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Manisha Raisinghani founder of the Indian SaaS startup SiftHub, shares her experience on being a solo woman founder. "I don’t think having male co-founders would have made a difference—in fact, I see it as a good thing that I’ve built and raised for SiftHub on my own terms," Raisinghani tells PRAMUGDHA MAMGAIN in an interview for the Female Founders in India 2024 report. “Sometimes the bias is not external but internal—we assume investors expect different things from female founders,” she added.

In the latest edition of our weekly newsletter Beyond the Buyout, we explore the current fundraising environment in India that favours fund managers with successful exits; the factors turning small- and mid-cap funds into ‘zombies’ in SE Asia and China; and other top PE updates from APAC.

Venture capital investor Vertex Ventures Japan (VVJ) announced the first close of its inaugural fund, Vertex Ventures Japan Fund I, which targets 10 billion yen (about $67 million) in total commitments. VVJ, part of the Vertex global network under Temasek Holdings’ subsidiary Vertex Holdings, will invest in high-growth Japanese startups seeking to expand internationally. Mars Mosqueda Jr.'s report:

Fund managers in SE Asia are uniting to formulate robust strategies to prevent future governance failures. A wave of new proposals, ranging from enhanced control mechanisms and independent internal audit functions reporting directly to the company board and the proper validation vendors, is currently being observed, Shane Chesson, Founder & General Partner at Openspace, told Andi Haswidi and Corry Anestia in an interview for the DealStreetAsia DATA VANTAGE report, SE Asia’s VC Funds: H2 2024 Review.

Biomedical products company Serigen Mediproducts (Official account) Founder & CEO Anuya Nisal shares her entrepreneurial journey in an interview for DealStreetAsia’s recent report titled Female Founders in India 2024. “We are now at a point where being a woman-led startup has sometimes become an advantage. Investors are recognising the need for diversity in leadership and are actively seeking to back women-led ventures, which is a positive shift," she says. PRAMUGDHA MAMGAIN's report:

Indonesian e-commerce giant Bukalapak, which is in the throes of a major restructuring, expects the fruits of the transformation to start paying off from the first quarter (Q1) of 2025 onwards, even as there is an overhang due to the macroeconomic uncertainty in the country. gita rossiana's analysis:

I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my journey and perspectives in DealStreetAsia Women Founders in SE Asia: 2024 Funding Review, which highlights the rise in funding for women-led businesses despite persistent investment barriers. As the Founder and CEO of TransTRACK, my journey has been filled with challenges and achievements in building the company. One of the biggest challenges has been earning credibility in a traditionally male-dominated industry. Whether in investor meetings, partnership discussions, or hiring top talent, I’ve had to prove that TransTRACK is built on solid fundamentals and innovation, not just ambition. Commitment to diversity and women's leadership is one of the core values at TransTRACK. Mentorship, for me, is essential—supporting the next generation of leaders, particularly women in tech, is something I’m passionate about. Creating an environment where diverse perspectives are valued has helped foster innovation within our team. In 2024, TransTRACK secured $12 million in Series A funding, a significant milestone that required perseverance and strategic planning. Fundraising requires more than just a great business model and storytelling. It demands persistence and finding the right investors who believe in your vision. Looking ahead, TransTRACK is expanding into Australia and the Middle east. Scaling up while maintaining profitability is always a balancing act. As we look at these new markets, we are taking a market-specific approach. To aspiring women founders: believe in your vision and don’t be afraid to take up space. Southeast Asia is a dynamic, growing market, and opportunities are abundant for those who are willing to solve real problems. Build a strong support system, seek out mentorship, and remember—resilience is your greatest asset. Thank you to DealStreetAsia Corry Anestia for the opportunity! #WomenInTech #Leadership #TransTRACK

Narayana Health, W Health Ventures, and 2070 Health have launched Everhope Oncology, a $10 million joint venture to establish dedicated cancer treatment facilities across India. Starting with Delhi and Mumbai, Everhope plans to scale to 10 cities in the next three years. Vibhuti Sharma's report: https://buff.ly/Q77GvSB

Shauravi M. and Meghana Narayan, co-founders of India's Wholsum Foods (Slurrp Farm and Millé), speak about their entrepreneurial journey for the Female Founders in India 2024 report. "The reality is that building a company is about vision, resilience, and execution, not gender," they tell PRAMUGDHA MAMGAIN in an interview.

The value of M&As in China fell to a decadal low in 2024. However, a flurry of small deals in the consumer and retails sectors now promise to drive up M&A activity in the country. A ‘big era of small M&A opportunities' has arrived in the country, experts tell Eudora Wang in this analysis. The emergence of more sellers, and a backlog of delayed exits, among other factors, are driving M&A volumes.