March has seen a flurry of exciting activities — from product launches to grand openings and successful fundraises! We joined forces with the sovereign wealth fund of Malaysia, Khazanah Nasional, to boost the country’s startup ecosystem, and welcomed new Partners Saemin Ahn, Martin Cu, and Shahril Ibrahim, to continue supporting startups at every stage of growth. Meanwhile, 500-backed companies have raised over US$350M to uplift the underbanked, accelerate regional e-commerce brands, and more.
We’re also actively hiring!
Missed our last highlights issue? Check it out here.
- 500 Global & Khazanah Nasional team up to grow Malaysia’s startup ecosystem under US$1.33B Dana Impak commitment
- 500 Global doubles down on supporting startups at every stage of growth; actively hiring for 16 roles in Southeast Asia
- Kredivo secures US$270M to continue serving the underbanked in Indonesia & Vietnam with BNPL and neobank services
- Una Brands bags US$30M pre-Series C to double down on accelerating e-commerce brands in Asia
- OP3N closes US$28M Series A to connect creators, chat, and commerce on one user-friendly Web3 stage
- SepPure secures US$12M for green, reusable oil filtration solution that reduces our reliance on fuels
- 99 Group lands US$11M Series C extension to boost the convenience of property buying and renting for more people
- Monnai secures US$6.5M to generate accurate and relevant customer insights for finance companies globally
- Proglix raises US$1.35M to make raw materials shopping easier for Indonesian SMEs
- Gaspack raises pre-seed funding to empower comic creators and enthusiasts through Web3 publishing platform
- Bukalapak aims to help 15M+ businesses turn their trash into treasure through sustainability education
- Aerodyne seals 21st global M&A deal with top drone service provider in Italy to further expand their reach worldwide
- Carsome activates the phygital experience for convenient, affordable & worry-free car maintenance
- XING Mobility’s game-changing EV batteries are set to make electric vehicles cooler, literally
- ION Mobility’s James Chan is making urban cities more livable starting with electric two-wheelers
- VTF launches Malaysia’s first no-code metaverse platform to simplify virtual world-building for brands
- WORQ locks in 80% occupancy ahead of new co-working space launch, maintaining profitability even amidst current funding climate
- Bibit launches Bibit Bisnis to help companies and startup founders in Indonesia optimize their idle funds
- Mapan revenue grows over 3x by helping more Indonesians save money and gain access to products
- eFishery is closing the urban-rural gap for fish farmers in Indonesia & empowering them to scale their businesses with technology
Other stories you may have missed:
- Hydroleap received the prestigous Business as a Force for Good Award 2023 (SME) from the INSEAD Alumni Association
- Lingokids won Best Original Learning App at the Kidscreen Awards, two years in a row
- Grab makes ‘World’s Most Innovative Companies’ by Fast Company for 2023 for its enterprise service, GrabMaps
- Easyship announced an expanded collaboration with UPS to offer discounted rates to e-commerce merchants in the UK
- Glife Technologies was featured on Singapore Business Review’s 20 Hottest Startups of 2023
- OhmniLabs partnered with Intellego Technologies to provide visible disinfection effectiveness results with its Autonomous UV-C Disinfection Robot
- SPEEDHOME recorded 9% market share in Klang Valley, Malaysia, surpassing gross rentals of more than US$22M in 2022
- Shayna Teh of Food Market Hub was featured in Citi’s INSPIRING ENTREPRENEURS Series
