The women driving SEA’s top startups

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Hello reader,

It’s almost International Women’s Day, but celebrating women and working toward greater equity and diversity is an ongoing thing.

We kicked off our annual International Women’s Day campaign on Wednesday, and I’m really excited about what we’ve got lined up for this year.

One of the items on the calendar is our visual story on the women founders and leaders at Southeast Asia’s top-funded companies. We first launched this in 2022, and we update it annually, tracking not just the region’s leading startups, but also who’s sitting on their leadership teams.

It’s a painstaking task, combing through company websites, org charts, and LinkedIn profiles. I almost feel like a detective finding all the pieces to put this story together. Despite all that, it’s always worth it because seeing just how many amazing women are at the helm of these businesses is incredibly encouraging.

Today we look at:

• The women leading the charge at Southeast Asia’s top-funded startups
• The lending arm of Indian edtech firm Leap raising fresh funds
• Other newsy highlights such as J&T’s first-ever annual profit and South Korea’s new fund to support strategic industries

Premium summary

Ladies, yeah

Image credit: Timmy Loen

In honor of International Women’s Day, here’s a look at the female founders and leaders behind Southeast Asia’s top-funded companies.

• The big L: At the top of the list is Lazada, which has raised US$2.1 billion in the past two years. It has four women in its leadership team.
• Magic number six: Tyme Group has the most number of women among its top brass, with six women in leadership positions across its teams in Asia and South Africa.
• Upward trend: This year’s list features 66 names, the highest since we first started tracking this data in 2022.

Read more: The female founders and leaders behind SEA’s top-funded startups

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