Southeast Asia’s top-funded tech companies (2011-2021)

Which tech company in Southeast Asia has raised the most money? It probably won’t surprise you to know that the answer is Grab.

Funding isn’t everything, of course. While Sea is second on the list, it boasts an advantage that other players do not have: an immensely profitable gaming business called Garena.

The internet giant could also raise US$1 billion within a day due to its status as a well-regarded and publicly listed company.

But Grab isn’t short of funds either. This speaks volumes about the company’s ambitions and its goal of building a cash cushion to survive any fall.

The Southeast Asian super app competes in ride-hailing, food delivery, payments, and financial services – all at once.

And yet, if you split the money that it has raised so far equally among its main businesses, each of them would still make this list.

All of these factors make a merger between any of these giants plausible. Only by laying down their weapons against each other can they win a war against a bigger competitor.

SOURCE

Data: Tech in Asia
Infographics: Gwen Dang
Analysis: Terence Lee