🛰️📶 Can This Starup be The Starlink of SEA?

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Here’s what we got for you:

• 🌊 The SEA - Transcelestial - The startup that uses lasers to build affordable internet networks

• ⛵ SEAppets - East Ventures is doubling down on Indonesia’s healthcare sector

• 💰 SEA Deals

• 🖼️ AI Image of the day

• 🐣 Tweet of the day

Markets 📈

The SEA 🌊

They are no Starlink (yet) but this Singapore-based startup is trying to use laser beams to build affordable internet networks and connect the world.

Last Friday, they just announced that the company has raised USD $10 million in funding to do just that.

I’m talking about Transcelestial.

🤷‍♂️ Who is Transcelestial?

• Co-founded in 2016 by Rohit Jha and Mohammad Danesh, Transcelestial is a last-mile internet connectivity startup that delivers high-speed internet via laser beams

• They do this by building a network of shoebox-sized devices called CENTAURI that send lasers to one another, creating a fibre-like network

• Centauri is capable of delivering 10 Gbps at a 3km long distance with no licensing fee or spectrum cost

• In terms of cost-per-bit, Centauri is roughly an order of magnitude cheaper than laying out fibre optic cables

🤕 What pain points are they solving?

• The current infrastructure is one of the main reasons many people lack internet access

• Some people live just 1 km from the nearest fibre-optic line but still suffer from poor connectivity

• Undersea cables are also usually expensive to build, have complicated spectrum regulations and often run into right-of-way issues

The co-founders believe that connectivity is a human right and their vision is to improve internet connectivity for at least a billion people

💰 Funding

• The company has just raised USD $10 million in a Series A extension round, bringing its total investment raised to date to USD $24 million

• The A2 funding round was led by aerospace venture firm Airbus Ventures, with participation from Kickstart Ventures, Genesis Alternative Ventures, Wavemaker, Cap Vista and Seeds Capital. Investor In-Q-Tel was part of a previously disclosed round

• This funding will enable Transcelestial to address the digital divide in broadband in the US via its lasercomms solutions and also ramp up growth in Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore by collaborating with top telecom, ISPs and enterprise partners

• The company will also gear up its USD $1 million Terabit Factory in Singapore which can manufacture up to 2,400 CENTAURI devices annually

Next stop: Space 🛰️

Transcelestial is reaching for the stars, aiming to bring its technology to a low-earth-orbit constellation and deploy its wireless fibre optics from orbit directly into cities and towns - making it easier than ever to get connected!

SEAppets ⛵

1. East Ventures is focusing on genomics and doubling down on Indonesia's healthcare sector. The firm has invested in 15 healthtech companies so far. A white paper was released to identify the potential of genomics use in Indonesia which could lead to USD $100 billion worth of economic benefits. Asa Ren recently raised USD $8.15 million in pre-Series A funding.

We covered Asa Ren in one of our issues. Can the company be the 23andme of SEA?

2. MQDC, a Bangkok-based property developer, is creating a metaverse called MQDC Idyllias which will bridge the real and virtual worlds. It aims to foster happiness, goodwill and sustainable innovation and will be connected to the Translucia Metaverse. The project is scheduled to launch in 2024.

3. Gobi-Core Philippine Fund has been recognised as the Co-Investment Partner for the Philippine government's Startup Venture Fund. Through this role, Gobi-Core will be able to co-invest in local high-potential startups and bridge them to the rest of the ASEAN region. Core Capital, part of the Gobi-Core partnership, has invested in several successful startups and is staying ahead of the curve in terms of environmental and social sustainability. Gobi Partners, a Pan-Asian venture capital firm, has raised 15 funds, invested in over 350 startups and nurtured 10 unicorns.

4. Sunview Group Berhad, a Malaysian renewable energy company, has signed a 12-month Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. for a strategic partnership in renewable energy. The partnership will focus on introducing electric vehicle charging, microgrids, telecommunications site modernization and energy storage solutions. Sunview is certified by several Malaysian organizations and specializes in providing solar photovoltaic services.

SEA Deals 💰

1. Aura Network, a Vietnamese startup, raised USD $4 million from Hashed, Coin98 Ventures, and other angel investors to expand their ecosystem and bring NFTs and Web3 to the masses. The company is building products as part of its ecosystem and will use the funds to continue development.

2. Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison in Indonesia has agreed to a USD $117.8 million deal to sell 1,630 telecom sites to Mitratel and 633 in-building coverage sites to host Telekomunikasi Nusantara. The deal is expected to close in March and is part of a trend of telecom asset deals in Southeast Asia.

3. US private equity firm TPG is in advanced talks to buy Malaysian private education assets owned by regional buyout firm KV Asia Capital in a deal worth more than USD $300 million. The sale is driven by the growing number of affluent families in Southeast Asia and the assets include two tertiary institutions in Kuala Lumpur with over 10,000 students. KV Asia focuses on mid-sized Southeast Asian companies in consumer, healthcare, and other sectors.

4. US-based a16z Crypto has joined a consortium of investors in backing a USD $13.8 million raised by Philippine startup Yield Guild Games (YGG). YGG will use the funds to continue the decentralised development of its gaming network and ecosystem. YGG supports the competitive Web3 esports scene and provides capital to gamers to buy characters in blockchain games. YGG Southeast Asia has also raised USD $15 million in two rounds of funding. DWF Labs, an investment firm, will provide YGG with long-term support.

AI Image of The Day 🖼️

Louis Vuitton X Starwars

Tweet of The Day 🐣

So if you lie on your CV, you’ll either get a 3-month boot camp where you get paid or a high-paying job. Think about it.

That’s a wrap for today. See you all tomorrow! 👋

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