Jon Russell
Writer
The Latest from Jon Russell
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. W
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
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. T
Waresix hauls in $14.5M to advance its push to digitize logistics 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 bus
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 D
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 dro
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 “
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
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
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 sell
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
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 takes Singapor
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 bee
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
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 co
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
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 winnin
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 Lank
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 rivals issued a slew of announcements to do
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 existin