#40 GKC | 🥶 SEA InsurTech Goes Cold

📰 GOOD News

1. SEA’s InsurTech Market Faces Funding Slump in 2024

After a record high of US$495 million raised in 2023, 2024 saw a significant 61 percent drop to US$193 million.

• Seed-stage funding experienced a 16 per cent decrease, falling to US$7.7 million in 2024 from US$9.2 million in 2023.

• Early-stage investments suffered a sharp drop of over 80 per cent, plummeting to US$38.5 million in 2024 from US$353 million in the previous year.

• Late-stage funding, however, saw an 11 per cent increase, reaching US$147 million in 2024 compared to US$133 million in 2023.

The SEA insurtech sector witnessed only one acquisition in 2024, Roojai’s acquisition of Lifepal. No new unicorns emerged in this space in 2024.

Bolttech, an insurance-as-a-service provider, raised US$100 million in its Series C funding round, representing the largest round of the year.

🔗 Source: e27

2. Big Predictions On SEA Impact In 2025

I recently wrote about my bold predictions on SEA impact in 2025.

Here are the key bullet points:

• Back To Business Fundamentals - Profitability & Cash Flows

• Less Innovations, More Executions

• Alternative Funding Routes Will Flourish

• Impact VCs Continue To Struggle

• Family Offices Embrace Transition From Philanthropy To Impact Investing
  

🔗 Read My Bold Calls on SEA Impact In 2025 

3. Scaling Up Regenerative Agriculture With Impact Capital

Regenerative agriculture is among the sectors attracting more interest from nature-positive investors despite facing financial and structural barriers, according to responsAbility.

Blended finance has emerged as a critical tool, by combining public, philanthropic, and private sector funds to absorb early-stage risks and enhance project viability.

One such example is the World Bank’s outcome bond in Brazil, a $225m (€216.8m) bond that links investor returns to the removal of carbon from the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, aimed at financing agroforestry projects.

🔗 Source: Impact Investor

GOOD Key Takeaways:

• InsurTech going through downturn. InsurTech with proven business models will continue to thrive. Execution matters.

• 2025 is the Year of Practicality for SEA Impact. Impact investors will be more realistic with impact and financial balance, knowing that idealistic impact don’t exist. It takes step-by-step.

• Regenerative agriculture needs more impact funding. It becomes critical to deploy more capital into nurturing our Earth through regenerative agriculture.

Other News:

• ID AI-powered healthtech secured funding (link)

• $3M for Noovoleum to turn waste into biofuel (link)

• Healthcare marketplace HD raised $7.8M Series A (link)

💁‍♀️ GOOD Opportunities

🚀 Malmö Residency | Due Feb 27
Fully-funded 1-month residency program for non-profit leaders globally

🚀 Polymath Fellowship | Due Mar 4
The world’s first human accelerator

🚀 Blue Carbon+ by Hatch | Due Apr 1
$50k grant for blue carbon coastal restoration projects globally

❤️ Great Content You’ll Like …

FREE Databases
Fellowships | Accelerators | Competitions | Fundraising Cases

Deep Dives
Climate | Education | Financial Inclusion | Healthcare | Agriculture | Gender Equality

Impact Frameworks
Impact Investing 101 | IRIS+ | SROI | B Corp | UN SDGs | OPIM

👍 How I Can Help

Whenever you’re ready, here’s how I can be helpful:

GKC Invest
Join our invite-only impact investing club on private credit deals in SEA.

GKC Fractional CFO
Support on monthly financial reporting, capital strategy and fundraising advisory.

GKC Impact Program
Curate impact-focused programs for corporates (i.e. accelerators, deal flows).

Let’s chat on LinkedIn / email!