Chart Showcasing Leading Investments in Asian Startups During Week 31, 2025
In a significant development for the Asian startup ecosystem, several companies have recently secured substantial funding to drive innovation and expansion in various sectors.
India Leads the Way in Pre-Series and Series A Rounds
Noida-based DesignX, an enterprise product design and prototyping startup, raised $2 million in a Pre-Series A round. Meanwhile, Arivihan, an AI-powered edtech platform, secured $4.17 million in a pre-Series round to improve multilingual support, enhance adaptive learning systems, and expand operations into three additional Indian states.
Corporate-backed startup funding in India saw a 23% increase in rounds during the first half of 2025, with new venture units and corporate funds targeting AI, deep tech, and healthcare sectors. For instance, Indian tech company Info Edge launched a $117 million third fund aimed at these spaces.
Fintech Takes Centre Stage in Singapore and Indonesia
Singapore, a key hub in Southeast Asia, has strong activity in fintech, mobility, and health sciences. Despite a 35% drop in overall corporate venture funding, prominent Singapore-based fintech firms such as Thunes, Airwallex, and Bolttech have secured large funding rounds. These late-stage mega-deals are driving the fintech sector's recovery, despite an ongoing early-stage funding crunch in Southeast Asia.
Indonesia is also seeing significant fintech funding, with startups like Kredivo raising around $100 million to grow their buy-now-pay-later and digital lending services regionally.
Clean Tech and AI Gain Attention in Asia
While Hong Kong-specific funding data was not prominent in recent reports, the region remains part of the broader Asian growth narrative. The sector focus in Asia increasingly includes AI and deep tech, with corporate and VC funds targeting these emerging technologies alongside mobility and health sciences.
Singapore is advancing in clean tech with startups like VFlowTech scaling iron-flow battery systems for long-duration energy storage, aligning with growing investor emphasis on sustainability and water tech related fields.
Notable Funding Rounds Across Asia
- Metaforms, an AI startup based in Bengaluru, India, raised $9 million in Series A funding.
- Singapore's Hydroleap raised $4.75 million for growth of eco-friendly water treatment solutions across Asia, focusing on non-chemical water recycling and industrial applications.
- Pahr Therapeutics' funding will advance its research in developing treatments for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
- India's Sharpsell.ai, a sales automation SaaS startup, raised $3.4 million in Series A funding to expand into Southeast Asia and the MENA region, and to improve its AI-driven sales playbook engine.
- Sirclo, an Indonesian e-commerce enabler, raised $38 million.
- Drizz, an Indian startup building a mobile app testing platform powered by AI, raised $2.7 million in seed funding to advance its Vision AI engine and expand its engineering team.
- SUN Mobility's funding will be used to scale its battery swapping infrastructure to Africa and the Philippines.
Continued Growth for Asia's Startup Ecosystem
This week, Asia's startup ecosystem received over $201 million in funding. Notable funding rounds included Pahr Therapeutics, a Japanese company, securing $14 million in seed funding, and Navi Technologies, an Indian fintech unicorn, raising $20 million in debt funding. SUN Mobility, an Indian startup, also raised $60 million.
In conclusion, Asia's startup ecosystem is experiencing a notable increase in funding in sectors like fintech, artificial intelligence, mobility, water tech, and health sciences. While early-stage funding challenges persist, particularly in Southeast Asia, late-stage fintech and AI funding growth, supported by corporate venture capital and significant mega-rounds, continues to drive innovation and expansion across the region.
Sports-related startups are absent from the current funding trends in Asia, as the focus has instead shifted towards sectors like fintech, clean tech, AI, deep tech, healthcare, and mobility.
Investor emphasis in Asia is leaning towards emerging technologies such as AI and clean tech, with Singapore's VFlowTech scaling iron-flow battery systems for long-duration energy storage being a notable example.
