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SEA Gets Its First Unicorn of 2025—Meanwhile, AI Gets Weirder… Who Signed Off on This?

  • Shivirta C.
  • Jul 12
  • 3 min read

Updated: Jul 23

12 July 2025

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👋 Welcome to the A2D Weekly Wrap!


SEA startups are attracting serious attention across fintech, climate, logistics, and infrastructure. 


Meanwhile, globally, AI keeps pushing deeper into daily life – raising fresh questions about what we build, why it matters, and who it ultimately serves.


Here’s what’s moving.



HOT NEWS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA


🇸🇬 Airalo – The world’s first and largest eSIM provider raised $220M in a round led by CVC, pushing its valuation past $1B. This makes Airalo SEA’s first unicorn of 2025, and the first unicorn in the eSIM industry.


🇮🇩 Greney – Fashion & apparel brand active across SEA closed its Series A, led by SWC Global and GSR Ventures (undisclosed amount).


🇮🇩 Sxored – Jakarta-based credit tech startup raised funding from East Ventures to scale its AI-driven credit analysis tools.


🇸🇬 FindTheLoan.com – Digital lending platform secured seed backing from Mohamed Ishak and Alan Li (undisclosed amount).


🇮🇩 Sirsak – B2B packaging waste platform raised $600K pre-seed led by Openspace Ventures and The Radical Fund to expand its recycling tech.


🇸🇬 Augmentus – No-code robotics startup raised $11M Series A extension, led by Woori Venture Partners with EDBI, Sierra Ventures, and others.

GLOBAL PULSE: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AI STOPS FEELING LIKE TECH?


AI’s reach is growing… not just in tech stacks, but in institutions, ethics, and behavior.


This week’s headlines reveal how fast AI is moving from code to culture: powering traffic systems, writing research papers, and quietly reshaping how we shop, hire, and even think. Meanwhile, Big Tech’s tension simmers, as OpenAI and Meta clash over talent and control.



As AI seeps into how we hire, heal, drive, and even think – the question isn’t just what’s possible anymore.


It’s this: where do we draw the line – and who gets to decide?




FOUNDER'S CORNER


Here are 4 Effective Communication Tools that every founder needs for clear team collaboration.


  • Slack – Great for instant team messaging, project channels, and quick updates in one place.

  • Google Meet – Simple video conferencing tool integrated with Google Workspace for seamless meeting scheduling.

  • Microsoft Teams – Combines chat, meetings, and file sharing, ideal for organizations using Microsoft 365.

  • Zoom - Reliable video conferencing with large meeting capacity, screen sharing, and webinar features.


Quick hits of knowledge—because learning should never stop.

Dear founders, don't try to do everything at once
Dear founders, don't try to do everything at once
3 business growth hacks that are driving real results in 2025
3 business growth hacks that are driving real results in 2025

💬 That’s a wrap for this week!


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Thanks for reading!



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