Articles by Justin Niessner
Panacea leads $40m Series C for China's XWPharma
Healthcare-focused Panacea Venture has led a $40 million Series C round for China’s XWPharma, a neurobiology-focused biotech developer previously known as XW Laboratories.
Japan's 31 Ventures establishes second fund with $81m
Japan-based 31 Ventures, a VC firm established by local investor Global Brain and property developer Mitsui Fudosan, has launched a second fund of JPY8.5 billion ($81 million).
India insurance tech provider raises $60m
Acko, an Indian financial technology start-up touted as the country’s only digital-native insurer, has secured a $60 million investment featuring Amazon and two global insurance providers.
Lightspeed establishes Southeast Asia VC team
Lightspeed Venture Partners has formalized its Southeast Asian practice with the nomination of Akshay Bhushan (pictured) as head of a new Singapore office and three additional hires.
India events platform Airmeet raises $12m
Sequoia Capital India has led a $12 million Series A round for Bengaluru-based virtual events platform provider Airmeet.
Naver leads $80m round for Singapore's Carousell
Korean internet conglomerate Naver has led an $80 million round for Singapore’s Carousell, a mobile classifieds marketplace, at a valuation of $900 million.
CLSA acquires Japan fitness club operator
CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP) has acquired Japanese 24-hour fitness club operator Worldplus for an undisclosed sum.
Coronavirus & infrastructure: Trial by fire
Conservative investors who trust infrastructure for its stability have received a rude awakening with COVID-19. With appetite for the asset class unchanged, it’s time to get smart about risk
PEP to buy Australian software player for $367m
Australia’s Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) has agreed to acquire 100% of Sydney-listed enterprise software and IT services provider Citadel for A$503 million ($367.5 million).
Sequoia joins $30m Series C for India's Groww
Groww, a financial technology start-up considered the largest retail brokerage in India, has closed a $30 million Series C round with support from Sequoia Capital India.
TPG backs $2b carve-out of Aviva Singapore
TPG Capital has joined a consortium led by Singapore Life (Singlife) that has agreed to acquire the Singapore business of UK insurance giant Aviva for S$2.7 billion ($2 billion).
Tiger, Temasek commit $160m to India's Zomato
Tiger Global Management and Temasek Holdings have contributed $160 million to an ongoing Series J round for India-based food delivery company Zomato.
EV Growth, Jungle lead round for Indonesia's Waresix
Indonesian logistics technology provider Waresix has secured about $75 million in Series B funding led by existing backers EV Growth and Jungle Ventures.
Cool Japan leads $40m Series C for Taiwan’s Vpon
Cool Japan Fund has led a $40 million Series C round for Vpon, a Taiwan-based big data and advertising services provider.
China apps going global: Empires on hold
China’s data-driven consumer apps are having a harder time keeping politics out of business as they become increasingly competitive in global markets. Lessons are plentiful; solutions are not
Navis sells Australia education business to PEP
Navis Capital Partners has sold Australian educational resources provider Modern Star to local private equity firm Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) at an enterprise valuation of about A$600 million ($433 million).
Africa-focused GP leads Series B for Singapore's Thunes
Africa-focused private equity firm Helios Investment Partners has led a $60 million Series B round for Singapore financial technology start-up Thunes.
Baring-owned Vistra acquires Japan accounting firm
Vistra, a Hong Kong-based corporate services provider and fund administrator owned by Baring Private Equity Asia, has acquired Japanese accounting specialist Routes for an undisclosed sum.
Silver Lake backs India edtech player Byju's
Silver Lake has extended a string of large investments for India-based education technology platform Byju’s at a valuation of around $11 billion.
Deal focus: Putting Asia on the air mobility map
Japan’s SkyDrive leads Asia in the niche but potentially society-altering category of flying cars. A $37 million Series B round marks the latest step in a long safety build-out and public acceptance process
Australia's Blackbird launches New Zealand fund
Australia’s Blackbird Ventures has launched a NZ$60 million ($40 million) New Zealand-dedicated fund with a cornerstone investment of NZ$21.5 million from the government.
Korea, Singapore investors back Vietnam's Do Ventures
Korea’s Naver and Woowa Brothers have joined Singapore’s Sea and Vertex Holdings as LPs in the debut fund from Vietnam-based Do Ventures.
China biotech player InxMed raises $19m
Ennovation Ventures, a Chinese life sciences and healthcare-focused investor, and China Growth Capital have led a RMB130 million ($19 million) round for local biotech developer InxMed.
CPPIB backs GLP Japan logistics fund
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has committed JPY25 billion ($235 million) to a fund managed by PE-owned warehouse operator GLP that is said to be the largest open-ended logistics vehicle in Japan.