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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
- China approved Neuracle Technology's NEO system, the world's first invasive brain-computer interface for commercial medical use.
- Razorpay launched AI Agent Studio and Agentic Experience Platform, using Anthropic’s Claude to automate payments and finance operations.
- Genrobotics secured a landmark contract with Singapore's National Water Agency to deploy advanced robotic systems for sewer management.
- Cred secured an RBI payment aggregator license, enabling a major expansion into merchant services and payment processing.
- Harvey is opening a new office in Singapore to accelerate its growth across the Asia-Pacific region.
💸 Top Funding Rounds
- AIsphere secured a record $300 million in its latest funding round to accelerate global expansion and further develop its AI world models.
- Uzum raised $130 million in funding led by Omani sovereign entities, valuing the company at $2.3 billion ahead of its upcoming Series B round.
- Chinese BCI startup Jieti Medical landed $72.7 million in funding led by Alibaba, bringing total funding to over $145 million.
- Mozarkraised $40 million in Series B funding from the IFC, RMB Capitalworks, and Kalaari Capital to fuel global expansion and product development.
- Solafune closed a $30 million Series A round led by Globis Capital Partners to develop its Planetary Intelligence OS for global security applications.
💰️ IPO and M&A Watch
- Earendil Labs is planning a $500 million Hong Kong IPO with Morgan Stanley and CICC, bolstered by Sanofi partnerships.
- Kredivo acquired Vietnam’s Timo to expand regionally and combine lending with digital banking in a fast-growing fintech market.
- inDrive acquired Pakistani grocery delivery startup Krave Mart in an all-stock transaction, expanding its services into South Asia's quick-commerce sector.
- PayPay Corporation announced the pricing of its initial public offering (IPO) at $16 per American depositary share.
- Reliance Retail acquired Pahadi Local to expand its beauty portfolio, leveraging its natural ingredients and community-led sourcing.
🏦 About Investors
- NIIF secured $750 million for Private Markets Fund II, targeting $1 billion, with commitments from the Government of India and institutional investors.
- Venture capital firm Green Frontier Capital reduced its maiden India climateTech fund target to $75–$100 million.
- Metaplanet launched a $25 million venture arm and a U.S. asset management subsidiary to boost Japan's Bitcoin infrastructure.
- Startup Bangladesh Limited and LightCastle Partners signed an MoU to bolster the nation's startup ecosystem.
- GMO Internet Group approved the creation of GMO Fintech Fund 8 on March 9, 2026, targeting domestic and overseas fintech and AI startups.
🚀Startup of the Week
Introducing our Startup of the Week 🏆
AIsphere
Founded in 2023 in Beijing by Wang Changhu, Xie Xuzhang, and Jaden Xie, AIsphere is rapidly emerging as a major force in generative video through its PixVerse platform, which enables creators and businesses to generate high-quality videos from text and images. Led by CEO Wang Changhu, the company recently raised $300 million in a Series C round led by CDH Investments, with participation from UOB Venture Management and other investors, reaching unicorn status. With more than 100 million users globally, AIsphere is expanding internationally from its new office in Singapore while advancing real-time AI video generation technology to transform digital content creation worldwide.
💼 Investor of the Week
Introducing our Investor of the Week 🏆
NIIF
Founded in 2015 and backed by the Government of India, National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIIF) is a sovereign-anchored investment platform that channels global capital into India’s infrastructure and private markets. Operating across private equity, infrastructure, and growth investments, NIIF focuses on sectors such as energy transition, healthcare, technology, and advanced manufacturing. The firm recently secured $750 million in commitments for its second Private Markets Fund (PMF II) toward a $1 billion target, attracting investors including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank. Led by Anand Unnikrishnan, Managing Partner for Private Markets, NIIF aims to bridge global investors with India’s fast-growing private equity and venture ecosystem.
🤑Opportunities Expiring Soon
Amazon Nova AI Hackathon
- 📢 Organizer: Amazon Web Services
- 🗂️ Category: Hackathon, Award/Prize
- 🪜 Target Stages: Stage Agnostic
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: AI & Data
- 📅 Application Deadline: March 17, 2026
Eurostars Funding for International R&D Projects 2026
- 📢 Organizer: Eureka Network
- 🗂️ Category: Funding
- 🪜 Target Stages: Stage Agnostic
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Sector Agnostic
- 📅 Application Deadline: March 19, 2026
Hack-Nation Global AI Hackathon
- 📢 Organizer: Hack Nation
- 🗂️ Category: Hackathon
- 🪜 Target Stages: Stage Agnostic
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Sector Agnostic
- 📅 Application Deadline: March 21, 2026
Immersive Edutainment Platform Challenge
- 📢 Organizer: Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE)
- 🗂️ Category: Award/Prize, Funding, Competition/Challenge
- 🪜 Target Stages: Stage Agnostic
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Education & Workforce, Media & Entertainment, AI & Data, Software & IT
- 📅 Application Deadline: March 23, 2026
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