Logistics
China logistics robotics player Geek+ raises $100m
China’s Geek+, a manufacturer of robots used to move merchandise around warehouses, has raised USD 100m in Series E funding at a valuation of about USD 2bn.
Deal focus: Allegro pumps up in New Zealand
Australia’s Allegro Funds has made its first investment from its largest fund to date, flexing new capacity to invest at scale with petrol station chain Gull New Zealand
J-Star invests in Japanese courier business
Japanese lower middle-market private equity firm J-Star has made an investment of undisclosed size in air cargo transportation and courier services provider Score Japan Holdings.
Allegro buys New Zealand fuel retail business
Australia’s Allegro Funds has agreed to acquire 100% of petrol station chain Gull New Zealand, the largest independent operator of its kind locally, for NZD 552m (USD 327m).
Apax buys Australia automotive auctions platform
Apax Partners has acquired a majority position in Australian vehicles and industrial equipment marketplace Pickles Auctions.
China trucking fleet platform Duckbill raises $49m
China’s Duckbill, a fleet management platform for the trucking industry, has raised CNY 330m (USD 49m) in a Series C round led by CICC Capital.
Deal focus: Prosus looks to aggregate India’s fruit farmers
B2B marketplaces are the prevalent theme in Prosus Ventures’ agricultural technology investments in Asia. However, as fruit specialist Vegrow demonstrates, supply chain dynamics are not uniform
Asia logistics: Cost and complexity
Investment opportunities are expected to emerge as companies look to technology as a means of easing inflationary pressure on supply chains. Will Asia’s shallow pool of specialist logistics GPs deepen?
SeaTown invests $50m in Vietnam e-commerce enabler
SeaTown Holdings International, an alternatives manager owned by Temasek Holdings, has provided a USD 50m Series B round for Vietnamese e-commerce enabler OnPoint.
Southeast Asia logistics player Deliveree raises $80m
Gobi Partners and SPIL Ventures – the corporate venture capital arm of shipping business Salam Pacific Indonesia Lines – have led a USD 70m Series C round for Southeast Asia-focused logistics marketplace Deliveree.
India's Zomato buys PE-backed Blinkit for $567m
India-based online food services platform Zomato has agreed to acquire Blinkit – a private equity-backed quick commerce start-up formerly known as Grofers – for INR 44.5bn (USD 567m).
PE-backed Gogox sinks on debut after $98m Hong Kong IPO
Gogox, a last-mile logistics company formed through the merger of Hong Kong's GoGoVan and an affiliate of mainland China-based 58.com, fell 22% on its Hong Kong trading debut following a HKD 771.4 (USD 98.3m) IPO.
Indonesia grocery delivery player Astro raises $60m
Indonesia-based on-demand grocery delivery platform Astro has secured USD 60m in Series B funding led by Accel Partners, Citius, and Tiger Global Management.
India D2C food brand Country Delight gets $108m Series D
India’s Country Delight, a direct-to-consumer (D2C) food brand best known for farm-fresh milk, has raised USD 108m in Series D funding led by Singapore’s Venturi Partners and Temasek Holdings.
India's Delhivery completes $674m IPO
Indian e-commerce logistics provider Delhivery raised INR 52.4bn (USD 674m) in a domestic IPO but was unable to sustain first-day price gains with the stock sliding towards the offering price by May 26.
Deal focus: India’s Fashinza in vogue with VC
The appeal of the boutique brand ensures that fashion will always be a fragmented space. As e-commerce splinters the industry even further, India’s Fashinza aims to tie it all together
Thai food supply chain player secures $23.5m Series B
Openspace Ventures has participated in a USD 23.5m Series B funding round for Freshket, a Thailand-based farm-to-table agricultural supply chain start-up.
India’s Fashinza gets $100m Series B
Prosus Ventures and WestBridge Capital have led a USD 100m Series B round for India’s Fashinza, a B2B marketplace and supply chain platform for the fashion industry.
Mithril, BlackRock invest $110m in Singapore’s GreyOrange
Mithril Capital, a VC firm launched by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, and BlackRock have provided USD 110m in growth funding to Singapore and US-based robotics player GreyOrange.
Market volatility thwarts CVC pursuit of Australia's Brambles
CVC Capital Partners has abandoned its proposed acquisition of Australia-based container supplier Brambles, citing market volatility.
GP profile: EmergeVest
Building on unorthodox roots and a highly concentrated portfolio, EmergeVest wants to establish itself as a global-minded Asia specialist in technology-enabled supply chains
Nexus Point acquires Hong Kong freight forwarding business
Nexus Point Capital, which makes middle-market control investments in Greater China, has acquired a majority stake in Hong Kong-headquartered freight forwarding business Honour Lane Shipping (HLS).
Sequoia, Tiger, Alpha Wave invest $100m in India agtech player
Indian agriculture technology start-up Absolute Foods has confirmed USD 100m in recent funding from Sequoia Capital India, Tiger Global Management, and Alpha Wave Global at a valuation of USD 500m.
Australia's Shippit secures $46m Series B
Tiger Global Management, Tidal Ventures, and SecondQuarter Ventures have led an AUD 65m (USD 46m) Series B extension for Australia-based logistics software provider Shippit.