Here’s how much startups raised in Southeast Asia in 2015

Startups in Southeast Asia struck record-high deals with investors last year, with total funding in the region hitting US$1.61 billion. That’s a 43 percent jump from the 2014 figure of US$1.123 billion, according to the Tech in Asia database. It’s important to note though that a lot of startups that raised funding didn’t disclose the amounts so the tally could have been bigger.

The Tech in Asia research team tracked 380 deals inked in Southeast Asia in 2015, higher than the previous year’s 313. Look at how the scene grew over the past five years.

Seed funding grew over 12 percent to US$57.286 million from US$50.885 million in 2014.

What’s more encouraging is that startups were able to secure more series A rounds, which means they were able to survive closer scrutiny by VCs and cross over to the crucial growth stage. Series A funding surged 60 percent to US$228.974 million in 2015 from US$143.088 million the earlier year.

Looking at all funding stages, the results were mixed, however. Total series B and D funding fell in 2015 from 2014, but series C and E went up. Nevertheless, early-stage funding (series A and B) still grew more than 11 percent to US$362.724 million last year from US$325.388 million the previous year.

In terms of sectors, ecommerce led the pack as it generated the most funding in Southeast Asia at US$603.391 million. Back in 2014, ecommerce startups obtained US$556.443 million in fresh capital from investors.

That’s no surprise given rosy projections for online shopping growth in the region. Ecommerce in Southeast Asia is set to swell fivefold to US$35 billion by 2020 from only about US$1.1 billion in 2014, according to projections from financial services firm UBS. Startups and investors alike don’t want to miss out.

Other sectors that were most attractive to investors last year include consumer internet, logistics, real estate, and enterprise solutions.