Growth capital
China coffee shops: Out of Luckin?
Luckin Coffee has won substantial private equity funding for an expansion strategy that involves taking the fight to Starbucks. But is the Chinese coffee shop chain’s business model sustainable?
Flipkart co-founder invests $91m in India’s Ola
Sachin Bansal, a co-founder of Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart, has invested INR6.5 billion ($91 million) in ride-hailing platform Ola.
Deal focus: EQT bets on bank cards
China leads the world in mobile payments, but bank and credit card transactions still surpassed $5 trillion last year. EQT wants to help VBill expand its presence in the space, at home and overseas
Singapore to invest $74m in local start-ups
Singapore’s government plans to invest S$100 million ($74 million) in Singapore-based start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in 2019, along with other measures aimed at promoting local businesses.
GIC leads $125m round for China cancer diagnostics business
GIC Private has led a RMB850 million ($125.5 million) Series C round for Burning Rock, a Chinese cancer diagnostics start-up that is already working with hospitals on products based on DNA sequencing analysis.
Didi invests $100m in India's Oyo to close Series E round
Chinese ride-hailing app operator Didi Chuxing has invested $100 million in India-based online hospitality platform Oyo to close its $1 billion Series E round announced last year.
Temasek invests $38m in India eye hospital chain
Singapore’s Temasek Holdings has invested INR 2.7 billion ($38.1 million) in India's Dr. Agarwal’s Healthcare to support the expansion of its publicly listed eyecare chain Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital.
EQT buys stake in Chinese payment services provider VBill
EQT has agreed to acquire a minority stake in VBill, a third-party payment services provider in China that focuses on small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) for RMB378 million ($55.8 million).
Chinese self-driving truck player TuSimple raises $95m Series D
TuSimple, a China and US-based developer of autonomous driving technology for trucks, has closed its Series D round at $95 million, achieving a pre-money valuation of $1 billion.
C-Bridge helps Korea's Samsung Bioepis with China expansion
C-Bridge Capital has announced a licensing agreement with Samsung Bioepis that is intended to help the Korean biopharmaceutical specialist expand into the China market.
TPG Growth invests $30m in Indian pharma player
TPG Growth, the mid-market investment platform of TPG Capital, has invested $30 million in Indian pharmaceutical ingredient maker Solara Active Pharma.
Indonesia's Go-Jek completes first phase of Series F
Google, JD.com and Tencent Holdings are among the returning investors in the first phase of the Series F round for Indonesia-based ride-hailing and delivery platform Go-Jek, which amounts to around $1 billion.
Thailand's Central Group invests $200m in Grab
Thai retail conglomerate Central Group has agreed to invest $200 million in ride-hailing and online-to-offline (O2O) services platform Grab, adding to the list of strategic players that have backed the Southeast Asia company in the past year.
China supply chain solutions provider gets $356m Series A
Shenzhen-based Zhunshida, or Jusida, a logistics spin-out from Foxconn International, has raised RMB2.4 billion ($355.8 million) in Series A funding led by China Life Insurance.
LionRock buys stake in Italian football club Inter Milan
Asian private equity investor LionRock Capital has agreed to buy a minority stake in Italian football club Internazionale Milano (Inter Milan), which has been controlled by Chinese electronics retailer Suning since 2016.
Accel-KKR invests $16m in Australia's Humanforce
Accel-KKR, a US-based private equity firm created by Accel Partners and KKR, has invested A$22.5 million ($16.1 million) in Australian workforce management solutions provider Humanforce.
Korean beauty products player gets $35m Series D
JJDC, an investment arm of healthcare and consumer goods giant Johnson & Johnson, has led a $35 million Series D round for South Korean online beauty products retailer Memebox.
SoftBank invests $150m in India's FirstCry
SoftBank Vision Fund has committed $150 million to Indian online baby and child-focused retailer FirstCry as the first tranche in a planned $400 million Series E round.
Eight Roads invests $31m in Indian pharma player
Eight Roads Ventures, the proprietary investment arm of Fidelity International, has invested INR2.18 billion ($30.6 million) in Indian pharmaceutical manufacturer Caplin Point. Sister fund F-Prime Capital Ventures also participated.
4Q analysis: Defined by uncertainty
Korea comes to the fore as investment in China slows; venture capital and pan-regional players remain preeminent in Asia fundraising; IPO weakness reflects investor wariness
India's CarDekho secures $110m Series C
Indian online automobile marketplace CarDekho has raised $110 million in Series C funding from investors including Sequoia Capital India, Hillhouse Capital, CapitalG – an investment arm of Alphabet, parent of Google – and Axis Bank.
AVCJ Awards 2018: Operational Value Add: Qingdao Haier
KKR backed in Qingdao Haier at a time when the Chinese white goods giant wanted to expand overseas and address competitive pressure at home. The GP helped it deliver on both fronts
Naspers leads $1b Series H for India's Swiggy
Naspers has re-upped in Indian online food ordering and delivering platform Swiggy, leading a $1 billion Series H round of funding for the company.
AVCJ Awards 2018: Deal of the Year - Late Stage Technology: Ant Financial
A string of private equity investors backed Ant Financial’s $14 billion Series C round, having recognized a company at the forefront of financial disruption in China