In May 2025, startup funding in Southeast Asia experienced a significant downturn, totaling $128.8 million across 16 funding rounds. This represents a 70.70% decrease from April 2025 and a 26.42% decline compared to May 2024. Early-stage funding dominated, accounting for 89.1% of the total, while seed-stage rounds contributed 10.9%. In contrast, April 2025 saw late-stage funding make up 79.6% of investments.
The month also saw moderate activity in IPOs and acquisitions, with four acquisitions and three tech IPOs taking place. Notable acquisitions included Headquarters by Gnosis and Wakuliner by DailyCo. Companies like Mirxes, Antalpha, and Oasis Home went public.
Singapore led the region in funding, securing $115 million, far surpassing other cities like Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, and Ho Chi Minh City. Key investors included Kurma Partners, OMVC, and Openspace Ventures, with incubators like 500 Global and Entrepreneur First actively investing in the region.
The data underscores a shift towards early-stage investments and reaffirms Singapore’s position as the leading startup hub in Southeast Asia.
