Not all doom and gloom for SEA agritech

IN FOCUS

In today’s newsletter, we look at:

• A Vietnamese startup that’s defying agritech skeptics
• A world where you can insert bots or chips to cure cancer

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Welcome to On the Rise! Delivered every Tuesday via email and through the Tech in Asia website, this free newsletter spotlights emerging startups and the biggest trends in the tech ecosystem. If you’re not a subscriber, get access by registering here.

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Hi there,

The news world is an echo chamber at times. One story or narrative dominates the news cycle, and it is easy for everyone to get sucked into it.

The last three months had been dominated by the eFishery scandal, which rippled across the startup scene in Southeast Asia. All I kept hearing was how investors were spooked about backing startups, especially those in the agritech sector.

So I was pleasantly surprised when I came across the news in February of investors pumping US$70 million in series A money into Vietnamese agritech startup TechCoop. Not only that, my colleague Elyssa tells us in this week’s Big Story that the startup – which was founded just three years ago – has investors rallying behind its business model.

TechCoop, which offers trade credit financing for farming cooperatives, says it’s already profitable and is expecting to make US$250 million in annualized revenue by 2025.

It just goes to show that not all investors hold a pessimistic view on the agritech sector, which makes me believe the sentiment will eventually turn.

Another startup that caught my eye recently was a healthtech startup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) called BioSapien. It has developed 3D-printed medichip implants for chemotherapy.

In today’s Hot Take, I explore the use of medichips and nanobots in search of a cure for cancer.

But first, the Big Story!

– Collin

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BIG STORY

Vietnamese startup banks on co-ops to defy agritech skeptics

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HOT TAKE

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DEEP READS

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EMERGING NEWS

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Dive into expert-led sessions and interactive workshops at AMPED Malaysia on June 11.

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