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Hello readers,
If anyone can afford to go “bankai” (Japanese colloquial term for “evolving to one’s most powerful form”), it would be these startups and tech companies in Japan that have raised the most money. Side note: Anyone here a fan of the Bleach anime series?
You can check out the full article here, or scroll down for a quick summary.
But first, your quick bytes for today:
1️⃣ Softbank eyes TikTok’s India operations
While most people’s attention is fixed on the US when it comes to TikTok, India has actually already banned the short-video app since June. And over the past month, the Japanese conglomerate Softbank is said to be assembling a group of bidders for TikTok’s India assets.
2️⃣ Instagram integrates Reels into its app in India
The short-video app that aims to rival TikTok was launched by Facebook two months ago as a standalone app, but recently, Reels was added into Facebook’s photo-sharing app Instagram as a tab for its Indian users.
3️⃣ SoftBank leads $100m round in Biofourmis
The Singapore healthtech firm has recently completed a series C funding round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2. This is said to be the largest healthtech fundraising within Southeast Asia to date.
4️⃣ Zomato banks US$62m from Temasek
The new capital comes at a time when India’s food delivery scene has seen its total sales recover to around 75% to 80% of its pre-Covid-19 numbers. The India-based restaurant discovery and food delivery app is reported to be valued at around US$3 billion.
5️⃣ Hong Kong to go cashless soon?
Below-the-radar Japanese startups that have the biggest piles of cash
This Indian edtech startup joins the unicorn club
Startup feature from the community
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