Daily Newsletter

IN FOCUS

• How Oatside milked a profit out of its business
• Indian fintech firm Finnable seeks fresh funding
• JD.com reveals US$1.5 billion robotics plan

Hello reader,

To paraphrase a well-known saying, there's more than one way to make a cup of coffee, just as there's more than one way to make a profit. One cup may use cow's milk, the other oat milk.

And while some companies chase profit through breakneck growth, Oatside found it by slowing down and cutting back.

Today's first featured story is a look at how the Singapore-based alt-milk firm turned a profit in 2025 despite slowing revenue growth. The recipe included less spending on marketing, better margins, and a little more scale.

Check out the full story for the nuts and bolts of Oatside's turn to profit, as well as where it may go next from here.

Also today, we report on fundraising for Indian fintech firm Finnable. The company is asking investors for US$56 million not too long after it raised US$60 million in a 2025 round.

Peter Cowan, engagement editor

TOP STORIES

1️⃣ Oatside's alt-milk rise hits a profitable gear

Maaike Doyer, managing partner of investor collective Epic Angels, tells Tech in Asia that Oatside's bet on owning its factories appears to be paying off. The firm has its own facilities in Indonesia and Thailand, which allows it to control margins better than its competitors.

As for what's next, Doyer notes that there's a huge opportunity to crack the lucrative Chinese alt-milk market.

2️⃣ TVS, Infosys co-founder back Finnable's $56m raise

The Bengaluru-based lending startup provides instant, paperless personal loans to salaried professionals in India. That has led to a profit after tax of about US$2.5 million in the first quarter.

STARTUP IN THE SPOTLIGHT

A conversational agent for full video production

Despite advancements in AI video generation, non-video natives still struggle to tell their stories visually. Pixo is building a platform to close that gap and make the whole video production process simple.

• The gap: Making coherent videos means managing scripts, storyboards, character consistency, and audio layers. Most AI video generators produce only short, isolated clips.
• The fix: Pixo provides a conversational AI assistant for long-form video production. Think everything from storyboards to clips, voice-overs, music, and subtitles.
• The pitch: The Iterative-backed startup hit US$240,000 in annualized revenue within three months of its public launch. It achieved that through a hybrid model combining monthly subscriptions and usage-based credit purchases.

This article is part of our Startup Spotlight series. To get your startup or portco covered, fill out this survey.

TRENDING NEWS

1️⃣ JD.com unveils robotics plan, aims to invest $1.5b

The Chinese firm's robotics plan builds on its earlier work in logistics, which include robot and drone deliveries during the pandemic.

2️⃣ OpenAI plans 2027 IPO, may list earlier

CFO Sarah Friar told staff that the firm plans to list next year or earlier if momentum continues. She also told them not to worry if Anthropic goes public first.

3️⃣ Prosus to invest $100m in Indian fintech firm Navi

Navi said the assets under management of its lending and financial credit arm crossed US$1.4 billion in its 2026 financial year. Meanwhile, the group reached consolidated profit in Q4 the same year.

4️⃣ Ant International launches AI model to forecast FX risk

FalconTST 2.0 can forecast foreign exchange risk and cash flow needs in cross-border payments. Ant International said that the model recorded a 93% forecast accuracy rate.

5️⃣ Kuaishou Q2 net income falls 36% as costs climb

The short-video and livestreaming platform's revenue for the quarter was steady at US$5.3 billion, in line with analyst estimates.

PRESS PEEKS

The following press releases were published as they were received, without any editing from the Tech in Asia team. You, too, can publish your own press release on our site by simply filling out this form. Our team will get back to you by the next business day.

• RollerAds - New RollerAds: The full-cycle ad platform is now live: Meet the new RollerAds. We've finally rolled out a full-cycle advertising platform that puts everything in one place.

EVENTS HAPPENING

This is your last chance to be in the room Enterprise AI's next chapter gets decided at ignitePRO at BATIC on August 25 in BICC The Westin Resort, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia. Leaders from Meta, Microsoft, AWS, Nokia, Rakuten, Lazada, Telkom Indonesia, Telin, and more will set the direction of Asia's digital future. Seats are limited and registration closes soon. Sign up here.

WHO'S HIRING

You can post a job here or search for jobs here.

• Marketing Manager (EduTech) at Cakap | Tangerang, Indonesia
• IT Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) at PT. ASLI Rancangan Indonesia | Jakarta, Indonesia
• Digital Marketing Specialist at Boleh Dicoba Digital | Bandung, Java, Indonesia