Biotech wins hearts - and funding

Firmus, Regend, GCash, and more raised funds this week.

Read from your browser FOMO Saturday Welcome to Tech in Asia's free Saturday VC newsletter! Register to get full access to our subscribers-only premium content and other insightful analysis on the big and messy topics of Asia's tech and startup community. Ensure our articles appear in your Google searches: Hello Betamax, Happy Valentine's Day! Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and I have… some funding news for you. The sector that has caught my attention this week is the biotech industry. Two of the top-funded companies on our list operate in the biotech sphere, developing solutions in areas like regenerative medicine and using AI to enhance drug discovery. It's pretty cool stuff. After all, health is wealth. Here's to hoping that one of these firms will discover a cure for cancer one day - I think that'd be pretty neat. You can find all other important investment deals from the last few days in our weekly funding news wrap-up. Let's dive into the biggest deals and M&A that have recently taken place. -- Stefanie THE BIGGEST DEALS BY MARKET 🇦🇺 Firmus Technologies builds highly efficient AI infrastructure and AI factories. Based in Australia, it has raised US$70 million in strategic investment from Maas Group Holdings. 🇨🇳 Regend is a China-based biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the field of regenerative medicine. It has bagged US$50 million in series C funding from Hefei Hi-tech Venture Capital, Fuho Capital, Hefei Industry Investment Group, and Yuze Capital. 🇵🇭 GCash is a financial super app that lets users buy goods, pay bills, send money, and take out loans with just their mobile phones. Hailing from the Philippines, it has secured US$30 million in debt financing from the Asian Development Bank. 🇮🇳 Supertails, a digital pet care platform in India, has scored US$30 million in series B funding. Participating investors were Fireside Ventures, Nippon India Alternative Investments, Saama Capital, Titan Capital, and Venturi Partners. 🇰🇷 Galux is a biotech firm that leverages AI, physics, and chemistry to design and develop novel therapeutic drugs. Headquartered in South Korea, it has raised US$29 million in series B funding from Dayli Partners, InterVest, Korea Development Bank, Korea Investment & Securities, Mirae Asset Securities, NCORE Ventures, Pathway Partners, SL Investment Management, Sneak Peek Investments, and Yuanta Investment. Here's the complete list of this week's funding chart: 84 deals worth over US$544 million. M&A Zenyum, a consumer-focused dental care brand from Singapore, has announced a merger with MakeO, the parent company of Indian clear aligner brand Toothsi. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed. STARTUPS THAT ARE RAISING FUNDS Fundraising is hard. To make things slightly easier, we've compiled this list of fundraising startups for our subscribers. Do you run a startup that's raising at the moment or know someone who does? Sign your company up for listing here. Here's a preview of the startups: 🇲🇾 This startup from Malaysia runs an AI-powered school management platform. 🇵🇭 This company from the Philippines operates an online business lending platform. 🇸🇬 Hailing from Singapore, this firm provides smart locks and software for seamless keyless access, remote control, and enhanced security. You can find the full list of fundraising startups in Asia over here. BEHIND THE GLASSWALL Fundraising often involves reaching out to several contacts, many of whom founders might not have dealt with before. To provide some transparency to this process, we created Glasswall, a platform for founders to give feedback and recommendations on investors. Check out the full list here. ✅︎ "They are very straightforward and open with their evaluation and consideration. No nonsense work that was not purposeful. They voiced out what they like and what their concerns are about the business." - Read more ❌ "Harsh terms. Many other founders have expressed that they were hopeless. I have to strongly agree. Looks fast, but actually slow. Looks smart, but actually indecisive. Looks helpful, but actually insincere." - Read more ✅︎ "Truly a founder-friendly investor - they are fast, diligent, and communicative throughout the process." - Read more GET CLARITY ACROSS CUSTOMER JOURNEYS The Omnichannel Marketing Playbook by Tech in Asia and TelinPRO is here Tech in Asia, in collaboration with TelinPRO, is thrilled to announce the launch of The Omnichannel Marketing Playbook. It's an e-learning platform designed for marketing leaders and decision-makers navigating complex execution across channels. Built with real operating environments in mind, the platform offers a structured, practical learning experience to help organizations develop clearer frameworks, stronger alignment, and greater confidence in designing and executing customer journeys without relying on guesswork. This launch reflects a growing need for practical capability-building that emphasizes real-world execution support and resilience - a shift beyond theoretical knowledge. Explore the platform and its approach to strengthening execution across customer journeys. EXCLUSIVE LISTICLES Lists of most active investors in the region China | India | Indonesia | Japan | Singapore | Southeast Asia List of top-funded startups in Asia China | India | Indonesia | Israel | Japan | Hong Kong | Singapore | South Korea | Vietnam THOUGHTFUL READS 1️⃣ Lessons from the Super Bowl We here in Southeast Asia may not care much about American football, but there are lessons to be learned from the ads and performances showcased at theSuper Bowl venue. Apart from Bad Bunny, the number of AI companies that bought ad space was notable as well - and that says a lot about the current state of the tech industry. This episode of the Rapid Response podcast dives deeper. 2️⃣ Rising stars VC has undergone a reckoning, creating a big opportunity for early-career venture capitalists who bring with them sharper judgment, greater diligence, and an eye for startups that can actually scale into businesses. Business Insider has launched its annual list of rising stars in the VC world for 2026 - check it out here. 3️⃣ Fintech's back According to a KPMG report, the global fintech market saw some US$116 billion in total investment in 2025, up from US$95.5 billion in 2024. This feat follows three years of declining investment and reflects a renewed confidence in the market. Read more about it on The Edge. 4️⃣ The long game At Consensus Hong Kong, a crypto and Web3 conference, the dominant mood was that of recalibration - not retreat - amid the crypto market's prolonged downturn. For many investors, they're playing the long game while also navigating other developments such as the intersection of AI and Web3. Learn more in this piece from CoinDesk. 5️⃣ The question of secondaries Secondary funds may be pretty common globally, but they're just beginning to take shape in India. In a market that has struggled with liquidity, especially among "new-age tech companies," the secondary market could offer more avenues for investors to cash out. Know more by reading this piece on Forbes India. EVENTS HAPPENING You can also check out our curated list of trending tech events and Tech in Asia's signature events. Peak State: The Mindset of the World's Top Performers We're going behind the scenes with leaders who don't just talk about discipline but live it. Grace Park and Cole Sirucek, co-founders of DocDoc, have built a patient-empowerment engine that spans multiple markets and has partnered with global giants like AXA and Aon. Rob Bier, who has helped scale over 40 growth companies, will be facilitating an interactive workshop that explores how top leaders can develop judgment, culture, and decision discipline alongside intelligent machines. Join us for this exclusive event! Secure your access today - limited seats available. 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