Consumer
China red envelope marketing start-up raises $28m
Saoyasao, a Chinese digital commerce service provider best known for using "red envelopes" to attract customers to offline stores, has raised a CNY 200m (USD 28m) Series A round from two local investors.
Paine Schwartz pursues take-private of Australia's Costa
Paine Schwartz Partners has submitted a AUD 1.6bn (USD 1.07bn) buyout offer for listed Australian fresh fruit and vegetables supplier Costa Group – eight years after it took the business public.
Deal focus: Nothing’s swift evolution into something
A global brand developed by a European-Chinese founder, Nothing has made its presence felt on the idiosyncratic edges of the smart phone market. Investors have responded positively
Creador buys 40% stake in Malaysia's Pet World, COPE exits
Malaysia-based Creador has acquired a 40% stake in prominent local pet food maker and brand owner Pet World, setting up an exit for COPE Private Equity.
Warburg Pincus buys majority stake in India bath fittings brand
Warburg Pincus has acquired a majority stake in India’s Watertec, an affordable bath fittings brand with a nationwide footprint.
Deal focus: L Catterton sees value in the Drools recipe
Indian pet food producer Drools is the runaway leader among local brands, trailing only multinational mainstay Mars. The challenge for L Catterton was persuading a profitable company to take its money
VC-backed Chinese O2O retail platform pursues HK listing
Dmall, a Chinese O2O retail platform provider for traditional retailers backed by IDG Capital among others, has filed for a Hong Kong IPO.
Australia's Challenger Funds acquires stake in Proterra Asia
Challenger Funds Management, one of the largest active asset managers in Australia, has acquired a stake in Singapore-based PE firm Proterra Investment Partners Asia from Australia’s Pacific Current Group.
L Catterton extends pet food focus to India
L Catterton’s interest in Asia-based pet food businesses has extended from China to India with a commitment of approximately USD 60m to Drools Pet Food, which claims to be the country’s leading local pet food supplier.
Deal focus: How to go global as a neighbourhood shop
Singapore’s Madly, a tech-enabled but e-commerce-averse jeweller, knows that future family heirlooms must be sold with a personal touch. In East Ventures, it felt a rare simpatico
Marcy, Bessemer back New Zealand-founded Chinese tuition platform
Marcy Venture Partners, an investment firm co-founded by US rap artist Jay-Z, and Bessemer Venture Partners have led a Series B round for Wukong Education, a New Zealand-founded teaching platform specialising in Chinese language training.
India's HomeLane raises $9m bridge round
India’s HomeLane, an interior design start-up backed by several venture capital firms, has raised a INR 750m (USD 9.1m) bridge round from unspecified existing backers.
Australia's Blackbird backs virtual football league
Blackbird Ventures has led a AUD 3m (USD 2m) pre-seed round for One Future Football (1FF), a Melbourne-based start-up that has launched an entirely virtual global football league.
ChrysCapital invests $100m in India's Lenskart
ChrysCapital Partners has invested USD 100m in India’s Lenskart, bringing the eyewear retailer’s pre-IPO funding since the start of last year to USD 850m.
Peak XV secures $76m exit from India's Go Fashion
Sequoia Capital India marked achieving full independence and rebranding as Peak XV Partners with a INR 6.2bn (USD 72.1m) exit from women’s clothing retailer Go Fashion.
Next agrees take-private for Australian accommodation manager
Next Capital has agreed to acquire Australia-based holiday accommodation manager Alloggio Group for a valuation of AUD 48.2m (USD 32.7m) after cutting the offer price by 20%.
Deal focus: Serving coffee at scale in China
M Stand has added another twist to China’s coffee chain growth story, rooting its value proposition in offline experience and leveraging online capabilities to achieve speed and efficiency
Deal focus: Allegro reheats the pie
Allegro Funds has exited Pizza Hut Australia to a US trade buyer, having won over a franchisee network that had turned on Yum Brands, upgraded the digital offering, and doubled network sales
India’s HealthifyMe raises $30m
LeapFrog Investments and Khosla Ventures have led a USD 30m pre-Series D round for India-based mobile health and fitness app HealthifyMe.
Deal focus: Atomberg basks in consumer breakthrough
Home appliances manufacturer Atomberg defied the naysayers in building a hardware-focused consumer brand out of India. Its USD 86m Series C will support product and capacity expansion
Deal focus: Evermos extends impact to social commerce
Indonesia’s Evermos has more than doubled its total funding as investors see promise in a social commerce model that prioritises cottage industries and underemployed women
Praxis invests $170m in Korea's Beyond Music
Korean private equity firm Praxis Capital has led a USD 170m investment in local music rights investment and management company Beyond Music.
Australia's PE-backed Silk Laser set for take-private
Australia-listed Silk Laser Clinics, a non-surgical aesthetics business backed by local PE firm Advent Partners, has signalled it intends to accept a take-private offer from Hong Kong’s EC Healthcare.
Little Red Book invests in PE-backed Chinese coffee chain
M Stand - a China-based coffee shop chain with ambitions to become the Starbucks for China's younger generation - has raised an extended Series B round of several hundred million renminbi led by local social commerce platform Little Red Book.