April, May & June 2020
Startup Singapore
Startup News Asia’s quarterly collection of Singapore startup news headlines from April, May and June 2020.
Each item listed is a tech-focused article or startup news headline from Q2 2020 covering an aspect of Singapore’s startup space in some way – an announcement by a Singaporean startup about a product, pivot or funding round, or an article outlining changes to an aspect of the Singapore startup scene generally, for instance.
The focus here is obviously on Singapore, but we do include wider-world tech and startup news headlines to provide Singaporean startup entrepreneurs with more points-of-reference, food for thought for early-stage Singaporean startups, and wider tech industry knowledge.
June 2020 | May 2020 | April 2020
June 2020
- Singapore: A brief look at the 8 startups selected for the first cohort of Iterative accelerator
- Singapore’s Beam micromobility firm raises $26M with shared e-scooters, aiming to expand footprint in Korea, Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Taiwan
- Singapore: Nanyang Technological University and Facebook partner for 9-month pilot program for new courses, aiming to develop local data centre talent
- Singapore: A snapshot of Singapore’s tech startup news from May 2020
- Singapore Fintech Festival 2020 set for November 9-13, subject to COVID-19 outbreak developments
- Singapore: An intro to Travelhorse, luggage storage platform connecting travellers with local shops and businesses which part-pivoted to F&B delivery in response to COVID-19
- Singapore: Intelllex raises $2.1M to expand legal knowledge platform with focus on larger law firms, following taking part in Thomson Reuters and Barclays incubators
- Singapore: Moovaz relocation startup acquires The Finder, Singapore’s longest-running expat magazine, aiming for end-to-end logistic and lifestyle services
- Singapore: LingoAce online Mandarin Chinese learning platform secures $7M Series A, setting sights on AI, augmented reality and virtual reality solutions
- Singapore: Fincy fintech startup secures $11M with services including currency exchange via multi-currency wallet, contactless mobile payments and in-app social networks
- Singapore Blockchain Week Virtual Summit set for July 21-23 – here’s the agenda
- Singapore: Airbus partnered by Maritime and Port Authority, Infocomm Media Development Authority and M1 for standalone coastal 5G network trials
- Singapore: Beenext raises $160M across 2 new funds to focus on early-stage tech startups primarily in India and Japan
- Singapore: Popsical raises $6.9M with home karaoke system combining compact device with mobile app, 14 languages and 200K song library
- Singapore: An intro to Digital Commerce Intelligence, AI-driven startup focusing on data-driven competitive intelligence for e-commerce firms
- Singapore-based blockchain startup Ontology to collaborate with Bitcoin Suisse cryptocurrency financial services platform, with ONTO wallet supporting CryptoFranc stablecoin
- Singapore: Reebelo raises $1.25M seed funding with online marketplace for refurbished electronics, with sights set on Asia-Pacific expansion
- Enterprise Singapore and Singapore Standards Council launch Technical Reference 76, first Singapore-focused standard providing guidelines for e-commerce transactions
- Singapore: Huawei announces new initiatives including 5G-powered AI lab, virtual AI academy with over 140 free courses, and training for AI developers
- Singapore and Republic of Korea start negotiations on new Korea-Singapore Digital Partnership Agreement to deal with cross-border data, digital identities, fintech and more
- Singapore: Nokia and Ericsson edge out Huawei in building Singapore’s main 5G networks, tho Huawei may be involved in broader ecosystem in a reduced capacity
- Singapore: TurtleTree Labs raises $3.2M seed round with cell-based milk development
- Singapore’s Building Cities Beyond Blockchain launch BCB Innovation Grant, aiming to award $15M to BCB ecosystem developers and targeting up to 1K projects in Asia
- Enterprise Singapore’s SEEDS Capital investment arm appoints 6 co-investors to boost maritime technology startups with S$50M funding
- Gaze artificial intelligence startup raises $830K seed funding with visual recognition API platform, enabling integration of visual recognition tech into any software stack
- An intro to Singapore-based TurtleTree Labs, creating cultured, animal-free milk and dairy products
- Myanmar: Frontiir internet service provider gains $26M investment led by Singapore’s Ascent Capital, aiming to expand broadband to 1/4 of 54M population
- Vertex Ventures’ $305M 4th fund backed by XA Network, investment network of senior execs in leading tech companies, with sights on Series A and B in SE Asia and India
May 2020
- Singapore: Tinvio gains $5.6M seed funding with chat-to-order mobile app focused on SMEs that rely on phone, email and paper invoicing
- Singapore: CACHE, provider of gold-backed digital assets, partners Onchain Custodian digital assets custody service for insured safekeeping of gold-backed tokens
- Enterprise Singapore adds 14 new Accredited Mentor Partners to its Startup SG Founder scheme to aid local startups
- Singapore Blockchain Week 2020 Virtual Summit set for July 21st, featuring online conference, live chat and exhibitions
- Singapore’s mClinica health tech platform sets sights on $20M B Series with supply chain focus on the pharmaceutical industry
- Singapore: GoBear insurance and banking marketplace acquires AsiaKredit to add consumer lending focus to over 100 bank partners SEA-wide
- Singapore-based Ninja Van adds $279M new funding to scale e-commerce delivery logistics and boost b2b services
- Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore awards SG$600K to 12 startups selected for Smart Port Challenge
- Singapore’s Validus raises $20M with SEA-focused peer-to-peer lending platform to connect accredited lenders with SMEs
- An intro to Singapore-based Goama Games, subscription-based gaming and e-sports platform
- Singapore: FoodRazor lands $900K with platform providing food-and-beverage operators with invoice management, digitizing details from printed receipts
- Singapore: Dathena secures $12M Series A with AI-backed data security and privacy tools to classify and manage confidential data, aiming to grow US presence
- Singapore: Monetary Authority, Singapore Fintech Association and AMTD partner for S$6M grant program to support fintechs impacted by coronavirus
- Singapore: Lupl secures $10M with open platform to synchronise legal projects, bringing documents, communications and applications into a single secure location
- Singapore: Spark Systems raises $10.5M with foreign exchange trading platform, in part from Citi and HSBC
- ICYMI: Singapore’s Temasek joins Libra Association, Facebook’s digital currency project
- Singapore: An intro to Intellect, aiming to make mental health more approachable using a mobile app based on cognitive behavioral therapy techniques
- GROW Accelerator launches new Singapore Food Bowl agri-tech program, aiming to develop ‘more resilient, decentralized agrifood ecosystems’
- Singapore: GoBear fintech raises $17M to grow consumer financial services focused on consumers without credit cards and access to traditional credit-building tools
- Singapore: Atome SG app launches, enabling online and offline shoppers to purchase items in monthly installments interest-free over 3 months
- Singapore: VeChain partnered by Bayer pharmaceutical giant for Csecure, aiming to improve drug supply management, data and traceability in clinical trials
- Singapore: WizAI secures $6M pre-A, focusing on conversational AI for ASEAN languages with aim of improving call centre and customer engagement activities
- Singapore’s Carousell online marketplace launches Carousell Property real estate listing platform in Hong Kong
- Singapore’s CirclesLife targeting growth in Taiwan with expansion of mobile services to include digital finance, gaming and events recommendations related to telco services
April 2020
- Blockchain Association of Singapore launches following merge between Singapore Blockchain Association and Blockchain, Enterprise and Scalable Technologies
- A brief intro to 5 of Southeast Asia’s property-tech startups
- The problem with COVID-19 contact tracing apps? Opt-in rates. In Singapore, “only only about one in five people have downloaded the app, TraceTogether”
- Singapore: A brief intro to the 9 early-stage fashion-tech startups selected for Bridge Fashion Incubator’s latest cohort
- Singapore’s NIUM fintech platform partners Geoswift to allow customers to remit money directly into bank accounts in China via UnionPay
- Singapore: Igloo raises $8.2M to grow digital insurance in SE Asia, a market expected to grow to $8BN in value by 2025
- Singapore-based Manabie raises $4.8M with online education platform service growth in Vietnam built on 100K users, setting sights on SE Asia expansion
- ICYMI: Agara selected for Singapore Tourism Accelerator with AI-powered Autonomous Voice Conversation engine to handle customer calls without agent involvement
- Singapore: Moovaz secures $7M Series A with international relocation services platform for expats and working travelers
- Singapore Fintech Association and Razer Fintech partner for COVID-19 Support Fund to help business partners through negative impacts of coronavirus
- Singapore Management University partners Tradeteq, UK-based electronic trading platform focused on trade finance, for quantum computing-based credit scoring
- Singapore’s Doctor Anywhere secures $27M with telehealth platform, sets sights on expansion in Asia-Pacific with local and regional partners
- Global accelerator IoT Tribe kicks off 1st Deep Tech Accelerator cohort in Singapore with 12 startups selected
- Singapore: Expara VC firm launches Expara VirTech Global Accelerator seeking startups developing products and services to fight COVID-19 and future viruses
- Singapore: The 22 Singaporean leaders and entrepreneurs selected for this year’s edition of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list
- An intro to the startups selected for Singapore Business Review’s 20 Hottest Startups, and the gradually changing focus of the VC’s supporting them
- Singapore Press Holdings and Snapask partner; Snapask to provide over 10K free subscriptions, SPH offering students 14 days access to The Straits Times news content
- Huawei partners China’s UnionPay bank card clearing service provider to launch Huawei Pay service in Singapore
- Singapore: In just 18 months from formal launch, dltledgers now processes more than $1BN in trade finance via its supply chain traceability blockchain platform
- Singapore developing naval warfare training modelled after esports platforms, with games, forums and analytics to aid officers in training for real-world combat
- 2C2P, a Singapore-HQ’d payments platform, launches investments arm, aiming for strategic investments in firms in payments and related sectors
- Singtel’s subsidiary, NCS, partners Network for Electronic Transfers to develop real-time e-payment and securities-settlement platform for central banks in Asia-Pacific
- Hong Kong-based AsiaPay partners Plug and Play global innovation platform for tie-in with Plug and Play fintech program in Singapore
- Indonesia’s Modalku P2P lender (Funding Societies in Singapore) raises $40M in part to aid loans restructuring by MSMEs affected by COVID-19
- An overview of Meet Your Match Malaysia, collaboration between Singapore’s KK Fund VC and Malaysia Digital Economy Corp Global Growth Acceleration Division
- A brief intro to the 8 SE Asian startups receiving $1-2M from Sequoia’s Surge scale-up program, from Indonesia, Vietnam and Singapore
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