Hi, everyone. Taro here.
Crypto rules everything around me. Whether it is hacks, funding rounds, regulatory changes, or new project launches, crypto headlines are now completely unavoidable on a daily basis. It has been fascinating to see the steady move of crypto into mainstream discourse, with the likes of Goldman Sachs now operating its own services after calling it a fraud not so long ago.
Another strong theme in the headlines this year is the focus on sustainability, with startups operating in this area starting to mature and looking for bigger funding rounds to take things to the next level. The interest from investors will increase, with impact investing seeing steady growth in 2021 and consumers becoming more aware of the environmental issues caused by daily consumption.
Open Run
Startups to watch in Asia. This week, we’re looking at startups in the Draper Startup House community.
Location: Singapore
Eblity provides resources, workshops, and certificate programs for professionals and parents who are caring for special needs children. With a community for people to connect and share resources, Ebility aims to enable children with special needs to succeed and live fruitful lives.
Location: Singapore
With many in Southeast Asia still unbanked and lacking credit history, ConfirmU aims to provide a method of credit scoring using games and psychometric analysis for financial institutions to onboard new users.
Location: Australia
Based in Australia, HEX runs virtual programs, study abroad experiences, and hackathon-style events for university students to develop skills related to innovation and entrepreneurship. It counts Atlassian, Zendesk, Monash University, and the University of California San Diego as partners.
Location: Singapore
Ferne Health is a digital health startup that provides home-based healthcare services for women. It gives women access to sexual health services, self-test kits, and treatments within the privacy of their own home. It also provides knowledge on various topics related to sexual health through its own channels and online webinars.
Nothing But Net
Recent Startup Wins
- Plant-based nutrition startup Growthwell Foods appointed a new group CEO, Manuel Bossi, to lead its plans for growth into new markets in 2022.
- Deko will be running an exhibition titled “Embracing Science with Colors: A Pandemic Story” from April 16 to April 23 at *SCAPE in Singapore. The exhibition will teach “science education through creative means and narratives of resilience amidst the pandemic.”
- Seedbox, a wealth management platform based in the Philippines, raised USD 6 million from SBI Ven Capital and Philippine Equity Partners.
- Singapore based The Parentinc, which runs parenting content platform theAsianparent, closed a USD 22 million Series D funding round led by East Ventures.
Pick & Roll
Interesting Drops From the Week
- Our intern, Sarah, spoke with Cortical Labs, which is developing computer chips that incorporate human neurons that will allow the chips to think on their own.
- Epic Games launched its latest game engine, Unreal Engine 5, for developers to use. [via The Verge]
- Franco Varona from Foxmont Capital Partners shared his thoughts on why the Philippines is booming and will continue its upward trajectory.
- The famous Coachella music festival has gotten into the NFT boom by offering a digital seed that will bloom over the course of the event. [via Coachella]
- A number of startups spoke with Openspace Ventures, Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India, Sequoia India, Gobe Partners, and ATM Capital at our recent Open Office Hours event.
If you are a startup that is raising funds, or have an interesting story or lead for us to feature in this newsletter, please fill out this form.