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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: 
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Hello Betamax, Ohayou gozaimasu! I had never been to Japan before I moved to Singapore. Well, one layover at the airport doesn't count. After relocating to the city-state, however, rave reviews from my peers convinced me to book a flight to Kyushu, Japan's third-largest island. Making reservations was challenging, though, because I didn't speak Japanese. While booking our ryokan - a type of traditional Japanese inn - I had to switch between multiple tabs as I translated full web pages from Japanese to English, confirmed my reservation, and communicated our dietary restrictions. When I was finally done, I closed my laptop and felt drained - I hadn't even left! That's why this week's acquisition of Japan's Loco Partners by South Korea's GoodChoice is interesting. Loco Partners operates Relux, a Japanese travel booking platform known for luxury hotels, resorts, and ryokans. This deal gives GoodChoice a stronger bridge between Korea and Japan - two places Singaporeans keep flying to every year, like it's a personality trait. 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&As that have recently taken place. -- Lilian |
THE BIGGEST DEALS BY MARKET🇮🇱 Decart is an efficiency-focused AI research lab building foundational real-time world and video models. Based in Israel, which is located in West Asia, the firm has bagged US$300 million in series B funding from Radical Ventures. 🇮🇳 Rapido is a platform where you can book bike rides through a mobile app. The Indian startup has raised US$240 million in series F money from Accel Partners, Prosus Ventures, and WestBridge Capital. 🇨🇳 Hastronstone is a developer and manufacturer of liquid rockets. Headquartered in China, the firm has bagged US$73.5 million in series A funding from Fibonacci VC, GLV, Gaorong Capital, HighLight Capital/HLC, Kunlun Capital, and Orient Securities Capital. 🇰🇷 WIRobotics is a South Korean startup focusing on wearable robots. In a series B round, it has secured US$64.6 million from Company K Partners, FuturePlay, GU Equity Partners, Hana Ventures, InterVest, JB Investment, NH Investment and Securities, SBVA, and Smilegate Investment. 🇸🇦 Arib is a licensed digital finance brokerage hailing from Saudi Arabia. The startup has secured US$23.5 million in series A money from Merak Capital. Here's the complete list of this week's funding chart: 72 deals worth over US$1.4 billion. |
M&AS🇮🇱 Deepchecks is an enterprise-grade AI testing, observability, and monitoring platform based in Israel. It has been acquired by cybersecurity firm Check Point in a deal valued between US$10 million and US$20 million. 🇯🇵 Loco Partners operates Relux, a luxury ryokan and hotel booking platform in Japan. It has been acquired by South Korean company GoodChoice for an undisclosed sum. 🇮🇱 Endospan is a pioneer in endovascular repair of aortic arch disease. The Israeli firm has been acquired by medical device company Artivion for US$335 million. 🇮🇱 Genie Security is an Israeli company that specializes in endpoint data protection software. It has been acquired by cybersecurity company Cyera for US$50 million. |
STARTUPS THAT ARE RAISING FUNDSFundraising 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 Singapore-based company builds AI tools that simplify everyday workflows.
- 🇺🇸 This American firm builds AI agents to automate inspections and material procurement for the architecture, engineering, and construction industry.
- 🇮🇳 This Indian startup runs an online marketplace for buying and selling new and used automobiles.
You can find the full list of fundraising startups in Asia over here. |
WE WANT YOUR VC REVIEWS Founders talk quietly about VCs all the time. Glasswall is Tech in Asia's anonymous investor review database - built to make that conversation public. Here's a recent entry:
- "For us, they wanted to understand the country deeply - market structure, the structural gaps, why this works here and why now. If you can hold your own on that, you're in a strong spot." - Read more
The database only works if more founders contribute - good, bad, or indifferent reviews; they all help. Read reviews and leave your own here. If you'd rather skip the form, just email our engagement editor, Peter Cowan, at peter.cowan@techinasia.com with a line or two about an investor you've worked with. We'll anonymize it and add it to the database. |
CAN SEA SCALE IN THE AI ERA?Two regional ministers, one stage.  Will Southeast Asia's digital foundations be ready as it scales its AI ambitions? On June 17, this question takes center stage at the Asia Economic Summit 2026 at Fairmont Jakarta. Meutya Hafid, Indonesia's minister of communications and digital affairs, and Josephine Teo, Singapore's minister for digital development and information and minister-in-charge of cybersecurity & smart nation group, will discuss how Southeast Asia can strengthen its digital foundations to support AI-driven growth at scale. From upgrading networks and data systems to aligning policy and cross-border coordination, the conversation will center on what it takes to turn the region's digital foundations into long-term economic advantage. Set within a curated, senior-level environment, this is where policymakers, investors, and operators shape Southeast Asia's next phase of growth. View the full agenda Join the leaders defining Southeast Asia's next decade. Tickets are selling fast - this event is limited to 250 delegates. |
EXCLUSIVE LISTICLESLists 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 READS1️⃣ Pitch, please Having a big idea is one thing; getting people to back it is another. In this episode of the Harvard Business Review podcast, Sue Ashford and Ellen Bailey talk about how to sell ideas upward, from agreeing on the problem first to mapping allies, blockers, and fence-sitters. 2️⃣ The IPO queue is forming Remember when people kept asking when the exit window would reopen? This PitchBook article says a possible mega-IPO wave involving names like SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic could reset the VC secondaries market. In other words, the private-market waiting room may finally be moving, but only if the biggest names make it through the door first. 3️⃣ SaaS and sensibility While the 2016 SaaS crash was mostly about valuation, the 2026 software sell-off may be about relevance. Venture capitalist Tomasz Tunguz argues in this piece that, with AI changing how software gets bought, used, and replaced, investors may be asking whether some of it still needs to exist. 4️⃣ CRM, meet your new boss If you enjoy seeing enterprise software being politely threatened, you might appreciate this Andreessen Horowitz piece, which argues that value could shift toward "systems of intelligence" that sit above tools like CRMs. Basically, the database still matters, but the brain on top may matter more. 5️⃣ Agent security gets serious This article from the Bessemer Venture Partners website explores why CISOs may need to rethink the security stack as AI agents move from demo rooms into enterprise workflows. Turns out giving software more autonomy also gives everyone more things to worry about. |
EVENTS HAPPENINGYou can also check out our curated list of trending tech events and Tech in Asia's signature events.
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