Rising startups on Tech In Asia: super app for SMEs, hyperlocal logistics, 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. NoBroker (India)

Real estate listing platform NoBroker raised US$50 million in a series D round led by US-based investment firm Tiger Global Management. Existing investor General Atlantic also participated in the round, which brought the startup’s total capital raised to US#121 million. The fresh funding will help the company provide the service to more customers across the country and accelerate deal closure growth. More info.

2. Dunzo (India)

Hyperlocal delivery firm Dunzo has raised US$45 million in a round led by new investor Lightbox. South Korea’s STIC Ventures and US-based 3L Capital also participated in the round, alongside existing investor Google. This brings the company’s valuation between US$180 million and US$200 million. More info.

3. Khatabook (India)

Khatabook is an accounting service provider for small and medium-sized enterprises. They raised US$25 million in a series A funding round from a slew of high-profile investors, pushing its total investment raised to US$29 million. Firms such as GGV Capital, partners at DST Global, RTP Ventures, Sequoia India, Tencent, and Y Combinator participated in the round, alongside more than 20 angel investors. More info.

4. Deskera (Singapore)

Deskera, a startup that provides cloud-based applications for enterprises, is about to launch a new app called Desk. Billed as a super app for small and medium-sized enterprises, Desk will allow business owners to run their core operations with just a mobile phone. Following a US$60 million series A round, the company is now looking to raise its series B round, chasing unicorn status. More info.

5. Paxel (Indonesia)

Logistics startup Paxel is about to close a series A funding round, according to industry sources. East Ventures is leading the round with participation from Susquehanna International Group (SIG) and Sinar Mas Digital Ventures (SMDV). According to one source, the investors will put in a total of US$7 million. More info.

6. Autify (Japan)

Autify, an AI-backed software testing automation platform, has raised US$2.5 million in its seed round to explore international markets. Global Brain, Archetype Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, and several individual investors also participated in the round. The startup plans to use the funds to speed up product development and its sales systems. More info.

7. Drivemate (Thailand)

Peer-to-peer car-sharing platform Drivemate secured US$2.2 million in a series A round led by Nestol Technologies Inc., a Nasdaq-listed IT and enterprise software solutions provider in the US. Isuzu, UNT Group, and Colopl Next also participated in the round, which brings Drivemate’s total funding to US$2.8 million. The company will use the funds to further develop its platform and integrate its infrastructure with Netsol’s Otoz mobility platform. More info.

8. Knowledge Platform (Pakistan)

Knowledge Platform, an educational technology firm, raised over US$2 million in its series A equity funding round led by Beaconhouse School System and Lakson Investments Venture Capital. Several individual investors also participated in the round, and Future Trust, a trust established by the JS Group, provided a substantial funding facility to Knowledge Platform. More info.

9. Bellug (Thailand)

Bellug, a startup that provides various services aimed at tourists, raised an undisclosed amount of funding in a pre-series A round from Expara Thailand and 500 TukTuks.The company will use its new funds to ramp up its revenue, expand its presence, and invest more in research and development, and make new hires. More info.

10. NuSpace (Singapore)

NuSpace, which provides internet-of-things connectivity and data platform services from space using nano-satellites, has secured an undisclosed amount of seed funding from Japan-based venture capital firm Beenext. The funding will help NuSpace build a constellation of nanosatellites to bring IoT connectivity to places deemed economically unfeasible, such as in the middle of the ocean. More info.

11. Grofers (India)

Grofers is an online grocery platform that is taking India’s US$600 billion grocery delivery market by storm. Against ecommerce giants Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart, SoftBank-backed Grocer may turn out to be the dark horse as it eyes US$1billion in revenue by FY 2020 through a three-pronged strategy. More info.

12. N-Squared eCommerce (Thailand)

N-Squared eCommerce offers commercial strategy, inventory procurement, merchandising, digital marketing, order fulfillment, and customer support among other services to brands that sell on marketplaces. In 2018, they received 1.3 million orders, accrued US$1.2 million net profit, and grew their revenue at a CAGR of 246% from 2015. More info.

13. Meal Temple (Cambodia)

Meal Temple Group has launched a ride-hailing product called DriveUp for taxis and tuk-tuks (auto rickshaws) in Laos. This follows Meal Temple’s acquisition of Laos-based food delivery platform MyDelivery back in February of this year. In a statement, Meal Temple said its recent move brings it one step closer to its goal of becoming a supper app. More info.

14. Hidup (Indonesia)

Hidup is a startup that offers international workers, students, interns, and expatriates as well as locals a new way of finding mid- to long-term accommodation rentals in major cities. The recently launched company has more than 400 listings on its platform and received more than AU$150,000 (US$102,000) in seed funding from angel investors in Australia as well as support from the Small Business Entrepreneur Grants Program from Department of Employment, Small Business and Training in Queensland, Australia.

15. Matrubharti (India)

16. Zapevo (Hong Kong)

17. BeamAndGo (Philippines)

18. DeafTawk (Pakistan)

19. Loop (Singapore)

20. TalentTribe (Singapore)

21. Bookairfreight (Hong Kong)

22. Next Billion (Singapore)

23. Positive Energy (Singapore)

24. Sakay (Philippines)

25. Toku (Singapore)

26. ZhenHub (Hong Kong)