VC funding rebounds in Southeast Asia, but the bar is now much higher: Analysts

Southeast Asia's venture capital market is rebounding, with equity funding in the first half of 2026 surpassing the full-year totals of the previous two years. But analysts tell CNA's Olivia Marzuki that investors are becoming more selective, with the US$4.5 billion raised by data centre operator DayOne accounting for over 60 per cent of the capital raised. They are increasingly favouring AI-related technologies, digital infrastructure and enterprise software, while placing greater emphasis on profitability, scalability and solving real business problems. Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Visit our website: https://cna.asia Download our app: https://cna.asia/app Get our editors' picks of stories via chat apps: Telegram: https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp: https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us on these platforms: https://www.facebook.com/channelnewsasia https://www.instagram.com/channelnewsasia https://www.tiktok.com/@channelnewsasia