October, November & December
4th Quarter
Singapore’s tech, startup and VC funding news from across October, November and December of 2019, focusing on early stage startups.
For technology-specific news for the most recent month, visit the Other News section, covering blockchain, artificial intelligence, fintech and cryptocurrency news across the 17 jurisdictions that we cover.
October 2019 • November 2019 • December 2019
October 2019
- 4 startups selected for BlueChilli Australian accelerator’s inaugural Singapore healthtech accelerator
- Singapore: Deskera SaaS firm unveils pivot, aiming at business mobile super-app, providing balance sheet, inventory, payroll, attendance management and beyond
- Singapore: “DBS Must Bulk Up or Lose Fintech Turf in Southeast Asia” – opinion piece in the Washington Post
- Singapore: University students create Makan Rescue app to help fight food waste, letting users know where unsold food is set to be thrown out
- An overview of Singapore/Amsterdam FemTech Partners, getting more women into fintech and helping fintechs scale
- Singapore: An intro to HReasily, SaaS firm enabling companies to boost productivity with tech to streamline traditional processes
- Singapore-Malaysia MyCash raises funding to take financial services platform for unbanked migrant workers to new Asia-Pacific markets
- Singapore: Insignia Ventures closes $200M Southeast Asia fund focusing on early-stage technology firms
- Singapore’s Liquid Group and Taiwan’s ESUN Bank partner for cashless payments via customers’ preferred domestic mobile payment apps in either market
- Singapore Blockchain Landscape 2019, a one-pager from Infocomm Media Development Authority
- Singapore: CIMB Bank completes trade finance transaction using iTrust blockchain and IoT platform
- Singapore: An intro to Karana, using young jackfruit to create a sustainable and less processed plant-based meat alternative tailored for iconic Asian dishes
- Singapore: Hatcher+ venture investment firm raises $5.5M in seed funding round, aiming for at least one early-stage startup investment per day
- Singapore: Anywhr startup targets travelers who want to go on a holiday but have no idea where to go, or simply doesn’t want to do the planning
- Singapore: Mobikon raises $12.5M with AI-driven engagement and predictive analytics SaaS platform
- Ally on-demand travel service app trials in Singapore, a partnership between SWAT dynamic bus routing algorithm and NEC ML-driven personalization engine
- Singapore: Milieu Insight market research and data platform raises $2.4M pre-A with sights on launches in Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam
- Singapore: An overview soCash, cashless economy fintech active in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, and looking at Hong Kong and Thailand for expansion
- Singapore’s Monetary Authority grants remittance licence to UK fintech startup Rapyd, allowing it to scale digital remittance services in the Asia-Pacific region
- Singapore adds India to Global Innovation Alliance aiming to connect the city-state with India’s upcoming tech startups and SMEs
- Singapore’s Fractal ID management startup partners the Philippines’ Seedbox to given unbanked Filipinos access to financial products
- Singapore’s Doctor Anywhere partners Vietnam’s ViettelPay to provide online healthcare services in Vietnam
November 2019
- An intro to Singapore’s Home Team Simulation System, world-first training platform combining live and VR elements to train security officers
- Singapore’s Jungle Ventures VC firm raises $240M for its third SEA fund, aiming to back 10-15 consumer brand and software startups
- Singapore’s Mesh Bio, predictive analytics startup for diagnosis and management of chronic diseases, selected for batch 3 of Germany’s Startup Creasphere accelerator
- Singapore: A brief intro to HyperHack global sustainability hackcelerator, set for a 3-day hackathon from November 8-10
- Singapore: DBS Bank launches fee-free DBS Startup Unleashed business toolkit in attempt to attract high-growth startups
- Facebook Accelerator Singapore applications open for Season 2, a 6-month program by Facebook and IMDA Singapore for innovative, data-driven startups
- Singapore: Spaze Ventures seed capital firm launches EduSpaze accelerator to back early-stage education technology startups
- Singapore: Pand AI chatbot developer secures US$1M with focus on finance industry
- Singapore: Xfers fintech firm to launch StraitsX Singapore-dollar stablecoin initiative, running on Zilliqa blockchain, aiming for SEA-wide payments ecosystem
- Singapore takes 4th spot globally in ‘best cities for entrepreneurs’ report; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia takes 8th; Sydney and Melbourne, Australia take 9th and 15th
- Singapore: EVOS Esports startup raises US$4.4M Series A in play for untapped gaming influencer management market in SE Asia
- Singapore: Antler startup generator and early-stage VC firm partners NUS for initiative to enable entrepreneurs to build successful deeptech startups
- ICYMI: BlockShow Asia 2019 Conference set for November 14-15 in Singapore
- Singapore: Crypto DeFiance Conference set for November 16th, focusing on all aspects of decentralized finance using blockchain platforms
- Singapore: DEXTF raises $460K in seed funding with platform connecting investors with asset managers, minus intermediaries
- Singapore: A brief overview of what the UK’s Rapyd all-in-one platform for payments provides
- Monetary Authority of Singapore completes development of blockchain-based cross border payments system, in partnership with JPMorgan and Temasek
- Singapore: BEENEXT VC aiming to raise $100M for new Emerging Asia tech startups fund; so far raised $8M
- Singapore: Smarten Spaces property software firm secures $12M series A with microservice approach to building management
- Singapore: Giftano startup raises $845K with B2C online marketplace focused on gift cards
- Singapore: Silent Eight raises $6.2M series A with AI-driven finance services focused on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism
- Singapore: A look at the recent FinTech Festival and Singapore Week of Innovation and TeCHnology, and how the city-state is fast emerging as a fintech hub
- Singapore: An intro to Asia Partners VC firm, aiming to capitalise on the rising affluence of the middle class, and with a focus on Series C and D funding
- Singapore: Coda Payments fintech lands $20M to help games and digital content providers accept payments via Codapay platform’s 100+ payment methods
- Singapore: More than 40 companies set to apply for 5 available digital banking licenses on offer; 2 full digital bank licenses, and 3 wholesale digital licenses
- Singapore: iSTOX secures $5M with regulated capital markets platform supporting the issuance, custody, and trading of digitized securities
- Singapore: An overview of the approaching CyberCrimeCon event, aiming to give the public and industry knowledge on the state of global cybersecurity
- Singapore’s Acumen Research Labs takes win at Asian Entrepreneurship Awards 2019 in Japan with medtech focused on blood sepsis detection
- Singapore: TrophyRoom mobile football game raises $554K in 3rd fundraise, with sights set on global launch
- Singapore: Eastern Pacific Accelerator powered by Techstars launches with 9 startups selected to take part in the dedicated maritime accelerator
- Singapore: GuardRails cybersecurity startup raises S$1M with tech helping developers find, fix and prevent security vulnerabilities in real time
- Singapore’s Eko AI startup takes S$250K grand prize at SLINGSHOT 2019 pitching competition with ML-driven early detection of heart disease
- Singapore: Quilt AI raises $9M Series A with focus on big data-driven insights into human behaviour, for firms
- Singapore: Lucence gains $20M Series A with blood-based tests for cancer screening and treatment selection
- Singapore Tourism Board launches E-Visitor Authentication in 3-hotel pilot, offering facial recognition check-in – which data is transmitted to immigration authorities
- Singapore’s Portcast wins inaugural Captain’s Table global maritime startup pitch competition in Hong Kong, taking $25K with predictive data analytics platform
- Singapore: Osome fintech-as-a-service startup secures $3M with cloud-based service helping SMEs manage corporate paperwork and reporting
- Singapore: F10 fintech incubator and accelerator from Switzerland to expand to Singapore with P2 ‘Prototype to Product’ startup program
- Indonesian ride-hail giant Gojek to expand existing business in Singapore through partnership with local taxi company Trans-Cab
- HSBC partners Singapore Exchange and Temasek sovereign wealth fund explore the use of blockchain for issuance and servicing of fixed income securities
- Singapore’s VeChain launches blockchain-based Yunnan Pu’er Tea Traceability Platform in China
- Singapore’s Eatsy integrates payments with Grab platform for expansion to Indonesia, allowing users to order and pay for food before reaching restaurants
- SE Asia’s first Korea Startup Centre set for Singapore launch in 2020, supported by South Korea’s Ministry of SMEs and Startups and Enterprise Singapore
- A quick intro to 7 SE Asian startups offering pet-related services, from treats to health insurance
- Philippines: Singapore’s BCB Blockchain firm to support incubators and accelerators under Department of Science and Technology via 15M Peso fund
- Vietnam: BLOCK71 ecosystem builder to launch following MOU between Singapore’s NUS Enterprise and Becamex, industrial infrastructure developer
December 2019
- Singapore: Tezos to partner Tribe, gov’t-backed blockchain platform, for Tezos blockchain developer training focused on producing more crypto professionals
- Singapore’s JustCo coworking space operator secures $74M in part-JV deal, expanding to Japan
- Singapore: An intro to NOICE CARE’s just-launched 100% toxin-free, certified organic botanical natural toothpaste, sustainably packaged and refillable
- Singapore: Hydroleap secures $2.6M from major investors with solution for wastewater treatment that replaces chemicals with electricity
- Singapore-based Matrixport crypto trading, custody and lending startup (founded by co-founder of China’s Bitmain) expands into Europe with new Zurich office
- Singapore: “This is the start of the downward slide for what little remains of political and press freedom in Singapore” – deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch
- Singapore: Blockchain-focused Tribe Accelerator unveils the 9 startups selected for the 2nd edition of its Global Demo Tour
- Singapore: Tribe Accelerator secures $15.7M for 9 participating firms with market-ready blockchain solutions, the 2nd Tribe cohort to receive funding
- Singapore: Student team builds system to identify student stress levels using facial recognition and AI in China Huawei Atlas AI Developer Challenge Competition 2019
- Singapore: DiMuto supply chain solutions startup backed by government-owned SGInnovate VC firm with blockchain, IoT and AI driven agricultural track-and-trace
- Singapore: Facebook’s capitulation to Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act sets ominous precedent, with gov’t defining “correct facts”
- MVL, parent of blockchain ride-hailing app TADA, raises $5M Series A with over 50K drivers and over 500K users across Singapore, Vietnam and Cambodia
- Singapore: An intro to SensorFlow, offering hoteliers AI and IoT solution to reduce energy consumption, optimise operational efficiency and hit sustainability targets
- Singapore’s Temasek investment group backed by Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp and Marubeni trading house for new AI-focused fund for Asia
- Style Theory online platform for renting designer apparel in Indonesia and Singapore raises $15M with plans for RFID tagging, process streamlining and more
- Singapore’s SpaceChain launches the first active bitcoin node on the International Space Station, outside any country’s jurisdiction and safe from hardware hacks
- Singapore: An intro to 5 women entrepreneurs, working in areas from e-commerce to transportation
- Singapore Immigration opens new face and iris scanning lane, aimed at doing away with passport and thumb-print scans
- Lazada e-commerce giant launches co-branded credit card with Citi in Singapore, with sights set on young professionals
- Singapore’s Neuron Mobility raises $18.5M, in part to accelerate e-scooter sharing service in Australia and New Zealand
- Singapore: An overview of Group-IB’s Hi-Tech Crime Trends 2019/2020 report, unveiled at the recent CyberCrimeCon conference
- Singapore’s Practical Smarts blockchain specialist acquired by Deloitte in move to enhance distributed ledger tech advisory offerings in Southeast Asia
- Singapore Airlines Accelerator 2020 Spring Batch applications close December 16th for aviation and travel-tech startups
- Singapore: An overview of the Networked Trade Platform, simplifying trade digitally, streamlining international trade and making finance checks easier for banks
- Singapore: An introduction to Talino Venture Labs, inclusion tech-focused ‘venture builder’ which recently launched three corporate venture-backed startups
- Singapore: Zilliqa consolidates startup programs under new ZILHive brand, and unveils the projects that won the fifth wave of ZILHive Grants
- An in-depth look at stablecoins and more in the cryptocurrency and blockchain worlds, in conversation with Zilliqa’s VP Growth and Strategy
- Singapore: See-Mode Technologies gains regulatory approval for AI-powered software to analyse and report ultrasound images of cardiovascular, heart disease
- Singapore: Money20/20 Asia opens applications for 2020 edition of Startup Pitch initiative, seeking startups focused on low-income and rural communities
- Singapore’s Kacific startup launches satellite from Space X Falcon 9, aiming to provide broadband connectivity to the underserved across the Asia-Pacific region
- Inaugural Geo Connect Asia 2020 event set for March 18-19 in Singapore, bringing together the world’s geospatial tech and location intelligence solutions providers
- ICYMI: Singapore’s WORBLI blockchain platform offers ‘compliance as a service’ with Agenix, to reduce time and expense for companies in satisfying mandatory regulations
- Singapore: Omniaz startup applies augmented reality to alcohol bottle labels as way to further engage consumers and drinkers
- Singapore: A look inside Microsoft’s new Asia-Pacifi headquarters, featuring its first Experience Center in Asia
- Singapore: Robot guards tested in underground rail emergency exercise, featuring surveillance cameras, sensors and video analytics capabilities
- Osome joins 500 Startups’ Global Launch program to provide participants company formation experience, bookeeping and corporate administration in Singapore
- Singapore: An intro to Dacxi, crowd-financing fintech startup helping the public buy blue-chip cryptocurrencies
- Singapore: Grab partners Singtel in digital bank license bid, aiming to focus on SMEs without access to credit and digital-first consumers
- An intro to 8 Asian food-tech startups working on the future of food, from meatless meat to sustainability
- Indonesia and Singapore to improve cooperation in e-commerce, fintech, data services, and development of tech parks and innovation hubs
- South Korea’s Terra blockchain payment network expands to Singapore, opening SEA hub with aim of securing licensing from monetary authority
- A brief intro to 5 of Southeast Asia’s early-stage startups, working in farming, logistics and more
- Sri Lanka’s nCinga SaaS startup acquired in $15.5M deal by Singapore’s Zilingo online fashion platform
Startup News: Singapore
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