China – Public relations and marketing services firm Influence Matters has announced the launch of Influence Matters Startups, a startup PR activation programme designed exclusively for early-stage tech companies.

To be led by Simon Vericel, Influence Matters Startups will leverage the agency’s offices in China and Indonesia plus their networks of partners across Asia to get innovations and innovators noticed in the region, helping them get their businesses off the ground and make the impact they aspire to, fast.

The programme is designed to help founders and leadership teams craft their missions and visions into actionable stories that will reach their most important stakeholders—customers, investors, partners, and talent.

Influence Matters’ new programme will also be managed with a more favourable budget and contractual conditions, offering tech startups that meet the conditions the maximum flexibility.

As the agency’s clients have grown over the years, they have started to serve more established companies. However, the agency also wanted to reestablish its roots, which are to support B2B tech startups and scale-ups in crafting and telling their stories.

The launch of Influence Matters Startups comes as the agency aims to help innovators cut through barriers, making their innovations and solutions stand out. It is working with startups not only to create their story but also to establish their public brand and presence, including building visual identities and online properties to complement media and social media programs.

Simon Vericel, managing director and founder of Influence Matters, said, “I have been on a mission to support and encourage borderless innovation for as long as I can remember as I firmly believe that humanity’s efforts should be 100% focused on collaboration rather than competition and conflict. Influence Matters Startups will work with innovators and founders that share this vision and work towards a better functioning, peaceful world.”

India – In an effort to foster innovation and growth in the startup ecosystem, Zee Entertainment Enterprises has recently launched its collaboration with the National Association of Software and Service Companies, a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group in India.

Through this joint venture, the two will work together to introduce the Generative AI Foundry programme, an initiative that focuses on advancing and sustaining co-piloted generative AI solutions for India’s media and entertainment industries.

In particular, said collaboration has already hosted a one-day workshop, identifying common interests and potential partnerships. This coincides with the company’s goal to nurture collaborative growth and empower select start-ups to succeed in the dynamic AI landscape.

As part of the workshop, ZED then welcomed 14 firms from the Nasscom Generative AI Foundry initiative at the ZED Technology & Innovation Hub in Bengaluru.

Speaking about the project, Nitin Mittal, president of technology and data at ZEE, said, “We are delighted to embark upon this exciting journey in collaboration with Nasscom, aiming to shape the future of India’s AI community. The synergy between our endeavours, Nasscom’s commitment to nurturing tech startups, and ZEE’s leadership in media innovation signifies more than just a convergence of minds—it represents a fusion of futuristic visions poised to define the industry’s next chapter.”

“As a frontrunner in India’s M&E ecosystem, this partnership stands as a testament to our commitment to elevating the consumer experience by leveraging digital technologies. At ZEE, we believe that collaborations of this nature are instrumental in propelling the growth of startups and fostering innovation in India’s AI landscape,” he added.

Following this endeavour, Ankit Bose, head at NASSCOM AI, also shared, “The partnership between both organisations is a significant one for the generative AI startups. It is heartening to witness excellent initiatives from the industry to collaborate with these startups.

“The innovative solutions possess the potential to transform various sectors, including M&E,” he concluded.

Singapore – Innovation platform Plug and Play, in partnership with government agency Enterprise Singapore, has announced the launch of the ‘Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) San Francisco Acceleration Programme’, providing an excellent opportunity for Singapore startups to explore and expand their products in the tech focused regions of San Francisco and the US.

Set to begin this October, the programme will be aiming to empower and assist Singapore-based startup tech companies with the resources and knowledge to thrive in one of the world’s largest and most diverse markets.

The GIA San Francisco Acceleration Programme will be having three main offerings for the companies involved. Firstly, participant companies will be receiving practical training through interactive workshops accompanied by one-on-one discussions through office hours to provide personalised guidance.

In line with this, each startup will be matched with a mentor who will provide tailored support across various aspects, including marketing, product development, partnership building, investment assistance, and pitch polishing.

Lastly, the programme will culminate with a 2-week in-market immersion in San Francisco, providing startups with an opportunity to pitch and showcase their solutions to a regional network of corporate partners, investors, and industry leaders.

Commenting on the program, Jupe Tan, managing partner at Plug and Play APAC, said, “We believe that the GIA San Francisco Acceleration Programme will be an exceptional opportunity for Singapore startups to tap into the innovation culture and networking opportunities in Silicon Valley. Through our tailored mentorship and business development support, we aim to empower startups to make valuable connections and accelerate their growth trajectory.”

Meanwhile, Lim Seow Hui, director for Americas at Enterprise SG, mentioned, “We are very heartened to partner Plug and Play to support tech startups in building connections and capabilities to grow their businesses as they expand into the United States as it presents immense opportunities as a market for business growth. San Francisco is also a good starting point for Singapore companies and startups, in many areas of tech such as biotech, fintech, sustainability and digital economy.”

Singapore – Global communications agency Redhill has launched its Redhill Lancers Programme, which aims to help with the growth of high-potential, early-stage companies that recognise the importance of public relations and marketing.

Through the program, Redhill will be providing 360-degree communications support to early and growth-stage startups to help them raise investor capital, network with strategic partners, and create sustainable businesses.

The agency will also make strategic investments in companies that focus on solving real-world problems and those with significant growth potential.

Ten selected startups will be given access to Redhill’s full suite of PR and marketing services including communications strategy, media relations, social media, video production, web development, content and research, design and branding, digital marketing, crisis communications, government affairs, and event management. 

Applicants are now invited to share proposals and will be evaluated for their investment, business strategy, and growth potential.

Speaking on the programme’s inspiration, Jacob Puthenparambil, CEO of Redhill, said, “Many early-stage Startups focus a lot on their product and customers that they tend to overlook the communications aspect of the business. For customers and investors to trust them they need to have some level of credibility, and this is where PR plays a pivotal role in helping Startups build their brands and reputations to boost awareness, build credibility, and attract key stakeholders.”

He added, “Through the Redhill Lancers programme, our aim is to help nurture high-potential early-stage companies to navigate their growth journeys and to scale up quickly and sustainably through access to our global partner ecosystem and advisory from Redhill’s executive leadership.”

Redhill also previously launched its metaverse offering in collaboration with US-based enterprise metaverse platform Pixel Canvas.

Jakarta, Indonesia – Sociolla, an Indonesian beauty startup, has raised US$60m in funding, led by Temasek and L Catterton. Other participating investors include existing investors East Ventures and Jungle Ventures.

According to e27, the funding round followed a US$56m funding round that the company announced in May 2021 which it used to support its regional expansion plan.

Christopher Madiam, president and co-founder at Sociolla, said, “Sustainability has been our core principle since day one, and all of our bold moves are always well calculated. This is why we have been able to generate stellar growth despite the pandemic and raise new funds from marquee investors, validating our business model and robust fundamentals.”

He added, “While we have never been afraid to be an industry game changer, our relentless pursuit of sustainable growth over the long run defines us and will continue guiding our path forward.”

Sociolla aims to start with the Southeast Asian region’s over US$10b beauty market. Following its 48 stores across 15 cities in Indonesia, it has also started expanding into Vietnam with 13 locations at the moment.

Singapore – Local financial services company Singlife with Aviva has launched a cross-industry collaboration called ‘A Better Odyssey’, which will help promising start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore to digitalise and scale their operations.

The collaboration brings together leading international digital solutions partners, including Google, GrabForBusiness, Razer Fintech, ShopBack PayLater, Debia, Exabytes, Pand.ai, Quickdesk, Sleek and Volopay.

Emerging businesses can look forward to exclusive offers such as free credits, preferential pricing for products and services and further networking opportunities. They will also benefit from coverage from Singlife’s Group Personal Accident (GPA) insurance scheme, helping them to safeguard their early-stage growth.

The programme is the first open architecture programme by an insurance company in Singapore, helping to provide a one-stop shop for local start-ups and SMEs to access a wide range of solutions, including business management, operations and payment. 

“With digital transformation continuing to define today’s world and digital requirements becoming more complex and fragmented than ever, it has become increasingly important to establish a unified proposition that can support emerging enterprises and address their pain points.” the company said in a press statement.

Varun Mittal, group head for digital and ecosystems at Singlife with Aviva, said, “We are extremely grateful for the support from our many partners in helping us establish and lead this important ecosystem initiative. Singlife offers consumers a better way to financial freedom and we want to help emerging businesses find a better way to grow. We look forward to this journey as their technology-empowered, financial services partner.”

Jakarta, Indonesia – Xendit, an Indonesian fintech, has raised US$300m in their series D funding, aiming to empower startups and SMEs in the Southeast Asian region. In total, Xendit has raised a total of US$538m in funding.

Coatue and Insight Partners co-led the round with additional investment from Accel, Tiger Global, Kleiner Perkins, EV Growth, Amasia, Intudo, and Justin Kan’s Goat Capital.

Xendit has been making strategic investments that serve startups and SMEs in Southeast Asian countries. The company recently invested in Bank Sahabat Sampoerna, a private bank in Indonesia that focuses on micro and SME businesses, as well as banking-as-a-service for technology-enabled businesses. 

Meanwhile, to complement its expansion into the Philippines, Xendit made a strategic investment into the leading local payment gateway, Dragonpay, doubling down on its commitment to modernising hyper-localised payments infrastructure in each market it enters.

Tessa Wijaya, co-founder and COO at Xendit, said, “We will continue to deliver access to Xendit’s payments products and services to enable more businesses and people in the region to participate in the digital economy. Xendit will continue to expand into new markets – like Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam – where we can identify a need that doesn’t exist, similar to what we did in the Philippines. We plan to diversify our products with value-added services, like lending programs we’ve already started in Indonesia.”

Over the last year, Xendit tripled annualised transactions from 65 million to 200 million and increased total payments value from US$6.5b to US$15b.

Bangkok, Thailand – Thailand-based innovation centre, KX Knowledge Xchange, has partnered with TechNode Global, a tech platform that offers tech news, events, and tailor-made marketing solutions, aimed at building a thriving startup ecosystem in Thailand.

The partnership will support Thai startups by offering them access to funding opportunities, networks, technology, knowledge sharing, and resource exchanges. It will also help promote and upgrade the innovation ecosystem in the country to expand into APAC.

Moreover, the partnership will support the Innovation Ecosystem of KX Knowledge Xchange. This will be achieved through the exchange of valuable information, promotion of cooperation in innovation and entrepreneurial activities, and public relations campaigns, as well as joint planning, to support startups through an efficient innovation ecosystem, amongst others.

Dr. Gang Lu, TechNode Group’s founder and CEO, noted that TechNode Global’s partnership with KX Knowledge Xchange seeks to build a stronger and wider startup ecosystem with the support of the Techbite incubator program starting from the early stage of entrepreneurship.

“Serving as the connector between the Chinese startup ecosystem with the rest of Asia, we look forward to working with more institutes of higher learning to equip a new generation of entrepreneurs and innovators, offering them access to real-time market knowledge, industry-leading international events and conferences. Be it serving entrepreneurs, investors, corporates, or other partners, we hope to be part of this exciting journey,” said Lu.

Meanwhile, Dr. Booncharoen Sirinaovakul, KX Knowledge Xchange’s CEO, said, “This year, we are so grateful to have meaningful collaboration with TechNode Global. This will be a springboard for entrepreneurs and startups in our ecosystem to have more international exposure and experience necessary for expanding their business.”

Singapore — International early-stage VC fund, Accelerating Asia, has announced its latest round of investments including nine new companies joining Cohort 6 of the flagship program and additional capital into four existing portfolio companies.

The new investments take Accelerating Asia’s portfolio to 52 startups that have raised a total of over US$42m. Cohort 6 continues the portfolio’s trend of attracting early investor interest with US$1.5m in soft commitments received during the first month of the program when access is reserved for Accelerating Asia’s network, adding to the $2.5m raised prior to joining the program. The new investments in Cohort 6 also have market traction and grow revenue with an average GMV of $100k per month and an average monthly recurring revenue of over $25k.

Cohort 6 startups have a market presence in more than ten countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia, North America and Europe and cover verticals such as marketplace, fintech, logistics, e-commerce and health tech. The nine new startups also include 40% female co-founded startups.

Amra Naidoo, general partner at Accelerating Asia, said, “With the 9 new portfolio startups selected from 600 applicants and 4 follow-on investments, Accelerating Asia is excited to continue to invest in highly scalable pre-Series A startups that also have a positive impact on respective operating markets. Since 2019, we’ve built up our portfolio of startups with investors coming to Accelerating Asia to gain early access to a pipeline of startups that combine profit with purpose.”

Naidoo added, “Our VC accelerator model ensures high potential founders have greater access to needed capital financing, mentoring and skill sets to enhance their growth trajectory and quickly become leaders in their respective verticals while also lowering the overall risk for our investors at an early stage.”

In quarter 1 of 2022, Accelerating Asia also made follow-on investments into Shuttle, Transtrack.ID, Numu and Giftpack, adding to the additional investments into ProjectPro and iFarmer made last year. Accelerating Asia first invested in these six companies in 2020 and 2021, since then average monthly revenue has grown 332 per cent and is projected to grow revenue to an average of over $16m this financial year. Since joining the portfolio, the startups have also launched new product offerings, signed new clients and optimised operations to sustain revenue growth and develop new income streams.

Craig Bristol Dixon, general partner at Accelerating Asia, said that they’re excited to continue to invest in their portfolio companies as they grow alongside leading institutional investors. Dixon added that there is a significant market and investor demand for the portfolio, especially in the digitisation of transport and logistics networks with the industry at an inflexion point in emerging economies like Bangladesh and Indonesia.

Singapore – India’s startup-focused PR agency, Value 360 Communications, has announced that it will be expanding its market to Singapore, to unlock growth opportunities in the country’s burgeoning start-up space.

Value 360 Communications handles various brands across industries such as fintech, proptech, lifestyle, and hospitality, among others. These brands include e-wallet Paytm, motor marketplace Droom, and car rental company Zoomcar, as well as healthcare platform Practo, and home services firm UrbanCompany.

The strategic expansion is driven by SEA’s growing stature as a hotbed for high-growth start-ups. Through this, Value 360 Communications will be tapping into its client base and identifying Indian partner brands operating in Singapore. In addition, the agency will be investing S$2m to develop and strengthen its presence in the new market.

In line with this endeavor, Value 360 Communications said that they had already spoken with some of its clients about offshoots in Singapore, which will lay the foundation for disrupting the region’s start-up ecosystem over the next few months.

Kunal Kishore Sinha, Value 360 Communications’ founder and director, commented that they are delighted to announce their foray into Singapore, especially since their very first steps in this new market will be in tandem with the brands that they have helped build in India. 

“As the Southeast Asian economy is witnessing the emergence of several promising start-ups, it makes Singapore the perfect avenue for our strategic international expansion and we foresee hyper-growth on the horizon for Value 360 as well as its partner brands,” said Sinha.