Singapore-based biotechnology startup Terra Oleo has emerged from stealth with $3.1 million in funding and support from Breakthrough Energy’s Fellows Program, according to an announcement.
Terra Oleo secured the fresh capital from a host of investors, including ADB Ventures, The Radical Fund, Elev8.vc, Better Bite Ventures, and a strategic palm oil industry investor.
The startup is developing microbial-derived lipids for use in personal care, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food. Terra Oleo said its platform uses precision fermentation to transform agro-industrial waste into customized lipids that eliminate energy-intensive refining steps and toxic byproducts of conventional processes.
At full scale, its technology could eliminate up to 900 million tons of CO₂ annually from palm oil and cocoa supply chains.
Synthesys secures $11m
Singapore-based startup Synthesys, formerly known as Equitize, said on Wednesday it has raised $11 million in seed and strategic funding to develop infrastructure for tokenised securities.
The round was led by super-angel investor Mark Pui, who has focused on technology and blockchain investments for more than a decade.
Synthesys said it will use the funds to scale its modular, interoperable platform that connects financial institutions to the expanding ecosystem of tokenised funds, bonds, and equities.
The startup said its platform automates compliance across jurisdictions and provides a universal liquidity layer, enabling interoperability across traditional and digital distribution channels.
It has already aggregated more than 40 primary and secondary distribution channels and is expanding across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.
SOUTHEAST ASIA DEAL MONITOR
DealStreetAsia has put together a table listing prominent startup investments in Southeast Asia from September 1, 2025.
| Startup name | Headquarters | Investment Size | Investment Stage | Lead investor(s) | Other Investor(s) | Industry / Verticals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serbiz | Philippines | Undisclosed | Pre-Seed | Antler Vietnam | Marketplace | |
| Salmon | Philippines | $50,000,000 | Bond | Fintech | ||
| Synthesys | Singapore | $11,000,000 | Seed | Mark Pui | Fintech | |
| Terra Oleo | Singapore | $3,100,000 | Undisclosed | ADB Ventures, Better Bite Ventures, Elev8.vc, Radical Fund | Biotech | |
| GlobalTix | Singapore | $15,600,000 | Undisclosed | Blossom International | Tin Men Capital, EDBI | Ecommerce |
| ZUZU Hospitality | Singapore | $5,900,000 | Series B+ | Wavemaker Partners, Velocity Ventures, Vulpes Ventures, Latin Leap | Hospitality | |
| FUKU.AI | Singapore | $854,000 | Pre-Seed | SaaS | ||
| Obita | Singapore | $10,000,000 | Angel | Vision Plus Capital, Mirana Ventures | Legend Capital, HashKey Capital, Web3.com Ventures | Fintech |
| RushOwl | Singapore | $10,000,000 | Series A | Gobi Partners | Hong Kong Investment Corporation | Mobility |
