Rising startups on Tech In Asia: self-driving cars, grab-and-go coffee, and more

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. Kopi Kenangan (Indonesia)

Kope Kenangan, a tech-enabled, grab-and-go coffee chain, raised US$20 million in series A funding from Sequoia India. The startup aims to open 150 outlets by the end of 2019 and further develop its personalization technology. More info.

2. Koinworks (Indonesia)

Koinworks, a peer-to-peer lending platform, raised around US$12.2 million in a series B funding round led by Quona Capital and EV Growth, along with participation from other existing investors. Koinworks will use the fresh capital for team expansion, partnership development, and platform improvement. More info.

3. Neurosensum (Indonesia)

Market research firm Neurosensum, raised US$1.8 million in series A funding from SIG China. The startup is launching SurveySensum, a new, subscription-based market research software for SMEs. More info.

4. Recko (India)

Recko, an AI-enabled, software-as-a-service fintech startup, received US$1 million in seed funding from Prime Venture Partners. The startup will use the fresh funds to scale across verticals, further develop its AI technology, and expand its team. More info.

5. Streak AI Technologies (India)

Streak AI Technologies, which offers a cloud-based stock trading platform, raised US$1 million in a pre-series A funding round led by 3one4 Capital with participation from Rainmatter Capital. More info.

6. Monet (Japan)

Monet, a self-driving car service venture by SoftBank Corp. and Toyota, will be raising US$530,620 each from five automakers. These are Suzuki Motor Corp., Mazda Motor Corp., Subaru Corp., Isuzu Motors Ltd., and Daihatsu, the compact car unit of Toyota Motor Corp. More info.

7. PouchNation (Singapore)

PouchNation, an event tech startup that helps organizers manage large-scale events, raised series B funding from several investors, including Traveloka. The investment is in step with Traveloka’s plans to increase its share of the travel experiences market. More info.

8. Gigacover (Singapore)

Insurtech startup Gigacover, which leverages machine learning and analytics, raised an undisclosed amount of seed funding from Vectr Fintech Partners, Quest Venture Partners, and Alto Partners. It will use the fresh funds to improve its market position in Singapore and expand into other Southeast Asian markets. More info.

9. Avail (India)

Fintech startup Avail Finance is raising an undisclosed amount of funding from Indian ride-hailing giant Ola. Avail has raised US$9 million in an ongoing series A round led by Matrix Partners. More info.

10. Pand.ai (Singapore)

Co-founded by the former head of digital at Standard Chartered Bank in China, Pand.ai builds chatbots for financial institutions in Asia. The profitable startup aims to integrate the customized chatbots into the institutions’ websites or social media pages. More info.

11. Qoala (Indonesia)

Qoala aims to make the experience of claiming microinsurance a breeze through its app. It partners with companies like travel agencies, as well as other insurance providers, to underwrite risk for high-frequency events. More info.

12. YouTrip (Singapore)

Ten months into its operations, multicurrency travel e-wallet YouTrip has crossed one million transactions. The startup offers an app and a prepaid card, which users can top up from their bank accounts and use overseas. More info.

13. Tada (Singapore)

Blockchain-based ride-hailing app Tada and global cryptocurrency exchange Binance have signed a partnership to connect the latter’s mobile wallet to the former’s platform. The deal will also make MVL tokens (by Mass Vehicle Ledger Foundation, the company behind Tada) viable to launch on Binance Chain. More info.

14. Neuron Mobility (Singapore)

E-scooter-sharing startup Neuron Mobility is expanding into Australia, starting with the city of Brisbane. It will operate 600 scooters in the city. More info.