= Southeast asia / Oceania =
December 2019
&
4th quarter 2019
The 17 country-focused news collections below gather coverage of the main items in that country’s startup ecosystem – technology, stage, funding and impact focus – in December 2019.
For tech-specific collections – covering blockchain, fintech, artificial intelligence, and cryptocurrency news – see the Other News section.
Australia
- KPMG rolls out KPMG Origins, blockchain-based track-and-trace platform for trade, in Australia, China and Japan
- A brief intro to Melbourne’s Hatch Quarter, coworking hub focused on migrant and refugee entrepreneurs…
Australia: December 2019 >
Australia: Q4 2019 tech startup news >
Cambodia
- Women In GovTech Report introduces Vichekal Tema, Deputy Chief Administration Officer of Phnom Penh Capital Administration
- SmartSpark (Social Welfare edition) applications are open, seeking Cambodian startups and solutions in poverty, food, health and clean water…
Cambodia: December 2019 >
Cambodia: Q4 2019 tech startup news >
China
- JD e-commerce giant opened its largest offline store, JD e-space, in November, spanning 50,000 square meters in Chongqing
- A reporter took DNA tests in both the US and China. The differences between the two companies are stark…
China: December 2019 >
China: Q4 2019 tech startup news >
Hong Kong
- Hang Seng Bank to unveil 600 cardless ATMs, powered by NFC and requiring only a mobile phone to withdraw money
- Area28 secures $2.15M backing with cloud collaboration platform and game engine, aiming to mitigate legacy methods for game development…
Hong Kong: December 2019 >
Hong Kong: Q4 2019 tech startup news >
India
- US-based VC firm Accel Partners raises $550M for its 6th India fund, focusing mainly on seed-stage startups across a range of sectors
- Lucideus secures $7M with enterprize-focused information security platforms and services, delivering real-time monitoring of cyber threats…
India: December 2019 >
India: Q4 2019 tech startup news >
Indonesia
- MDI Ventures and South Korea’s KB Investment partner for US$30M joint fund to focus on startup investments in SE Asia
- Gojek ride-hailing giant reportedly nearing acquisition of Moka mobile point-of-sale startup, aiming to become country’s leading digital payments leader…
Indonesia: December 2019 >
Indonesia: Q4 2019 tech startup news >
Japan
- An overview of subscription-based residential rental startups, aiming to turn Japan’s 8M empty homes into gems
- An intro to the 29 Japanese tech startups set to exhibit at the 2020 CES International event in Las Vegas…
Japan: December 2019 >
Japan: Q4 2019 tech startup news >
South Korea
- A look at the 7 startup pitches made at the recent 4th Season of BCapitalist Program run by Blockchain Investment Academy
- A look at the 9 startups that pitched at last month’s Korea Creative Content Agency’s LAUNCHPAD LA 2019 event in Los Angeles…
South Korea: December 2019 >
South Korea: Q4 2019 tech startup news >
Malaysia
- An intro to the 20 startups selected for the inaugural cohort of ScaleUp Malaysia
- Oxwhite breaks country’s equity crowd-funding records, raising $1.2M via PitchIn with 485 investors backing high-quality white men’s dress shirts business…
Malaysia: December 2019 >
Malaysia: Q4 2019 tech startup news >
Myanmar
- Ezay rural e-commerce startup gains 6-digit funding from Emerging Markets Entrepreneurs early-stage investment firm
- National database in development to collect and manage biometric info for all new mobile registrations across all network operators, prompting concerns…
Myanmar: December 2019 >
Myanmar: Q4 2019 tech startup news >
New Zealand
- New Zealand’s Valocity Global takes Fintech Startup of the Year trophy at India FinTech Awards 2019
- Grounded sustainable packaging supplier lands backing from Impact Enterprise Fund, NZ’s first impact investing fund…
New Zealand: December 2019 >
New Zealand: Q4 2019 tech startup news >
The Philippines
- Philippines’ Dep’t of Science and Tech unveils Smarter Philippines Through Data Analytics R&D, Training and Adoption program, aiming to train 30K people
- RCBC bank partners Acudeen fintech to launch $2BN fund focused on the country’s micro, small, and medium enterprises, and farmers…
The Philippines: December 2019 >
The Philippines: Q4 2019 tech startup news >
Singapore
- DiMuto supply chain solutions startup backed by government-owned SGInnovate VC firm with blockchain, IoT and AI driven agricultural track-and-trace
- Facebook’s capitulation to Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act sets ominous precedent, with gov’t defining “correct facts”…
Singapore: December 2019 >
Singapore: Q4 2019 tech startup news >
Sri Lanka
- An overview of the 4th Seedstars Asia Summit held in Colombo, and an intro to the 14 startup winners
- A brief look at the Sri Lanka Go Digital transformation and adoption program by the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka, boosting knowledge in regional SMEs…
Sri Lanka: December 2019 >
Sri Lanka: Q4 2019 tech startup news >
Taiwan
- 7-Eleven in Taiwan expands unmanned store concept, rolling out 140 Mini 7-Eleven smart vending machines across the country
- National branding for Startup Island TAIWAN to be unveiled at 2020 CES consumer electronics show in Las Vegas in January…
Taiwan: December 2019 >
Taiwan: Q4 2019 tech startup news >
Thailand
- An intro to Ooca, video-based online mental health counseling platform
- An overview of the recent World Blockchain Summit held in Bangkok…
Thailand: December 2019 >
Thailand: Q4 2019 tech startup news >
Vietnam
- Interloan, a winner in the Fintech Vietnam Challenge 2019, gains $500K backing to provide unsecured loans to working professionals in the country
- A brief intro to the finalists from the recent Fintech Vietnam Challenge 2019, spanning AI, real estate, lending and more…
Vietnam: December 2019 >
Vietnam: Q4 2019 tech startup news >
The quieter countries and ‘volume’
Some countries have very low levels of startup news reporting in English – Pakistan, for instance.
So, for those countries that have very ‘thin’ listings, bear in mind that it may be that there is simply an absence of *English-language* news reporting on the startup space in that country; or it may be an early-stage ecosystem with fluctuating levels of tech, startup, venture capital and overall innovation funding activity.
Whilst having tech and startup scenes, some Southeast Asian countries are at very early stages as far as international visibility goes. Add to this our current English-language news focus and this lack of visibility is compounded.
Rather than assign a full page to each and our readers finding only a very small amount of – if any – isolated, country-specific information, the quieter countries’ hashtags are simply linked below:
Bangladesh / Bhutan / Brunei