Rising startups: Edtech’s time has come

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 that we think investors should look at.

1. Ruangguru (Indonesia)

Edtech startup Ruangguru has secured US$150 million in its series C funding. Founded by Adamas Belva Syah Devara and Iman Usman in 2014, Ruangguru offers online video subscriptions as well as a private-tutor marketplace and corporate learning. It serves more than 15 million students and manages 300,000 teachers, making it the leading edtech company in Indonesia. More info.

2. Yunzhangfang (China)

Corporate tax management software-as-a-service (SaaS) Yunzhangfang has closed an US$85 million series D round. New funds will be used for research into areas such as robotic process automation, elastic computing, platform-as-a-service, and financial knowledge graphs. It also plans to spend on marketing to expand the client base and to hire talent. Yunzhangfang claims that by now it has served more than 1.4 million SMEs located in 26 provincial regions in China. More info.

3. HomeLane (India)

Tech-enabled company HomeLane, which provides interior designing solutions, said that it has raised US$30 million in its series D round, which was led by new investors including private equity firm Evolvence India Fund, Pidilite Group, and FJ Labs. The company said it will get more designers and vendors on its platform as well as start offering renovation services. In India, it aims to expand its footprint to 10 cities from its current 7. More info.

4. Kopi Kenangan (Indonesia)

Grab-and-go coffee chain Kopi Kenangan has secured additional investment in an extended series A round from Jay-Z’s Arrive, Serena Williams’ Serena Ventures, basketball player Caris LeVert, and Sweetgreen CEO and co-founder Jonathan Neman, among others. Following the new investment, Kopi Kenangan plans to add more than a thousand new stores over the next two years and expand across Southeast Asia. More info.

5. TravelFlan (Hong Kong)

Travel and lifestyle solutions provider TravelFlan, backed by AI, announced it has raised US$7 million in a series A funding round led by an investment arm of Lazard Korea. Its core solutions include a text-based and voice-enabled AI personal concierge, a supply chain and inventory management system, a big data analytical engine, and an inventory aggregator/processor. More info.

6. Ooca (Thailand)

Tech-enabled mental health startup Ooca has been working with universities and the Ministry of Health in Thailand to increase accessibility to mental health services. Users can register anonymously and schedule video calls with their chosen mental health professional for 30-minute counseling sessions, which are priced at 1,000 to 1,500 baht (US$33 to US$50) each. The startup previously received seed funding from Singapore-based early-stage venture capital firm Expara and is looking to raise additional institutional funding to expand in Singapore. More info.

7. Vexere (Vietnam)

Online bus-ticketing and car-booking platform Vexere has raised an undisclosed amount of funding. The mobility startup helps passengers book bus tickets for its network of more than 550 passenger bus companies, and provides management software solutions for fleet operators and ticket distribution software for agents. The new funds will help the company accelerate product development, expand into related sectors, and continue to focus on the development of its mobile interface. More info.

8. Leverage Edtech Private Limited (India)

University admissions and career guidance platform Leverage Edtech Private Limited, announced on Friday that it raised over $1.5million from its existing investors. The company helps students with university admissions via personalised mentor-led workshops, an AI University/Program matching tool, career assessments, portfolio build-up, access to pre-program internships and online courses, and exclusive scholarship options. The company will use the funding to deepen the student experience on the platform.

9. Resdi (Myanmar)

Phandeeyar has made a US$25,000 investment in Resdi as part of its newly launched investment initiative. The restaurant bookings and discounts app will be added to the list of Phandeeyar’s portfolio of startups, and the new investment will allow Resdi to expand its team, fuel product development and deliver the app to a significantly wider audience.

Want to catch up on previous lists? You can do so here.