Rising SE Asian startups: Rethinking sugar, fish farms, and algae

Which are the startups that are on the path to becoming the next big thing? In this regular post, we give you an overview of the companies that have raised money in the past week, as well as those we think investors should look at.

1. Barghest Building Performance (BBP) (Singapore)

BBP uses a combination of sensor tech, software, and engineering design to cut the amount of energy used by air-conditioning systems in commercial and industrial buildings. It claims that its technology can cut electricity consumption by as much as 35 percent, and major brands including IT giant HP and Shangri-La Hotels are on its client list. More info.

Amount raised: US$33 million series B
Investors: Led by KKR

2. Umitron (Singapore)

Umitron is a Japan- and Singapore-based aquaculture startup that has developed tech designed to help fish farmers monitor their stock. More info.

Amount raised: US$11 million in seed funding
Investors: Led by government-linked Innovation Network Corporation of Japan and VC firms D4V and Mirai Creation Fund

3. Propzy (Vietnam)

Propzy is an end-to-end property platform that aims to assist consumers throughout the whole buying process. It has a marketplace where listed properties are reviewed and verified by staff. More info.

Amount raised: US$3 million pre-series A
Investors: Led by Insignia Ventures Partners

4. Osome (Singapore)

Osome provides small and medium-sized enterprises with business management services, including business registration, company record-keeping, accounting, the filing of annual returns, corporate secretary services, and payroll management. More info.

Amount raised: US$2 million
Investors:Led by Target Global. Phystech Ventures, ADRU, and a number of angel investors also participated

5. Base.vn (Vietnam)

Base.vn helps enterprises streamline management and operation activities such as hiring, payroll, task management, team collaboration, and approval management. More info.

Amount raised: US$1.3 million
Investors: Co-led by Alpha JWC Ventures and Beenext

6. Sampingan (Indonesia)

Sampingan is an Indonesian based startup focusing on giving work to an on-demand sales force, helping companies acquire partners and customers through a network of pre-vetted and trained agents. It has partnered with over 1000 agents across 25 cities in Indonesia and is growing rapidly each day. More info.

Amount raised: US$500,000 in seed funding
Investors: Led by Golden Gate Ventures

7. Cognicept

Working primarily with industrial and service robots, Cognicept uses “human-in-the-loop,” an error-handling system that aims to cut failure rates to near zero. More info.

Amount raised: US$100,000 in pre-seed funding
Investors: Led by Antler Incubator

8. EnerGaia (Thailand)

9. InstaWash (Thailand)

10. JuiceInnov8 (Thailand)