SINGAPORE -- This year is shaping up to be a bumper year for startups in the Association of Southeast Asia Nations looking to raise funds, as deal values skyrocket to a high not seen even in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, defying a health crisis that has dragged the world into a slump.
Despite the pandemic largely sealing off borders in the 10-country bloc, which keeps investors and young companies from meeting face to face easily, deal values hit $11.7 billion in the first half of this year alone.
