Carro, Intellect secure funding, and other SE Asia deals

Carro, a Singapore-based online car marketplace, has secured a strategic investment from Japanese consumer credit and financial services company Orient Corporation.

The investment will support an initial collaboration in automotive financing and related businesses in Japan, Thailand and Indonesia, where both companies operate, Carro said.

The companies did not disclose the size or terms of the investment.

Carro co-founder and group CEO Aaron Tan said the partnership would combine the company’s digital vehicle commerce platform with Orico’s financial services.

Founded in 2015, Carro operates in eight markets and transacted more than 120,000 new and used vehicles in fiscal 2026. It has raised more than S$700 million from investors, including SoftBank Vision Fund and sovereign funds.

Mental health platform Intellect secures investment

Singapore-based workplace mental health platform Intellect has secured an investment from Japan’s Ricoh through its corporate venture capital fund, marking the fund’s first deal.

The investment was made through RICOH Innovation Fund II, a 3-billion-yen ($20 million) vehicle launched in April, with SBI Investment as general partner. The fund targets workplace creativity, digital work and digital inclusion.

Ricoh and Intellect did not disclose financial details of the investment.

Intellect provides self-care, coaching, counselling and workforce analytics services to organisations in more than 100 countries and 120 languages, serving more than 4 million users.

Founded in 2019 by Theodoric Chew, Intellect has raised more than $22 million from investors including Tiger Global, Y Combinator, Insignia Ventures Partners and IHH Healthcare.

SOUTHEAST ASIA DEAL MONITOR

DealStreetAsia has put together a table listing prominent startup investments in Southeast Asia for the week starting 28 September.

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