For many consumers in Southeast Asia, the smartphone has become both a work tool and a status symbol. It is also getting harder to afford. That tension sits at the centre of 3cat’s next phase of growth. The Singapore-incorporated, Malaysia-born retailer of pre-owned electronics has raised US$4 million in Series A funding to expand into […] The post 3cat raises US$4M Series A to take used-device retail model from Malaysia to the Philippines appeared first on e27.

Kuala Lumpur is making it easier and cheaper to bring international music stars to the city, hoping that a bigger concert calendar can help Malaysia capture more of Southeast Asia’s booming live-music economy. But as more global acts come to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian musicians are asking whether the concert boom is creating more opportunities for local artists too. Fuad Alhabshi of Malaysian rock band Kyoto Protocol said local bands once routinely benefited when major international acts came...

I recently presented at LEAP in Saudi Arabia, where I spent several days talking with founders, startup teams and people building businesses around emerging technology. Unsurprisingly, AI was everywhere. Much of the conversation centred on what AI could help people do faster: research that once took hours could be summarised in minutes, first drafts could […] The post Your startup has an AI strategy. Does it have a human strategy? appeared first on e27.

For decades, the semiconductor industry has relied on one basic bargain: make silicon transistors smaller, and chips become faster, cheaper and more power-efficient. That bargain is getting harder to keep. As AI models grow larger and data centres consume more electricity, chipmakers are running into a materials problem. Silicon, the foundation of modern computing, can […] The post Nexstrom lands US$12M to bring 2D semiconductors to 12-inch wafers appeared first on e27.

Artificial intelligence has become one of the most exciting areas of healthcare innovation. From clinical documentation and diagnostics to patient engagement and remote monitoring, founders are finding new ways to bring AI into almost every part of the healthcare journey. But for healthtech startups in Southeast Asia, having an impressive AI model may not be […] The post Why Southeast Asia’s next healthtech winners will be built around healthcare workflows, not just AI appeared first on e27.

From project management and customer service to human resources (HR) and finance, businesses have access to more prebuilt software options than ever before. However, buying prebuilt software that is designed to serve businesses across a range of industries is unlikely to accommodate your specific needs. That’s why many businesses are building custom tools, rather than […] The post Build vs buy: Why custom tools are winning in 2026 appeared first on e27.

In 2022, Shein was valued by private investors at around US$100 billion, making it one of the world’s most valuable fashion companies. This month, it went public in Hong Kong at a valuation of around US$27 billion — roughly 70 per cent below that 2022 peak. Its growth has also slowed: from 19 per cent […] The post Is fast fashion losing its fit? appeared first on e27.

Melaka on Wednesday officially called for a state election – the latest test for Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government, which is already facing an internal feud and growing public frustration over failed reforms. The state assembly was dissolved effective from Wednesday following an official notification sent to the country’s Election Commission the previous day by Ibrahim Durum, the Melaka state assembly’s speaker. “A state election will be held within 60 days of the dissolution...

Singaporeans are among the most open to allowing an artificial intelligence agent to shop for them, but they also want the strictest guard rails, research shows. The latest agentic AI study from Global Payments released on Wednesday indicates the hoops agentic AI will need to jump through to be trusted to make purchases without human intervention. The study, which surveyed seven countries including the United States, China and the United Kingdom, found 59 per cent of Singaporeans are open to an...

Pinterest and Shopee are linking their creator and shopping ecosystems in Indonesia and Brazil. The partnership shows how e-commerce platforms are trying to get closer to the moment consumers first decide what they want to buy. Under the new affiliate arrangement, eligible Shopee Affiliate creators can connect their Shopee accounts to Pinterest and recommend Shopee […] The post Pinterest and Shopee link up to bring creator-led shopping to Indonesia appeared first on e27.