Education
China regulation: Shock and awe
A raft of rules, largely targeting the technology sector, has challenged business cases and thwarted exits in China. It is also contributing to tweaks in investment strategy
CLSA completes exit from Japan cram school
CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP) has sold its remaining shares in Japanese cram school operator BC Ings to Eishinkan, a major player in the segment.
Fund focus: Vitalbridge plays it safe
The China-based venture capital firm declined to increase its Fund II hard cap as regulatory uncertainty mounted. It now has $275 million in dry powder earmarked for services digitalization
Deal focus: Vedantu highlights impact potential in Indian edtech
The latest round for livestreaming teaching app Vedantu reframes India’s swaggering, unicorn-populated edtech sector as the impact opportunity it always was
India edtech player Vedantu raises $100m Series E
ABC World Asia, an impact investor with ties to Singapore's Temasek Holdings, has led a $100 million Series E round for Indian education technology company Vedantu at a valuation of $1 billion.
EQT backs cybersecurity training business
EQT has invested in EC-Council, a cybersecurity training and certification business established by a Malaysian entrepreneur, through its Asia mid-market fund.
India's Leap Finance raises $55m Series C
US education technology specialist Owl Ventures has led a $55 million Series C round for Leap Finance, an Indian start-up that helps students pay for overseas studies.
Australia's Blackbird leads Series B for education start-up
Blackbird Ventures has led a $25 million Series B funding round for Forage, an Australia-founded but now US-based provider of virtual training courses aimed at students.
India's Eruditus raises $650m at $3.2b valuation
India’s Eruditus Executive Education, operator of professional upskilling portal Emeritus, has raised a $650 million Series E round led by Accel and SoftBank Vision Fund 2 at a valuation of $3.2 billion.
China education: Opportunity erased?
Private equity investors have pumped billions of dollars into Chinese online education platforms, notably in the K-12 space. A regulatory crackdown has left them wondering how they can get their money back
Primavera pursues China online education take-private
Primavera Capital Group has submitted a $33.3 million take-private bid for Liulishuo, a China-based operator of an English language learning app. The company's stock has struggled following a recent crackdown on online education platforms in China.
India education platform Unacademy raises $440m
India-based education platform Unacademy has closed a $440 million funding round – at a valuation of $3.44 billion – led by Temasek Holdings.
China regulatory crackdown threatens PE education deals
China has imposed severe restrictions on private tutoring that appear to undermine the commercial viability of companies in the space, potentially making private equity investment unviable.
Australia's Go1 raises $200m Series D at $1b valuation
SoftBank Vision Fund 2, AirTree Ventures, and Salesforce Ventures have led a $200 million Series D round for Australian workforce training start-up Go1 at a valuation of $1 billion.
Tiger Global leads $35m Series C for India's Classplus
Tiger Global Management has led a $65 million Series C round for Classplus, an India-based education technology platform through which teachers can distribute, track, and monetize content.
China online education player Huohua Siwei files for US IPO
Huohua Siwei, a China-based children's online education platform specializing in mathematics and science otherwise known as Spark Education, has filed to list in the US.
KKR impact fund backs Australasian edtech player
KKR’s global impact investment fund has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Australia and New Zealand-based Education Perfect, a provider of digital teaching and learning toolkits for schools, at a valuation of NZ$455 million ($320 million).
Quadrant buys Australia's Affinity Education from Anchorage
Quadrant Private Equity has acquired Australia-based childcare business Affinity Education from Anchorage Capital Partners for A$650 million ($490 million).
India's Byju's raises $340m at $16.5b valuation
Indian education platform Byju’s has raised about $340 million at a post-money valuation of $16.5 billion from investors including The Blackstone Group.
Orchid Asia reaches $1.1b first close on Fund VIII
Orchid Asia has achieved a first close of $1.1 billion on its eighth fund, five months after launching the vehicle with a full target of $1.6 billion.
Singapore's Heritas hits first close on Asia impact fund
Heritas Capital, a Singapore-based private equity firm sponsored by industrial conglomerate IMC Group, has reached a first close of $60 million on a pan-Asia impact investment fund.
KKR impact fund backs Vietnam K-12 business
KKR is mobilizing its recently established global impact fund to invest Vietnamese K-12 bilingual school operator EQuest Education.
Vision Fund invests $175m in Korea education start-up
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 has invested $175 million in Korean education app Riiid to build out its artificial intelligence (AI) capacities and advance a global expansion.