Rising SE Asian startups this week: sugar daddies, music, 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. Musiio (Singapore)

Musiio develops AI-powered technology for the music industry. It analyzes large volumes of music to categorize and rank it, and identifies potential songs of interest for record labels, music publishers, and other partners. More info.

Amount raised: US$1 million

Investors: Led by Wavemaker Partners

2. Spean Loan (Cambodia)

Spean Loan is a credit scoring app targeted at helping people secure microloans. The startup’s founder, Yuta Nagano, aims to expand the app across Asia. More info.

Amount raised: US$300,000

Investors: Led by Showcase Capital

3. Sugarbook (Malaysia)

Controversial dating app Sugarbook aims to match sugar daddies and mommies with young women and men. The service was launched in 2017 and now has 300,000 members. More info.

Amount raised: Undisclosed

Investors: Undisclosed

4. Qlue (Indonesia)

Smart city platform Qlue has raised fresh capital to expand its talent pool for the development of AI and IoT products on its platform. Working with the government and the public, the startup aims to implement a smart city concept in Jakarta. More info.

Amount raised: Undisclosed

Investor: MDI Venture

5. theAsianparent (Singapore)

TheAsianparent, an online parenting community, is reportedly in talks with investors, including Alibaba’s Ant Financial. The funds will be used for branding and expansion. More info.

6. Yours (Singapore)

The former regional head of driver operations at Uber has started Yours, a direct-to-consumer skincare startup. The company uses all-natural ingredients and makes the products at a lab in Switzerland. More info.