analysis.
• To date, AUS has mapped more than five million acres, 15,000 villages, 35 cities, over 250 mines, and more than 350 stockyards for mining, metal, and power companies.
• According to AUS, business has been profitable and they have witnessed a 250% growth in revenue annually for the past three years.
• Read the full feature in Inc42.