[L-R] PixCap Co-Founders Cyril Nie (CTO) and CJ Looi (CEO) Singapore-based PixCap, a web-based 3D design platform, has raised US$2.8 million in seed funding led by Sequoia Surge. Cocoon Capital, Entrepreneur First and angel investor Michael Gryseels also participated. “The new funding will contribute to talent acquisition, product development and community building for global expansion,” said CJ Looi, CEO and Co-Founder of PixCap. Founded in 2020 by Cyril Nie (CTO) and Looi, PixCap allows users with no 3D experience to find, edit and export 3D content, including images for graphic desig ..read more

A new report jointly produced by McKinsey & Company, Elevandi and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) reveals that fintech companies could play a significant role in helping to mobilise the capital required to create global sustainability, particularly in the effort towards decarbonisation (net zero). “Fintech could play a significant role in helping to mobilise the capital required to create global sustainability. So far, only a very small portion of the total need is covered through financing. In recent years financing for projects targeting reduced emissions grew, but remained we ..read more

Ouch!, a next-gen, tech-enabled insurance platform in Malaysia, said today it has secured an undisclosed sum in a pre-Series A round of investment. Neither the names of the investors nor the size of the investment hasn’t been disclosed. Following the investment, Ouch! will look to acquire the final approval from Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) to operate in its regulatory sandbox. Founded in September 2019, Ouch! utilises technology to make the insurance process pain-free — from plans purchasing, claims, and managing policies. It offers insurance solutions across life, home, travel and motor, all ..read more

Remember the “information superhighway”? How about “New Media”? They sound quaint now, but this is how the internet (which, incidentally, was spelt with a capital “I” back then) and digital media/online content, respectively, were hyped back in the late 20th century.  The same thing will happen to Web3. When we look back years from now, we will also cringe at how we referred to many things related to Web3. Especially by how people talked and acted to show they’re part of the Web3 in-crowd and that they’re so much cooler and smarter than “normies”. It’s this kind of us-versus-them effect ..read more

Dr Carl Jones is Managing Director (Southeast Asia) at SAP Concur. He leads a multinational cross-functional team with sales, pre-sales, client success and cloud channel partnerships, ensuring alignment for strategic projects within SAP Concur. An industry veteran, Jones has held various regional leadership roles in Asia Pacific countries, including Singapore and Thailand. He has 20 years of experience in Asia’s travel and payments industry. Jones is a regular contributor of articles for e27 (you can read his thought leadership articles here). In this candid interview, he talks ..read more

Ampotech Co-Founders William Temple (L) and Ziling Zhou Ampotech, an IoT- and AI-based building energy management startup in Singapore, has raised S$1.78 (US$1.3) million in pre-Series A funding led by Earth Venture Capital (Earth VC). KSL Maritime Ventures, the VC arm of The Kuok Maritime Group, and existing investors Silicon Solution Ventures and SEEDS Capital also joined. Ampotech will use the funds for international expansion. It plans to open its first international office in the coming months while bringing its solutions into new industry verticals beyond its base in commercial real es ..read more

Starting a business is no easy feat, but growing it to become a successful startup is even harder. With so much competition in the market, it can be a challenge for founders to stand out and make a lasting impact. However, one strategy that has proven to be effective in driving cost-effective, long-term success is leveraging niche communities. A niche community is a group of people who share a common interest or passion, often in a specific product or service. By targeting and engaging with these communities, startups can tap into a pool of loyal and engaged customers who are already interest ..read more

Fintech is at the frontline of the financial revolution, ushering innovations that propel the digital transformation of financial services. This ambition to innovate and disrupt has invited the best minds in finance and technology to come together and come up with solutions that help bolster the industry, ultimately spearheading the digital revolution. Throbbing at the centre of that digital revolution is the leading fintech company, Airwallex. The company is on the hunt for innovators who share their vision of digitally transforming businesses, facilitating them to go from offline to online ..read more

The IMD World Digital Competitiveness study revealed that Singapore was ranked fourth in the world and first in Asia for digital competitiveness in government practices, business models, and society. Although the government has made tremendous progress in its digital transformation journey, some crucial areas, such as the adoption of Conversational AI (CAI), still haven’t reached their full potential. While the government is already using Conversational AI solutions to deliver better citizen services, e.g. the Inland Revenue Authority deployment of ‘Ask Jamie’ as their virtual assistant, ther ..read more

Right Choice Capital CEO and Founder Kodi Kodrowski Singapore-based business financing company Right Choice Capital has received approval to acquire Rural Bank of San Luis (RBSL). RBSL is a fully licensed rural bank in the Pampanga region of the Philippines with a 50-year successful operating history. It provides savings, time deposits and lending to MSMEs and individual consumers. The acquisition is part of Right Choice Capital’s broader banking roll-up strategy, with another bank acquisition currently under negotiation. “We are expanding RBSL bank with a fully digital product range while r ..read more