Here’s our newest round-up of the featured startups on our site this week. If you have startup tips or story suggestions, feel free to email us or tell us about your startup on this form. Any juicy tech news tips go here. Enjoy this week’s list!
1. Manila Angels | The Philippines
Manila Angels is founded by a group of individuals from the Philippine and Australian startup community, with the aim to provide Philippine startups with a private network of angel investors and an avenue for more funding.
2. MSwipe | India
Founded in 2011, MSwipe is a startup from India that allows smartphones, feature phones, and tablets to accept credit card and bank card transactions. The startup is said to have secured series B funding from existing investors Matrix Partners and Axis Bank.
3. Mivo | Indonesia
Started in 2009, Mivo is an Indonesian startup that lets users watch Indonesian TV channels online. This is especially useful for Indonesians who live overseas and people who have easier access to a computer than a television. Currently, the team will be working on features that will facilitate better engagement with users, such as invaluable reports for ad campaigns and video content on MIVO
4. TukTuk Factory | Thailand
TukTuk Factory is a Thailand-based manufacturer of one of the world’s first fully electric, 100 percent zero-emission tuk-tuks. Although the company is based in Bangkok, it’s started by a Dutchman, Dennis Harte, who has been living in Thailand for over three years.
5. Knowlarity | India
Started in 2009, Knowlarity is an Indian cloud telephony startup that caters to small and medium-sized businesses with its online communications services such as SuperReceptionist.
The company has recently strengthened its business with the acquisition of rival company Unicom Techlabs through internal funding.
6. Coiney | Japan
Founded in March 2012, Japan’s Coiney is a startup that produces a credit card payment device which, after pairing with a smartphone, allows merchants to start collecting credit card payments from customers. Now valued at $50 million, the startup is aiming for IPO.
7. Peekawoo | The Philippines
Peekawoo is a new dating app which allows its users to chat with someone every two minutes. Just like actual speed dating, the goal is to quickly talk to people to see if chemistry exist between two people. The startup is also part of the incubator Launchgarage’s program where it has received $30,000 seed funding.
8. FirstCry | India
Founded in 2010, FirstCry is an online ecommerce store that has all kinds of babycare items and childrenswear, plus supplemental stuff like school supplies, books, and educational CDs. Because e-commerce is taking off quite slowly across India, FirstCry also has 25 brick-and-mortar stores in 21 Indian cities across 11 states.
The company recently secured series C funding led by Vertex Venture Holdings, which is a subsidiary of Temasek, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund. Previous investors SAIF Partners and IDG Ventures also put some money into the newest round.
9. BeLuvv | Taiwan
Taipei-based smart hardware startup BeLuvv recently announced its latest product – a wearable tracking device for dogs, simply titled “Puppy.” The device is currently available for pre-orderon BeLuvv’s international website and Zezec, a Taiwanese crowdfunding site.
10. DapurMasak | Indonesia
DapurMasak, Indonesia’s social networking site for cooks, revealed that it has received an investment from Japan’s recipe site Cookpad for an undisclosed sum.
DapurMasak was also the winner of the Indonesia ICT Awards (INAICTA), the biggest government project to recognize Indonesia’s best tech products, in 2012 and is run by co-founder Soegianto Widjaja.
11. BeMyGuest | Singapore
BeMyGuest, an up-and-coming online marketplace from Singapore that offers off-the-beaten-path travel experiences, focusing on trips in Asia for individuals and businesses who can offer travelers a slice of life as a local, or offer something not found in generic travel packages.
The company announced that it has acquired Indiescapes, a competitor and fellow Singapore-based company, this week. Both startups emerged in the past two years as part of a worldwide boom in niche travel marketplaces.
12. Intugine | India
Indian startup Intugine is getting in on the trend with Nimble, a gesture motion control device that uses a ring and sensor combination. The technology is being developed by a group of undergraduate students at the Indian Institute of Technology. The company has not raised any funds yet, but will do so as they begin manufacturing and preparing for international launch.
13. Daraz | Pakistan
Launched in July 2012, Rocket Internet’s fashion e-store Daraz in Pakistan has amassed 360 brands on its site, and 14,000 clothing and accessory items – for both men and women – being sold there. The company revealed an interesting infographic showing impressive statistics of the ecommerce store.
14. Meet You | China
Meet You, a Chinese social lifestyle app for women, which originated as a menstruation tracker and calendar, but was introduced social elements last September.
The company announced that it received Series B funding from Matrix Partners, the Waltham, MA-based global investment firm whose vast China portfolioincludes Umeng, the mobile analytics firm that was recently purchased by Alibaba, and Momo, the popular Chinese flirting app.
15. Fulfilled | Singapore
Singapore-based startup Fulfilled is a service which combines the specificity of advice from a personal coach with the convenience of a mobile or web app. By paying a monthly fee, users get direct access to one of the company’s personal trainers, who will help the client set goals, create a healthy eating and exercise program, and hold them accountable for their progress. Users also get access to a social network of like-minded members for mutual reinforcement.
16. Wandoujia | China
Wandoujia is a Chinese mobile content search engine that has become one of the most trusted and well-known names in China’s mobile space today. The company just received $120 million in funding led by Japan’s SoftBank.
17. ThoughtBuzz | Singapore
Singapore-based startup ThoughtBuzz’s Omnio, collects information and insights on social media sites, as well as blogs, forums, review sites and Q&A sites, and converts them into understandable digest graphs.
The company expanded into the Philippines back in 2012. And following its September acquisition by India-based digital services company To The New, it’s bringing new and improved analytics services to Philippine companies.
18. Bornevia | Indonesia
Still in its beta phase, Bornevia is an Indonesian web-based helpdesk startup which assists companies with their online customer support challenges. Users can also integrate their social media and email accounts on Bornevia, and then manage interactions with their customers from there.
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18 startups in Asia that caught our eye
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