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Welcome to another edition of 🔍 Startup Researcher - Asia, your essential digest delivering the latest news and premium insights on startups and venture capital across the region 🌏️
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📰 Important News
- Cars24 partnered with OpenAI to embed AI into its core operations, already seeing a 50% rise in customer support efficiency.
- Fynd is expanding into Indonesia's $130 billion e-commerce market, offering a full-stack platform for e-commerce, and supply chain.
- Sony Bank and JPYC announced a strategic partnership to integrate the JPYC stablecoin into financial and entertainment services.
- Pegatron 5G and Metanoia are collaborating to develop next-generation ORAN base stations for public and private networks.
- Know Your Customer partnered with DBS Bank Hong Kong to streamline its SME onboarding process by leveraging an AI-powered platform.
💸 Top Funding Rounds
- Galbot secured $363 million from Chinese national and industrial giants to advance humanoid robotics.
- Noetix Robotics raised $145 million in Series B funding led by CD Capital to accelerate the commercialization and expansion of its humanoid robots.
- KargoBot.ai landed $100 million in Series B funding from Horizon Robotics and Gaorong Ventures, planning to deploy 1,000 unmanned trucks this year.
- On-demand home services startup Pronto raised $25 million in a Series B round led by Epiq Capital to scale its operations.
- Malaysian drone technology company Aonic obtained $10 million in a Series A funding round led by Kairous Capital to accelerate its expansion.
💰️ IPO and M&A Watch
- Momenta confidentially filed for a Hong Kong IPO, where it could raise at least $1 billion after shifting its listing plans from the U.S.
- Moneyview filed for an IPO with SEBI, planning to raise $163 million through a fresh issue and an offer for sale.
- Captain Fresh completed its acquisition of Frime, expanding its European footprint and adding a third major seafood category to its portfolio.
- MedGenome acquired a majority stake in Medcare Management Services, expanding integrated diagnostics across Western India.
- Cell AgriTech acquired all lab and production equipment from Avant's following the latter’s decision to shutdown its operations in Singapore.
🏦 About Investors
- Singapore and South Korea launched a strategic AI alliance, with Seoul committing to a $300 million global fund and a $33.7 million joint R&D project.
- Ho Chi Minh City is launching a public-private venture capital fund for startups, targeting $200 million in total by 2035, with an initial $19.2 million to boost its tech ecosystem and foster innovation across various key sectors.
- Japan Airlines launched JAL Innovation Fund II managed by Japan Airlines Ventures in Silicon Valley creating Asia’s first fully in-house airline CVC to invest in global startups.
🚀Startup of the Week
Introducing our Startup of the Week 🏆
Galbot
Founded in 2023 in Beijing, Galbot is a fast-rising embodied AI and humanoid robotics startup led by Dr. Wang He, a Peking University researcher and Stanford graduate known for pioneering end-to-end embodied large model research in China. The company builds humanoid robots powered by embodied large-model research that integrate perception, decision-making, and physical action for real-world environments. Its flagship Galbot S1 heavy-duty robot is already deployed in industrial manufacturing, including operations inside CATL battery factories. Led by CEO Wang He and a team from leading global institutions, Galbot recently secured $363 million in funding from major investors including Sinopec, the China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, and SAIC affiliates. With deployments spanning factories and autonomous retail, Galbot is pushing embodied intelligence from research into real-world scale.
💼 Investor of the Week
Introducing our Investor of the Week 🏆
Korea–Singapore AI global fund
The Korea–Singapore AI Fund, unveiled in 2026 under the Korea–Singapore AI Alliance, is a forthcoming cross-border investment vehicle backed by the South Korean government and positioned within Singapore’s innovation ecosystem. Structured as a global venture fund focused on AI and deeptech startups, it is expected to deploy $300 million by 2030 to support companies from both countries, while linking capital, technology, and talent across Asia. Announced during the Korea-Singapore AI Connect Summit by President Lee Jae Myung, the initiative complements a $33.7 million joint research program and multiple institutional partnerships.
🤑Opportunities Expiring Soon
UNICEF Innovation Fund 2026 for Blockchain Solutions
- 📢 Organizer: UNICEF Venture Fund
- 🗂️ Category: Funding
- 🪜 Target Stages: Pre-seed, Seed
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Web3 & Blockchain, Social & Governance, Finance & Insurance
- 📅 Application Deadline: March 10, 2026
IDRIS Open Hackathon 2026
- 📢 Organizer: NVIDIA
- 🗂️ Category: Hackathon, Event
- 🪜 Target Stages: Ideation
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: AI & Data, DeepTech
- 📅 Application Deadline: March 10, 2026
FoundersBoost 2026 SoCal B2B Accelerator
- 📢 Organizer: FoundersBoost
- 🗂️ Category: Accelerator, Training & Learning
- 🪜 Target Stages: Pre-seed, Seed
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Sector Agnostic
- 📅 Application Deadline: March 11, 2026
Start2 Asia Accelerator
- 📢 Organizer: Start2 Group
- 🗂️ Category: Accelerator
- 🪜 Target Stages: Series A, Series B, Series C, Series D, Series E, Series F
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Sector Agnostic
- 📅 Application Deadline: March 13, 2026
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