Jon Russell
TechCrunch
Thailand
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Past articles by Jon:
Kencko chugs down $3.4M to help you get more fruit and vegetables in your diet –
Kencko, a company that wants to help people eat more fruit and vegetables in their daily life, is entering feast mode after it announced a $3.4 million seed round for growth and product development. We profiled the company last year, but — for those who missed it — Kencko develops plant-based snacks to help people […] → Read More
Spotify Lite for Android gets an official launch in 36 countries –
Spotify’s Lite app is now official. The app has been in beta since last year, and now Spotify is officially releasing it in 36 countries worldwide. The app is designed to work on patchy or weak internet connections and, at just 10MB, it is small enough to cater to lower-end devices that have limited storage […] → Read More
Uber CTO says competing with Didi is ‘very healthy’ despite their complicated relationship –
Competing with a company that counts you as an investor is hardly conventional — some might call it strange — but for Uber it’s a situation that is not only normal but essential. That’s according to the ride-hailing giant’s CTO, Thuan Pham, who talked about the complicated rivalry Uber has with China’s Didi Chuxing, which […] → Read More
Waresix hauls in $14.5M to advance its push to digitize logitics in Indonesia –
Waresix, one of a handful of startups aiming to modernize logistics in Indonesia — the world’s fourth most populous country — has pulled in $14.5 million to grow its 18-month-old business. This new investment, Waresix’s Series A, is led by EV Growth — the growth-stage fund co-run by East Ventures — with participation from SMDV […] → Read More
PayU, Naspers’ global fintech firm, enters Southeast Asia with acquisition of Red Dot Payment –
PayU, the Naspers owned fintech firm that specializes in emerging markets, is broadening its global reach into Southeast Asia after it announced a deal to buy a majority stake in Singapore-based Red Dot Payment. Naspers is best known for its payments and fintech business in markets like India, Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe, but […] → Read More
Stranger Things 3 is now available on Netflix –
July 4 is American Independence Day, but it also marks the arrival of Stranger Things season three — a release that might just be the most-anticipated in the history of Netflix. Season three dropped at 12:01 PDT which means, dear reader, that it is now online and ready for your viewing pleasure. The series has […] → Read More
Sony announces a new $185M fund to invest in tech startups –
Sony is doubling down on the world of startup investment. The Japanese tech giant announced a new fund that is aiming to raise 20 billion JPY (around $185 million) to invest in companies within “key high-growth industries.” While Sony launched a fund in 2016, this new vehicle — which is called Innovation Growth Fund — has […] → Read More
Kyash, a would-be challenger bank in Japan, raises $14M –
The new era of tech-enabled banks is coming, even in regulation-heavy Japan. Kyash, a fintech company with visions on becoming Japan’s first challenger bank, said today it has raised $14 million to continue its expansion. To be clear, Kyash isn’t a bank. Yet. But it is currently applying for a host of licenses in Japan […] → Read More
Sweet Escape, a platform for booking photographers, raises $6M –
Sweet Escape, a startup founded in Indonesia that helps connect photographers with customers, is all smiles today after it announced a $6 million Series A round. The company — which was profiled by TechCrunch last year — said that the investment was led by Singapore-based funds Openspace Ventures and Jungle Ventures with participation from Burda […] → Read More
Nexon takes control of emerging game studio Embark via a $96M investment –
Six months ago Korean games giant Nexon seemed headed for a management change, but now it seems very much back to business as usual. Days after founder Kim Jung-ju was reported to have called off selling his near-50 percent share in the firm, Nexon has snapped up a controlling stake in seven-month-old game developer Embark […] → Read More
Huawei can buy from US suppliers again — but things will never be the same –
U.S. President Donald Trump has handed Huawei a lifeline after he said that U.S. companies are permitted to sell goods to the embattled Chinese tech firm following more than a month of uncertainty. It’s been a pretty dismal past month for Huawei since the American government added it and 70 of its affiliates to an […] → Read More
Grab raises more money — again –
Southeast Asia’s highest-capitalized startup is sitting on even more money from investors today after ride-hailing Grab announced it has raised $300 million from Invesco. The deal is part of Singapore-based Grab’s ongoing — feels-like-ever-lasting — Series H round which was started last June via a $1 billion capital injection from Toyota. The round swelled to […] → Read More
Warburg Pincus announces new $4.25 billion fund for China and Southeast Asia –
Warburg Pincus, the private equity fund with over $60 billion under management, is doubling down on Asia after it announced a $4.25 billion fund dedicated to China and Southeast Asia. The firm has been present in China for 25 years, and it has invested over $11 billion in a portfolio of over 120 startups that […] → Read More
Splyt wants to connect the world’s ride-hailing apps for easy international roaming –
The vision of a universal global ride-hailing service is over. Uber’s decision to exit markets like China, Southeast Asia and Russia coupled with the failure of its rivals to develop a proposed roaming system, means that global travelers must install multiple apps if they are to take advantage of on-demand taxis. That’s unless a little-known startup […] → Read More
Indonesia’s Kopi Kenangan raises a sweet $20M to expand its coffee business –
Kopi Kenangan, a startup that wants to make quality, fresh coffee affordable to Indonesian consumers, has raised $20 million as it begins to consider overseas expansion in Southeast Asia. The round comes courtesy of Sequoia India and Southeast Asia, via the $695 million investment fund it closed last year. Kopi Kenangan previously raised $8 million […] → Read More
Carrefour sale shifts the balance of power in China’s new retail battle –
Hot on the heels of Amazon’s decision to shutter its local marketplace, Carrefour — another global commerce giant — is switching up its approach to China, and shifting the balance of power between the country’s tech giants. Carrefour, which is Europe’s largest retailer, sold a majority 80% stake in its China-based business to Chinese retailer […] → Read More
Xiaomi’s new Mi CC brand will develop ‘trendy’ smartphones for young people –
Huawei may be on the ropes as it battles sanctions from the U.S. government, but fellow Chinese smartphone rival Xiaomi is in expansion mode with the launch of a new brand that’s aimed at winning friends (and sales) among the young and fashionable. “Mi CC” is the newest brand from Xiaomi. Unveiled on Friday, the […] → Read More
Facebook adds new limits to address the spread of hate speech in Sri Lanka and Myanmar –
As Facebook grapples with the spread of hate speech on its platform, it is introducing changes that limit the spread of messages in two countries where it has come under fire in recent years: Sri Lanka and Myanmar. In a blog post on Thursday evening, Facebook said that it was “adding friction” to message forwarding […] → Read More
Indonesia’s EV Hive raises $13.5M and expands into co-living and new retail –
WeWork’s battle to win co-working in Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, is intensifying after one of the U.S. firm’s key rival announced a slew of announcements to double down on its business. EV Hive, an Indonesia-based co-working startup, said today that it has raised $13.5 million and expanded into new verticals. The company […] → Read More
GuestReady raises $6M to help hosts on Airbnb and other services manage their property –
GuestReady, a three-year-old service that lets shared-economy hosts manage their business on Airbnb and other rental sites, has announced a $6 million Series A round. The investment was led by existing backer Impulse VC — the Russian fund that is backed by billionaire Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich — and new addition VentureSouq from Dubai. Other […] → Read More