Recent Posts
Deals•Feb 20, 2026
SBI Holdings to Acquire Majority Stake in Singapore’s Coinhako
SBI Holdings announced plans to acquire a majority stake in Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange Coinhako, injecting capital through its venture arm SBI Ventures Asset. The pending acquisition will make Coinhako a consolidated subsidiary, bolstering SBI’s regulated crypto corridor across Asia.
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News•Feb 17, 2026
The “Valley of Death” Isn’t a Funding Problem — It’s a Risk Design Problem
Deep‑tech startups often stumble not because the science is weak but because the risk profile between a working prototype and a scalable business is mis‑designed. Traditional venture capital timelines of five to seven years clash with the ten‑plus‑year gestation required...
By e27
News•Feb 17, 2026
Stop Loving Your Product and Start Hating the Problem
The article argues that founders who fall in love with their product become blind to market signals and risk costly sunk‑cost fallacies. It contrasts the "Solution Developer" with the "Problem Solver," insisting that true entrepreneurial fuel is an obsessive focus...
By e27
News•Feb 16, 2026
BioArk’s Growth Strategy Plants Seeds for a Greener Agricultural Future
BioArk, a Singapore‑based agritech startup, has launched Arktivate, a bio‑based fertilizer designed to replace conventional chemical inputs without extra cost or operational changes for farmers. Field trials indicate comparable or superior yields while cutting reliance on fossil‑derived urea and mined...
By e27
News•Feb 16, 2026
Are Social Sellers Missing an Important Piece of the Data Puzzle?
Social commerce now accounts for roughly 20% of Southeast Asia’s online spending, a surge accelerated by the pandemic. iKala’s research shows that revenue per order on social channels jumped 88%, indicating not just higher volume but larger baskets. While new...
By e27
Deals•Feb 13, 2026
Tower Capital Asia Invests in Mobile Security Firm V-Key
Tower Capital Asia announced an investment in V-Key, a mobile security platform, signaling a shift in the mobile security landscape. The deal underscores growing interest in securing mobile applications.
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News•Feb 11, 2026
Valiance Health Raises Pre-Seed to Fix Malaysia’s Data Fragmentation
Valiance Health secured an undisclosed pre‑seed round led by Gobi Partners to build an AI‑driven, standardised healthcare data platform for Malaysia. The startup aggregates clinical, operational and financial records, using AI pipelines to clean, map and de‑duplicate information into an...
By e27
Deals•Feb 11, 2026
Oneteam Secures M&A Facility to Scale Employee-Owned SME Succession
Oneteam announced it has secured a new M&A financing facility to support the succession of employee‑owned small and medium enterprises. The facility will provide capital to enable these SMEs to pursue growth and ownership transitions. Deal terms and size were...
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Deals•Feb 11, 2026
Valiance Health Secures Undisclosed Pre‑Seed Funding Led by Gobi Partners
Malaysia‑based AI healthcare startup Valiance Health announced an undisclosed pre‑seed round led by Gobi Partners’ SuperSeed II Fund, with participation from Jati Growth and Artem Ventures. The capital will accelerate its standardized healthcare data platform that uses AI to unify clinical,...
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News•Feb 10, 2026
From Idea to Reality: Why an MVP Is Essential Before Full-Scale Development
The article stresses that launching a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) before full‑scale development is a critical step for mobile‑app startups. An MVP delivers only core functionalities, allowing founders to test market demand, gather real user feedback, and validate revenue assumptions....
By e27
News•Feb 10, 2026
The Art Behind Scientific Pitch Decks: 6 Design Principles to Sell Your Science
The article outlines six design principles for crafting scientific pitch decks that translate complex research into investor‑ready narratives. It stresses that slide titles should form a coherent story, business models need visual simplification, and content density follows a 70:30 data‑to‑visual...
By e27
News•Feb 10, 2026
How Product Growth Helps Both You and Your Users Succeed
Product growth is defined as the systematic process of increasing a product’s value, attracting new users, and boosting revenue through six interconnected stages. The article stresses that acquisition alone is insufficient; optimizing the entire user journey—from onboarding to funnel conversion—delivers...
By e27
News•Feb 10, 2026
When IPOs Freeze, Liquidity Finds Another Way
The 2025 Endeavor Catalyst report shows a dramatic rise in private liquidity, with ten secondary sales and acquisitions compared with just one in 2024. Global secondary market volume is on track to hit US$122 billion in 2025, nearly six times the...
By e27
News•Feb 9, 2026
SLEEK EV’s US$8.5M Series A Funding Signals a More Mature EV Playbook
SLEEK EV, a Singapore‑based electric scooter maker operating in Thailand, closed a US$8.5 million Series A round led by KYMCO Capital, with participation from over twenty supply‑chain players in Taiwan and China. The capital will fund a production scale‑up at Thailand’s Eastern...
By e27
News•Feb 9, 2026
Grants Are Not Just for Nonprofits: Why For-Profit Operators Miss Out on Early-Stage Capital
Southeast Asian founders often chase equity financing even at the validation stage, leading to unnecessary dilution. The article argues that non‑dilutive grants—such as those from the Gates Foundation, UNICEF Innovation Fund, and Enterprise Singapore’s SLINGSHOT—can fund proof‑of‑concept work while preserving...
By e27
News•Feb 9, 2026
Why Hyperbond Is Betting US$500K on Romance-Driven Language Learning
Singapore’s Hyperbond Studio has launched Call Me Sensei, an AI‑driven language‑learning app that frames practice as romantic‑style conversations with virtual “senseis.” The startup closed a US$500,000 seed round backed by NLS Ventures, Loyal VC, Attribute Global Ventures and several angels....
By e27
News•Feb 9, 2026
In Southeast Asia, Cybersecurity Is Booming but Funding Is Not
Southeast Asia’s cybersecurity sector saw venture funding plunge to US$24 million in 2025, a 40 percent decline from 2024 and a stark contrast to the US$533.6 million peak in 2021. All three rounds were early‑stage, with no late‑stage deals recorded, reflecting a more...
By e27
News•Feb 9, 2026
How I Built Singapore’s 8th Fastest-Growing Company without Investors
In 2020 a 25‑year‑old ex‑agency manager founded KPI Media on a bold promise: refund half of any retainer if key performance indicators aren’t met. The agency operates solely with month‑to‑month contracts and a performance‑based guarantee, remaining fully bootstrapped. Five years...
By e27
News•Feb 9, 2026
When Rules Change Quarterly: Regulatory Resilience as Competitive Advantage
A Southeast Asian fintech founder reported navigating seventeen regulatory changes in three years, illustrating that Asian fintech rules now shift roughly every quarter. The article argues that treating regulatory environments as stable has led to billions in remediation costs and...
By e27
Deals•Feb 9, 2026
Hyperbond Studio Raises $500K Seed Round for AI-Powered Language Learning App
Singapore-based Hyperbond Studio announced a $500,000 seed round to fund its AI companionship language‑learning app Call Me Sensei. The round was backed by NLS Ventures, Loyal VC, Attribute Global Ventures, Julius Baer and Plug and Play APAC. The capital will...
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Deals•Feb 9, 2026
SLEEK EV Raises US$8.5M Series A Led by KYMCO Capital
SLEEK EV, a Singapore‑based electric scooter maker, announced a US$8.5 million first close of its Series A round, led by KYMCO Capital with participation from over twenty supply‑chain players. The capital will fund production expansion in Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor, AI‑driven software...
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News•Feb 6, 2026
Bridging Continents: Lessons Learned From Singapore and Estonia’s Tech Journeys
Singapore and Estonia, despite their size, have cultivated vibrant tech and startup ecosystems anchored by strong government backing and well‑connected investor networks. Recent initiatives such as the Estonian Business Hub in Singapore enable cross‑border trade missions, exemplified by startup ÄIO’s...
By e27
News•Feb 6, 2026
Bridging the Valley of Death: How C3H Is Powering the Next Wave of Climate, Health Tech Startups
Temasek Trust’s Catalytic Capital for Climate & Health (C3H) is emerging as a key early‑stage investor for climate and health tech startups across Asia. By providing patient capital to ventures such as Notpla, Dozee and Equatic, C3H aims to bridge...
By e27