<article>It has been relatively eventful in the private capital space. There were a number of fundraisings, indicating where growth is.</article>

It has been relatively eventful in the private capital space. There were a number of fundraisings, indicating where growth is.
Singapore-based fintech startup Percipient <a href="https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/percipient-stat-zero-197926/">raised $5 million</a> from Silicon Valley-based impact fund Stat Zero, while AwanTunai, a Jakarta-based peer-to-peer (P2P) lending startup, <a href="https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/awantunai-debt-accial-capital-197327/">raised up to $20 million</a> in a debt facility led by investor Accial Capital.
Also in Singapore, tech startup Insider announced <a href="https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/saas-insider-series-c-198120/">a $32 million Series C funding round</a> led by US-based Riverwood Capital and backed by existing investor Sequoia India. The round, which brought the company’s total funding to date to $47 million, also saw participation from Wamda Capital and Endeavor Catalyst.
US-headquartered agricultural intelligence startup Taranis announced the close of <a href="https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/vertex-growth-kuok-group-taranis-198211/">a $30 million Series C funding round</a> led by Vertex Growth and Orion Fund, a venture fund backed by Southeast Asian conglomerate Kuok Group.
Indeed, DealStreetAsia data show that startups in Southeast Asia raised $2.8 billion across 184 deals, in the second quarter of this year. Details on the fundraising are in <a href="https://www.dealstreetasia.com/reports/southeast-asia-deal-review-q2-2020/">our latest report</a>.
<h3>Sighting more unicorns</h3>
We started off the week with an analysis of how Indonesian ride-hailing platform and decacorn Gojek has spawned its own unicorn. <a href="https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/gopay-unicorn-status-197344/">Based on our reading</a> of corporate filings, its payments arm GoPay has a valuation of at least $1.2 billion.
GoPay has been raising funds on a standalone basis since March 2020, show its filings. In May, Facebook, PayPal, Pearl Valley Investments and Altair Investments joined its cap table. Combined, these investors own 27.8 per cent of the fintech business, per a June 26 filing.
Indeed, more tech unicorns could emerge as a result of the current global health crisis, says Teruhide Sato, founder and managing partner of Singapore-based VC firm BEENEXT. <a href="https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/beenext-partner-sato-197809/">In his view</a>, the crisis has highlighted the value of mobile internet connectivity and pushed companies to be more cost-efficient and value-driven. These two factors, he says, will help mould newly formed startups in the region.
Meanwhile, the world&#8217;s most valuable tech unicorn has confirmed that it is filing for an initial public offering concurrently in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Ant Group, the financial services arm of Chinese internet giant Alibaba, said it <a href="https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/alibaba-ant-group-ipo-198013/">started the IPO processes</a>, though it did not specify a timeline or size of the offering.
<h3>COVID-19 impact</h3>
Still, the ongoing crisis has scuttled many a plan.
For one, the widely-anticipated merger between Vietnam&#8217;s two homegrown e-commerce platforms – Tiki and Sendo – <a href="https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/vietnams-tiki-sendo-merger-3-197814/">may be falling through</a>. Sources tell us key shareholders have objected to the merger terms, which were agreed before the coronavirus pandemic broke out. One of the investors unhappy with the proposed merger terms is understood to be Chinese e-commerce major JD.com.
We had reported earlier that the Tiki-Sendo merger could be critical for the Vietnamese companies&#8217; battle for dominance against regional, well-funded rivals.
Also, amid a fall in discretionary consumption and tightening cashflow, Indonesia’s fashion e-commerce startup Sorabel is <a href="https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/sorabel-close-down-198688/">shutting down its operations</a> by the end of July. A source close to the company said it ran out of options after a planned financing round was scuttled by the COVID-19 outbreak.
We also ran <a href="https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/airasia-digital-ventures-197488/">this analysis</a> of AirAsia and its non-airline businesses. Ostensibly Asia&#8217;s largest and highest-flying budget airline, the group had diversified its businesses and started its own venture arm. Among its successes are its logistics arm Teleport. Yet, the rest of the ventures – from payments to food – are still losing money, and therefore unlikely to provide any real lift for AirAsia out of this crisis.
<h3>Follow the money</h3>
Nevertheless, investors continue to see pockets of growth opportunities.
Cisco Investments, for one, is <a href="https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/cisco-investments-197732/">not slowing down its pace of investments</a> in the Asia Pacific despite fears of a second wave of COVID-19 infections in markets such as Thailand and South Korea. The venture capital arm of tech giant Cisco targets Series A to B stage startups across sectors such as software-as-a-service (SaaS), cybersecurity, data and artificial intelligence with a ticket size of $1-9 million.
Cisco Investments is also an active limited partner and has backed funds managed by Singapore’s Jungle Ventures, Australia’s Blackbird Ventures and India’s Aavishkaar.
Meanwhile, Singapore and Thailand-headquartered digital payments firm 2C2P is set to deploy $15 million from its newly-established VC arm in opportunities in Southeast Asia.
<a href="https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/2c2p-interview-197565/">In an interview</a>, founder and CEO Aung Kyaw Moe pointed out that e-commerce in Southeast Asia is not a luxury but a necessity, like in China. He expects e-commerce to continue to grow at a rate of 20-30 per cent year-on-year. And 2C2P&#8217;s strategy: follow the merchants.
There are those who are more circumspect though.
In the view of one American venture capitalist, the VC scene in Southeast Asia is still comparatively immature. <a href="https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/capria-ventures-dave-richards-197965/">In an interview</a>, Dave Richards, managing partner of Capria Ventures, likened the region to the American Wild West. 
Capria Ventures operates a $100-million Capria Emerging Managers Fund with up to $20 million set aside for Southeast Asia. The firm made its first investment in Southeast Asia this year in venture debt firm Genesis Alternative Ventures, two years after signalling plans to come in. 
Whatever the case, the team at DealStreetAsia is looking out for signs that Southeast Asia is coming out of the doldrums, provided countries can hold the so-called second wave of coronavirus infections at bay.

There is a new unicorn in the Gojek family while the fate of a much awaited e-commerce merger in Vietnam hangs in balance. That and more in this wrap-up.

Editor's take: The week that was — Jul 20-25

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Editor's take: The week that was — Jul 20-25

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